Aldora, GA Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Aldora is about the same as Georgia average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Aldora is about the same as Georgia average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #405
| Aldora, GA | 0.04 |
| Georgia | 0.08 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Aldora, GA | 0.0000 |
| Georgia | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #283
| Aldora, GA | 186.73 |
| Georgia | 179.92 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 3,866 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Aldora, GA were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 0 | Cold: | 12 | Dense Fog: | 2 | Drought: | 22 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 143 | Hail: | 1,262 | Heat: | 8 | Heavy Snow: | 24 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 4 | Ice Storm: | 7 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 28 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,941 | Tropical Storm: | 13 | Wildfire: | 2 | Winter Storm: | 9 | Winter Weather: | 22 |
| Other: | 367 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Aldora, GA.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 1 historical earthquake event that had a recorded magnitude of 3.5 or above found in or near Aldora, GA.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 46.0 | 1964-03-13 | 4.4 | 40 | 33.2 | -83.4 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 75 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Aldora, GA.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 2.3 | 1956-05-03 | 2 | 33°02'N / 84°12'W | 33°07'N / 84°06'W | 8.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Lamar |
| 11.8 | 1963-01-11 | 2 | 32°54'N / 84°20'W | 32°55'N / 84°15'W | 5.20 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Upson |
| 16.0 | 2006-01-02 | 3 | 33°09'N / 84°27'W | 33°09'N / 84°24'W | 3.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 3 | 750K | 0 | Pike |
| Brief Description: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service and confirmed by Emergency Managers from both Pike and Meriwether counties concluded that an F3 tornado touched down one mile southeast of Hollonville in northwest Pike county and traveled east for approximately 3 miles, terminating at a point about 4 miles east-southeast of Hollonville in north central Pike county. Five homes along the path were extensively damaged or destroyed. One home was moved 60 feet from its foundation. Two vehicles were thrown 250 yards. Several farm structures were also damaged in the area. A number of trees and power lines were also down in the area. Three injuries were reported during the event. Two men that were working in a barn were injured when the tornado blew the barn away. A third man was injured while clinging to a fence post that the tornado ripped from the ground. The tornado had an overall path length of 3 miles with a path width of 1/4 mile. One interesting note is that family photographs from one of the homes destroyed near Hollonville were found as far away as Williamson, near the Spalding county line. | |||||||||||
| 20.4 | 2009-02-18 | 2 | 33°15'N / 84°30'W | 33°12'N / 84°25'W | 5.00 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 0 | 825K | 0K | Spalding |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that the tornado that initially touched down in Meriwether county, then tracked across southern Coweta county, crossed into Spalding county approximately four miles east-northeast of Haralson or 7 miles west of Zetella. The tornado remain an EF2 as it tracked across southwest and into south central Spalding county, lifting just shy of the Pike county line about five miles west of Rover. Extensive damage was observed along the track of the tornado Four homes were completely destroyed and 40 others sustained minor to moderate damage. Dozens of trees were also down along the path of the tornado. The tornado tracked roughly five miles with southern Spalding county with a maximum path width of one mile and maximum winds of 120 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A strong cold front accompanied and deep negatively tilted upper trough through the eastern U.S. from the 18th into the 19th. An unseasonably warm and unstable air mass developed in advance of the cold front during the late afternoon and early evening across north and central Georgia as warm, moist air rode northward into Georgia on a strong low-level jet. Afternoon temperatures in the 70s and dewpoints in the 60s, combined with strong shear and moderate instability, resulted in the development of numerous supercell thunderstorms from mid-afternoon until a few hours after midnight on the 19th. Ten tornadoes, ranging in scale from EF0 to EF3 tracked across several north and central Georgia counties. The worst tornadoes affected the east central Georgia counties of Jasper, Putnam, Hancock, and Jasper. A death was observed in Hancock county with an EF3 tornado and several injuries were reported from Putnam and Hancock counties. In addition to the tornadoes, very large hail occurred with several of the thunderstorms, including four-inch diameter hail in Coweta and Fayette counties just south of Atlanta. Numerous reports of golf ball and larger-sized hail were received. The event resulted in millions of dollars of damage and the destruction of several homes in north and central Georgia counties. | |||||||||||
| 20.8 | 1964-12-24 | 3 | 33°15'N / 84°25'W | 33°21'N / 84°20'W | 8.40 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Troup |
| 21.5 | 1992-11-22 | 2 | 33°17'N / 84°25'W | 33°21'N / 84°19'W | 7.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Spalding |
| 23.1 | 1992-11-22 | 2 | 33°21'N / 84°19'W | 33°23'N / 84°17'W | 3.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Henry |
| 23.7 | 1992-11-22 | 2 | 33°02'N / 83°48'W | 33°04'N / 83°44'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Monroe |
| 24.2 | 1964-12-24 | 3 | 33°21'N / 84°20'W | 33°25'N / 84°16'W | 6.20 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Henry |
| 24.3 | 1969-07-19 | 2 | 33°24'N / 84°12'W | 1.00 Mile | 37 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Henry | |
| 25.0 | 1954-03-13 | 3 | 32°40'N / 84°06'W | 32°47'N / 83°52'W | 15.90 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 15 | 2.5M | 0 | Crawford |
| 25.4 | 2005-07-06 | 2 | 33°23'N / 84°19'W | 33°25'N / 84°18'W | 9.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 70.0M | 0 | Henry |
| Brief Description: A National Weather Service damage survey confirmed an F2 tornado, the strongest tornado of the evening associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy, touched down just a few hundred yards south of McDonough Street at the Atlanta Motor Speedway then traveled north-northwest passing just east of Lovejoy in Clayton county, then across the Edgar Blalock Raw Water Reservation, at which point it turned northwest and finally passed into Clayton county before lifting near Jodeco Road. The tornado center line crossed the western bank of the race track then across Tara Field just west of the race track. Damages to the Atlanta Motor Speedway, including several condominiums at the facility, and the Tara Field Airport just west of the Atlanta Motor Speedway were estimated at $40,000,000. Eleven planes and five vintage helicopters were heavily damaged at Tara Field. Nearby a Chevron auto service station was destroyed. Damage between these facilities and the Clayton county line was confined mainly to trees and power lines. The tornado had a path length of nine miles tracking across western Henry and a small portion of eastern Clayton county. The tornado initially had a path width of 1/2 mile, then narrowed as it moved north-northwest. It was determined that the tornado had winds of 120 mph. Electrical power was out in much of the county throughout the night as a result of the damage in the area. All together during the evening, 229 homes in the county had minor damage from thunderstorm winds and/or tornadoes, with 61 homes suffering major damage. In addition, the steeple at Kelly Chapel fell to the ground. | |||||||||||
| 25.9 | 1964-12-25 | 3 | 32°43'N / 84°00'W | 32°54'N / 83°40'W | 23.10 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Crawford |
| 26.8 | 1967-07-07 | 2 | 32°40'N / 84°15'W | 2.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Taylor | |
| 27.4 | 1961-02-24 | 2 | 32°48'N / 83°49'W | 32°50'N / 83°46'W | 3.80 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bibb |
| 27.5 | 2007-03-01 | 3 | 32°43'N / 83°55'W | 32°46'N / 83°50'W | 7.00 Miles | 448 Yards | 0 | 9 | 500K | 0K | Crawford |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that an EF3 tornado touched down approximately four miles east of Knoxville and continued east-northeast into Bibb county ending just southeast of Lizella. The tornado exited Crawford county about 5.5 miles east of Sandy Point or about 9 miles east-northeast of Knoxville. The tornado traveled over six miles in Crawford county, but the path length of the entire track was approximately 8.5 miles long with a maximum path width of one-quarter mile. Significant damage was noted along the path of the tornado, especially along Sandy Point Road in northeast Crawford county. Here, several homes and outbuildings were heavily damaged or destroyed. Numerous trees were either snapped or uprooted. Nine injuries were reported in the area of the damaged homes. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A major, negatively tilted and closed upper trough rotated through the mid-south and southeast U.S. on March 1st. A 150kt jet was located over the region at 250mb with a strong 50kt low-level jet from central Alabama into central Tennessee. A wedge of cool air was present over much of north central and northeast Georgia. Rain, which spread over this area early in the day, helped enhance the wedge of cool air. Little to no severe weather was noted north of the wedge boundary across north Georgia where the air mass remained relatively cool and stable. Meanwhile...a warm, humid air mass was present across much of central and south Georgia where dewpoints had risen well into the 60s during the afternoon. The strong upper dynamics present over this region combined with the instability just south of the wedge provided a very favorable environment for long lived, strong tornadoes. A total of 14 tornadoes affecting 17 counties tracked across central and east central Georgia and within the Peachtree City, Georgia county warning area during the late afternoon and evening hours of March 1st. This was the second greatest number of tornadoes recorded to have occurred in the Peachtree City, Georgia forecast area within a 24-hour period, second only to the 16 tornadoes, affecting 18 counties, associated with Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. The March 1st tornadoes spanned an area from Stewart county in the far southwest part of the county warning area to Warren county in the far east central portion of the county warning area. The first tornado touched down in Stewart county at 4:11 pm EST and the last tornado lifted in Marion county at 10:55 pm EST. By far the hardest hit county was Sumter county, and especially the city of Americus, where hundreds of homes and business, including the regional hospital, were heavily damaged or destroyed. Additional tornadoes were reported further south in Tallahassee and Jacksonville's, Florida's forecast areas. Federal disaster assistance had been approved for 1,836 households across the state for a total of $14.2 million. Another $5.8 million had been approved for public assistance of debris removal and to repair infrastructure. The Small Business Association also approved $7 million in disaster assistance loans. Overall damages, however, are estimated to be several hundred million. Substantial rainfall fell across much of the state, but rainfall amounts of three to five inches were common across central and east central areas. The heaviest rainfall fell in the Hancock, Putnam, and Baldwin county areas, where some spots received in excess of six inches of rain. Some flooding was reported in these areas. | |||||||||||
| 28.3 | 1964-12-24 | 3 | 33°25'N / 84°16'W | 33°30'N / 84°07'W | 10.40 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Henry |
| 28.5 | 2007-03-01 | 3 | 32°45'N / 83°50'W | 32°47'N / 83°48'W | 3.00 Miles | 448 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0K | Bibb |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that an EF3 tornado which originally touched down approximately four miles east of Knoxville in Crawford county, continued east-northeast into Bibb county lifting just southeast of Lizella. The tornado entered Bibb county three miles south-southeast of Lizella and lifted about one mile east-southeast of Lizella. The path length within Bibb county was about three miles long with a maximum path width of one-quarter mile wide. Damage within Bibb county was primarily confined to trees and power lines. However, one home did sustain damage on Lower Thomaston Road. Several trees were down east of Lizella near U.S. Highway 80. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A major, negatively tilted and closed upper trough rotated through the mid-south and southeast U.S. on March 1st. A 150kt jet was located over the region at 250mb with a strong 50kt low-level jet from central Alabama into central Tennessee. A wedge of cool air was present over much of north central and northeast Georgia. Rain, which spread over this area early in the day, helped enhance the wedge of cool air. Little to no severe weather was noted north of the wedge boundary across north Georgia where the air mass remained relatively cool and stable. Meanwhile...a warm, humid air mass was present across much of central and south Georgia where dewpoints had risen well into the 60s during the afternoon. The strong upper dynamics present over this region combined with the instability just south of the wedge provided a very favorable environment for long lived, strong tornadoes. A total of 14 tornadoes affecting 17 counties tracked across central and east central Georgia and within the Peachtree City, Georgia county warning area during the late afternoon and evening hours of March 1st. This was the second greatest number of tornadoes recorded to have occurred in the Peachtree City, Georgia forecast area within a 24-hour period, second only to the 16 tornadoes, affecting 18 counties, associated with Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. The March 1st tornadoes spanned an area from Stewart county in the far southwest part of the county warning area to Warren county in the far east central portion of the county warning area. The first tornado touched down in Stewart county at 4:11 pm EST and the last tornado lifted in Marion county at 10:55 pm EST. By far the hardest hit county was Sumter county, and especially the city of Americus, where hundreds of homes and business, including the regional hospital, were heavily damaged or destroyed. Additional tornadoes were reported further south in Tallahassee and Jacksonville's, Florida's forecast areas. Federal disaster assistance had been approved for 1,836 households across the state for a total of $14.2 million. Another $5.8 million had been approved for public assistance of debris removal and to repair infrastructure. The Small Business Association also approved $7 million in disaster assistance loans. Overall damages, however, are estimated to be several hundred million. Substantial rainfall fell across much of the state, but rainfall amounts of three to five inches were common across central and east central areas. The heaviest rainfall fell in the Hancock, Putnam, and Baldwin county areas, where some spots received in excess of six inches of rain. Some flooding was reported in these areas. | |||||||||||
| 28.6 | 1967-08-19 | 2 | 33°27'N / 84°18'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clayton | |
| 29.1 | 1992-11-22 | 2 | 33°04'N / 83°44'W | 33°07'N / 83°37'W | 8.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Jones |
| 29.1 | 2009-02-18 | 2 | 33°13'N / 84°46'W | 33°14'N / 84°30'W | 16.00 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0K | Coweta |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that the EF2 tornado that touched down at 923 Bradberry Road, just inside the Meriwether county line, quickly crossed into Coweta county and continued on an east-northeastward track across far southern Coweta county, crossing into Spalding county approximately four miles east-northeast of Haralson. Within Coweta county the tornado caused minor to moderate damage to several homes. One home completely lost its roof. A horse was killed from flying debris near U.S. Highway 27A. Hundreds of trees were also blown down along the path of the tornado. The tornado tracked almost 16 miles within Coweta county. The maximum path width was estimated to be one mile with maximum winds of 120 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A strong cold front accompanied and deep negatively tilted upper trough through the eastern U.S. from the 18th into the 19th. An unseasonably warm and unstable air mass developed in advance of the cold front during the late afternoon and early evening across north and central Georgia as warm, moist air rode northward into Georgia on a strong low-level jet. Afternoon temperatures in the 70s and dewpoints in the 60s, combined with strong shear and moderate instability, resulted in the development of numerous supercell thunderstorms from mid-afternoon until a few hours after midnight on the 19th. Ten tornadoes, ranging in scale from EF0 to EF3 tracked across several north and central Georgia counties. The worst tornadoes affected the east central Georgia counties of Jasper, Putnam, Hancock, and Jasper. A death was observed in Hancock county with an EF3 tornado and several injuries were reported from Putnam and Hancock counties. In addition to the tornadoes, very large hail occurred with several of the thunderstorms, including four-inch diameter hail in Coweta and Fayette counties just south of Atlanta. Numerous reports of golf ball and larger-sized hail were received. The event resulted in millions of dollars of damage and the destruction of several homes in north and central Georgia counties. | |||||||||||
| 29.5 | 1954-03-13 | 3 | 32°47'N / 83°52'W | 32°52'N / 83°37'W | 15.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 5 | 50 | 2.5M | 0 | Bibb |
| 30.7 | 1954-12-05 | 3 | 32°52'N / 84°43'W | 32°52'N / 84°36'W | 6.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Meriwether |
| 31.2 | 1954-03-13 | 3 | 32°32'N / 84°22'W | 32°40'N / 84°06'W | 18.10 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 10 | 2.5M | 0 | Taylor |
| 31.2 | 1962-02-22 | 2 | 32°36'N / 84°07'W | 0.80 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Taylor | |
| 32.0 | 1971-07-19 | 2 | 32°38'N / 83°56'W | 0.10 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Houston | |
| 32.1 | 1964-12-24 | 3 | 33°30'N / 84°07'W | 33°31'N / 84°03'W | 4.10 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Henry |
| 32.5 | 1969-05-18 | 2 | 33°20'N / 83°55'W | 33°32'N / 83°47'W | 15.90 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Butts |
| 33.5 | 2008-05-11 | 2 | 32°49'N / 83°46'W | 32°45'N / 83°37'W | 17.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 5.0M | 0K | Bibb |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that an EF2 tornado touched down near Lizella and continued across Bibb county into extreme western Twiggs county near Dry Branch producing sporadic, but significant damage as it varied in intensity from EF0 to EF2. The tornado tracked from just east-northeast of Lizella across the south shores of Lake Tobesofkee, then across the city of Macon, producing widespread significant damage, and then eastward to the Twiggs county line. By far the most significant damage occurred within the city of Macon, especially along Eisenhower Parkway and Pio Nono Avenue where two businesses were completely destroyed and several others were heavily damaged. Macon State College was also hit by the tornado, destroying the gymnasium and causing significant damage to a number of other buildings on the campus. In addition, more than 50 percent of the trees on the campus either snapped in half or uprooted. Maximum wind speeds within the tornado were estimated at 130 mph, which occurred near the intersection of Eisenhower Parkway and Pio Nono Avenue. Nearly all of the 18 mile long path of the tornado fell within Bibb county. Less than one mile of the tornado occurred within Twiggs county. The maximum path width of the tornado was estimated to be 100 yards, mainly as it traveled through the Macon State College area. A summary of damages from Bibb county shows that 1,479 homes suffered at least some damage as a result of the storms. Ninety-three of these homes were destroyed, 275 suffered major damage, and 569 sustained minor damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A stationary front was draped across north Georgia early on May 10th with an active northwest flow aloft. Meanwhile...a vigorous short wave aloft was approaching the area from the southern plains. The stationary front provided the focus for two rounds of showers and thunderstorms, one early in the morning on the 10th and another in the afternoon. The activity tracked east-southeast with the upper flow aloft, mainly across north Georgia during the early morning and across central Georgia during the afternoon. An isolated strong supercell also tracked across the southern part of central Georgia during the evening. After a lull of convective activity for about four hours, intense multicell thunderstorms tracked into the area from Alabama after midnight and before dawn on the 11th. As these thunderstorms tracked across west central and central Georgia, 15 tornadoes were identified by subsequent surveys making this the most significant tornado outbreak to affect the area since the Katrina-associated tornadoes on August 29, 2005. Millions of dollars of property damage were reported as many homes were destroyed from these tornadoes from the western and southern suburbs of Atlanta southeastward across Macon, Dublin, and other counties in east central and southeast Georgia. Many of these counties were eligible for disaster assistance from the federal government. In addition to the tornadoes and thunderstorm winds that caused extensive damage in dozens of counties across north and central Georgia during the early morning hours of May 11th, strong gradient winds developed on the back side of the strong cold front that moved through the area as low pressure intensified across the mid-Atlantic region. The strong winds combined with wet ground resulted in dozens of trees being blown down in some north Georgia counties. There were also two deaths as a result of downed trees in Barrow and Gwinnett county, all non-thunderstorm-related winds. | |||||||||||
| 33.9 | 1964-12-24 | 3 | 33°31'N / 84°03'W | 33°29'N / 83°50'W | 12.70 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Newton |
| 34.4 | 1958-01-31 | 2 | 32°49'N / 83°39'W | 0.30 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bibb | |
| 34.7 | 1961-02-24 | 2 | 32°33'N / 84°15'W | 2.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Taylor | |
| 35.3 | 1952-03-03 | 3 | 32°48'N / 83°41'W | 32°47'N / 83°37'W | 4.30 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Bibb |
| 36.2 | 1964-12-24 | 3 | 33°30'N / 84°55'W | 33°15'N / 84°25'W | 33.60 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Troup |
| 36.4 | 2007-03-01 | 2 | 32°29'N / 84°09'W | 32°34'N / 84°04'W | 8.00 Miles | 448 Yards | 1 | 4 | 500K | 0K | Taylor |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that an EF2 tornado had tracked across a 7-mile stretch of eastern Taylor county from about three miles southwest of Potterville to about two miles east of Reynolds. The tornado traveled a path of between seven and eight miles with a maximum path width of 448 yards or roughly 1/3 of a mile wide. The heaviest damage was southwest of Potterville, where two mobile homes were destroyed and others were damaged. One of the mobile homes was rolled. One death and four injuries were reported in the area of the damaged and destroyed mobile homes. Numerous trees and power lines were down throughout the area. Several were down on Bear Road in Potterville. Damage to trees and roofs of several homes continued through and east of Reynolds, although the damage in this area was not as severe. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A major, negatively tilted and closed upper trough rotated through the mid-south and southeast U.S. on March 1st. A 150kt jet was located over the region at 250mb with a strong 50kt low-level jet from central Alabama into central Tennessee. A wedge of cool air was present over much of north central and northeast Georgia. Rain, which spread over this area early in the day, helped enhance the wedge of cool air. Little to no severe weather was noted north of the wedge boundary across north Georgia where the air mass remained relatively cool and stable. Meanwhile...a warm, humid air mass was present across much of central and south Georgia where dewpoints had risen well into the 60s during the afternoon. The strong upper dynamics present over this region combined with the instability just south of the wedge provided a very favorable environment for long lived, strong tornadoes. A total of 14 tornadoes affecting 17 counties tracked across central and east central Georgia and within the Peachtree City, Georgia county warning area during the late afternoon and evening hours of March 1st. This was the second greatest number of tornadoes recorded to have occurred in the Peachtree City, Georgia forecast area within a 24-hour period, second only to the 16 tornadoes, affecting 18 counties, associated with Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. The March 1st tornadoes spanned an area from Stewart county in the far southwest part of the county warning area to Warren county in the far east central portion of the county warning area. The first tornado touched down in Stewart county at 4:11 pm EST and the last tornado lifted in Marion county at 10:55 pm EST. By far the hardest hit county was Sumter county, and especially the city of Americus, where hundreds of homes and business, including the regional hospital, were heavily damaged or destroyed. Additional tornadoes were reported further south in Tallahassee and Jacksonville's, Florida's forecast areas. Federal disaster assistance had been approved for 1,836 households across the state for a total of $14.2 million. Another $5.8 million had been approved for public assistance of debris removal and to repair infrastructure. The Small Business Association also approved $7 million in disaster assistance loans. Overall damages, however, are estimated to be several hundred million. Substantial rainfall fell across much of the state, but rainfall amounts of three to five inches were common across central and east central areas. The heaviest rainfall fell in the Hancock, Putnam, and Baldwin county areas, where some spots received in excess of six inches of rain. Some flooding was reported in these areas. | |||||||||||
| 36.9 | 2005-08-29 | 2 | 32°33'N / 83°53'W | 32°36'N / 83°53'W | 4.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.6M | 0 | Peach |
| Brief Description: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service confirmed that an F2 tornado had touched down just south of Fort Valley, crossed Georgia Highway 49 in Fort Valley and continued north for approximately four miles. The overall damage path was four miles long and 50 yards wide. The worst damage was along Taylor's Mill Road. Extensive damage occurred to homes and businesses in the area. Several homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged beyond repair, including a branch of the Robins Federal Credit Union. Hundreds of large trees in the area were completely uprooted, including a pecan orchard which was destroyed. Three people suffered minor injuries in the way of bruises and scrapes from tornado debris. Parts of Taylor's Mill Road and Georgia Highway 49 were blocked by debris and had to be closed. | |||||||||||
| 38.1 | 1964-12-26 | 3 | 32°54'N / 83°40'W | 33°02'N / 83°23'W | 18.90 Miles | 600 Yards | 2 | 16 | 2.5M | 0 | Jones |
| 38.1 | 1989-10-01 | 2 | 33°36'N / 84°11'W | 33°36'N / 84°05'W | 3.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Henry |
| 38.3 | 2008-05-11 | 2 | 33°06'N / 84°51'W | 33°07'N / 84°49'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 30K | 0K | Meriwether |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that the tornado, that originally touched down in northeastern Troup county, continued into Meriwether county. The EF2 tornado entered Meriwether county a little over two miles west-southwest of Saint Marks and tracked to a point approximately 9.25 miles northwest of Greenville along Saint Marks Road, approximately 3.67 miles northeast of Saint Marks. The tornado tracked a little over two miles within Meriwether county with a maximum path width of 300 yards. Many trees were snapped or uprooted along the path of the tornado. Structural damage was confined to one shed, which was destroyed, and minor roof damage to several homes in the Saint Marks area and east-northeastward toward U.S. Highway 27. Some of this later damage may have been caused by straight-line winds. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A stationary front was draped across north Georgia early on May 10th with an active northwest flow aloft. Meanwhile...a vigorous short wave aloft was approaching the area from the southern plains. The stationary front provided the focus for two rounds of showers and thunderstorms, one early in the morning on the 10th and another in the afternoon. The activity tracked east-southeast with the upper flow aloft, mainly across north Georgia during the early morning and across central Georgia during the afternoon. An isolated strong supercell also tracked across the southern part of central Georgia during the evening. After a lull of convective activity for about four hours, intense multicell thunderstorms tracked into the area from Alabama after midnight and before dawn on the 11th. As these thunderstorms tracked across west central and central Georgia, 15 tornadoes were identified by subsequent surveys making this the most significant tornado outbreak to affect the area since the Katrina-associated tornadoes on August 29, 2005. Millions of dollars of property damage were reported as many homes were destroyed from these tornadoes from the western and southern suburbs of Atlanta southeastward across Macon, Dublin, and other counties in east central and southeast Georgia. Many of these counties were eligible for disaster assistance from the federal government. In addition to the tornadoes and thunderstorm winds that caused extensive damage in dozens of counties across north and central Georgia during the early morning hours of May 11th, strong gradient winds developed on the back side of the strong cold front that moved through the area as low pressure intensified across the mid-Atlantic region. The strong winds combined with wet ground resulted in dozens of trees being blown down in some north Georgia counties. There were also two deaths as a result of downed trees in Barrow and Gwinnett county, all non-thunderstorm-related winds. | |||||||||||
| 38.5 | 1957-04-05 | 2 | 32°31'N / 84°02'W | 32°50'N / 83°20'W | 46.20 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Peach |
| 38.8 | 2008-05-11 | 2 | 33°37'N / 84°16'W | 33°36'N / 84°13'W | 3.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 7.5M | 0K | Clayton |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that an EF2 tornado with maximum winds of 130 mph touched down in far northeast Clayton county, approximately four miles northeast of Morrow, and tracked on the ground for nearly 19 miles from northeast Clayton into northern Henry, southern Rockdale, and into western Newton county before finally lifting. Within Clayton county the tornado path was about 2.75 miles long with a maximum path width of 100 yards. Shortly after touchdown, the tornado caused extensive and significant damage within a 2.5 square mile area of the Ellenwood community. There were 185 private dwellings damaged, 53 of which were destroyed or left uninhabitable. At least 500 residents were displaced from their homes. Numerous trees and power lines were also down in the area. By far, the worst damage caused by this tornado occurred within Clayton county as the tornado weakened as it tracked further east into Henry, Rockdale, and Newton county. Despite the extensive damage, no injuries were reported. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A stationary front was draped across north Georgia early on May 10th with an active northwest flow aloft. Meanwhile...a vigorous short wave aloft was approaching the area from the southern plains. The stationary front provided the focus for two rounds of showers and thunderstorms, one early in the morning on the 10th and another in the afternoon. The activity tracked east-southeast with the upper flow aloft, mainly across north Georgia during the early morning and across central Georgia during the afternoon. An isolated strong supercell also tracked across the southern part of central Georgia during the evening. After a lull of convective activity for about four hours, intense multicell thunderstorms tracked into the area from Alabama after midnight and before dawn on the 11th. As these thunderstorms tracked across west central and central Georgia, 15 tornadoes were identified by subsequent surveys making this the most significant tornado outbreak to affect the area since the Katrina-associated tornadoes on August 29, 2005. Millions of dollars of property damage were reported as many homes were destroyed from these tornadoes from the western and southern suburbs of Atlanta southeastward across Macon, Dublin, and other counties in east central and southeast Georgia. Many of these counties were eligible for disaster assistance from the federal government. In addition to the tornadoes and thunderstorm winds that caused extensive damage in dozens of counties across north and central Georgia during the early morning hours of May 11th, strong gradient winds developed on the back side of the strong cold front that moved through the area as low pressure intensified across the mid-Atlantic region. The strong winds combined with wet ground resulted in dozens of trees being blown down in some north Georgia counties. There were also two deaths as a result of downed trees in Barrow and Gwinnett county, all non-thunderstorm-related winds. | |||||||||||
| 39.0 | 1989-10-01 | 2 | 33°36'N / 84°05'W | 33°37'N / 84°04'W | 1.00 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Rockdale |
| 39.2 | 2006-01-02 | 2 | 33°31'N / 84°36'W | 33°30'N / 84°33'W | 3.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.0M | 0 | Fayette |
| Brief Description: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City Georgia and the Fayette County Emergency Management Director concluded that the F2 tornado, which originally developed in far south Fulton county just east of Palmetto continued into extreme northwest Fayette county. The overall tornado path length was seven miles, of which approximately three miles occurred within Fayette county. The maximum path width was 1/4 mile. The most significant damage associated with the tornado occurred in Fayette county. The tornado entered the county just south of Fairburn and just west of Georgia Highway 74 (Senoia Road) near Milam Road. In this area the tornado destroyed a small apartment home and rolled a hay baler approximately 15 yards from its origin. A number of trees were uprooted or snapped off in this area as well. The storm then skipped across Georgia Highway 74 just south of the Wendell Coffee Golf Center into the River Oaks Subdivision. A home on Westbourne Drive next to the Golf Center was damaged with trees down on the structure. A metal awning was also torn off the home. Further down the street, also in the River Oaks Subdivision, a large home was damaged beyond repair and about six others sustained minor to moderate damage, mainly to the roofs of the structures. While one family was trapped in their home during the event, they were rescued without injury. The tornado ended in the 600 block of Westbourne Drive in the River Oaks Subdivision. | |||||||||||
| 39.3 | 1975-02-18 | 3 | 32°33'N / 83°56'W | 32°33'N / 83°46'W | 9.70 Miles | 300 Yards | 2 | 50 | 25.0M | 0 | Peach |
| 39.6 | 1989-03-05 | 3 | 33°17'N / 84°50'W | 33°25'N / 84°41'W | 14.00 Miles | 120 Yards | 0 | 23 | 25.0M | 0 | Coweta |
| 40.0 | 1989-11-15 | 2 | 33°27'N / 84°40'W | 33°31'N / 84°36'W | 3.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Coweta |
| 40.5 | 1989-11-15 | 2 | 33°29'N / 84°39'W | 33°31'N / 84°36'W | 3.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 7 | 2.5M | 0 | Coweta |
| 40.7 | 2008-05-11 | 2 | 33°06'N / 84°53'W | 33°07'N / 84°52'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0K | Troup |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that a second tornado touched down in Troup county. This was spawned by the same thunderstorm that earlier spawned the first tornado south of Louise. This second tornado was also rated an EF2, touching down initially 4.5 south-southeast of Hogansville along the 1100 block of Perkins Road. The tornado tracked about one mile east-northeast across Troup county before crossing into Meriwether county. At the point of the initial touchdown on Perkins Road, a house was damaged and two trucks were destroyed as they were lifted up and tossed approximately 50 feet. Just before the tornado crossed into Meriwether county, near the intersection of Perkins Road and Duchesne Lane along the Troup/Meriwether county line, it completly lifted the roof off a brick home and partially destroyed a cinder block outbuilding. The path length within Troup county was approximately one mile with a maximum path width of 300 yards. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A stationary front was draped across north Georgia early on May 10th with an active northwest flow aloft. Meanwhile...a vigorous short wave aloft was approaching the area from the southern plains. The stationary front provided the focus for two rounds of showers and thunderstorms, one early in the morning on the 10th and another in the afternoon. The activity tracked east-southeast with the upper flow aloft, mainly across north Georgia during the early morning and across central Georgia during the afternoon. An isolated strong supercell also tracked across the southern part of central Georgia during the evening. After a lull of convective activity for about four hours, intense multicell thunderstorms tracked into the area from Alabama after midnight and before dawn on the 11th. As these thunderstorms tracked across west central and central Georgia, 15 tornadoes were identified by subsequent surveys making this the most significant tornado outbreak to affect the area since the Katrina-associated tornadoes on August 29, 2005. Millions of dollars of property damage were reported as many homes were destroyed from these tornadoes from the western and southern suburbs of Atlanta southeastward across Macon, Dublin, and other counties in east central and southeast Georgia. Many of these counties were eligible for disaster assistance from the federal government. In addition to the tornadoes and thunderstorm winds that caused extensive damage in dozens of counties across north and central Georgia during the early morning hours of May 11th, strong gradient winds developed on the back side of the strong cold front that moved through the area as low pressure intensified across the mid-Atlantic region. The strong winds combined with wet ground resulted in dozens of trees being blown down in some north Georgia counties. There were also two deaths as a result of downed trees in Barrow and Gwinnett county, all non-thunderstorm-related winds. | |||||||||||
| 40.7 | 1953-04-30 | 2 | 32°38'N / 83°42'W | 32°40'N / 83°37'W | 5.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bibb |
| 41.0 | 1973-03-31 | 2 | 33°32'N / 84°20'W | 33°45'N / 83°56'W | 27.40 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250.0M | 0 | Clayton |
| 41.1 | 1970-04-02 | 3 | 33°20'N / 84°48'W | 0.30 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Coweta | |
| 41.2 | 1989-11-15 | 2 | 33°31'N / 84°36'W | 33°33'N / 84°35'W | 4.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 7 | 2.5M | 0 | Fulton |
| 41.3 | 1989-11-15 | 2 | 33°31'N / 84°36'W | 33°32'N / 84°37'W | 1.00 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Fulton |
| 41.4 | 2006-01-02 | 2 | 33°31'N / 84°40'W | 33°31'N / 84°35'W | 4.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Fulton |
| Brief Description: A damage survey team from the National Weather Service in Peachtree City concluded that an F2 tornado had touched down just east of Palmetto in the far southern portion of Fulton county near the Coweta and Fayette county borders. The tornado touched down near Interstate-85 and U.S. Highway 29 east of Palmetto and then traveled east into extreme northwest Fayette county. The tornado was rated an F2 and traveled a path of seven miles, of which approximately four miles occurred within Fulton county. The maximum path width was 1/4 mile wide. Roof damage was observed to a number of homes along the path of the tornado. At least six homes east of Palmetto had sustained major damage with large trees down on the structures. Additionally, a number of trees were down along the path along with several power lines. Specifically, the tornado began around 8225 Tatum Road. Numerous trees were down in this area and several homes had sustained roof damage. The chimney was destroyed on one home. The tornado then continued across the intersection of Johnson and Tatum Road to Gullatt Road. Several homes in this area had sustained roof damage and in fact, one home had completely lost its roof. Numerous trees were either uprooted or snapped off along the path and several power lines were down as well. From this point, the tornado traveled toward the intersection of Bohannon and Kirkley Roads. Damage in this section was less extensive with just minor roof damage and only a few trees uprooted or down in the area. The tornado then crossed into Fayette county. | |||||||||||
| 41.6 | 1978-05-08 | 2 | 33°37'N / 84°23'W | 33°39'N / 84°19'W | 4.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Clayton |
| 42.9 | 2007-01-07 | 2 | 33°17'N / 84°54'W | 33°18'N / 84°49'W | 4.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 350K | 0K | Coweta |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City, GA confirmed that an F2 tornado had touched down approximately 8 miles southwest of Newnan near the intersection of Bohannon Road and New Corinth Road near Blalock Lake. The tornado then traveled northeast between Old Corinth Road and New Corinth Road traveling approximately 4 miles to the northeast along Earl North Road before lifting. As the tornado crossed Walker Brooks Road and Joe Brown Road just northeast of its touchdown point, a home was destroyed. The winds in the tornado at this point were estimated to range between 125 and 135 mph. As the tornado continued northeast along Earl North Road, several homes sustained minor to moderate damage. A number of trees and at least two power lines were also downed along the path of the tornado. Damage was also reported to a convenience store awning and several storage sheds were destroyed. Portions of Earl North Road were blocked from downed trees and telephone poles. While several residents, including a 14-year old boy were trapped in homes from debris and downed trees, no injuries were reported and all were rescued safely. The tornado path length was approximately four miles long with a maximum path width of 200 yards. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Another strong storm system and deep upper trough, similar to the one of January 5th, swept through the area during the afternoon hours of January 7th. A weak warm front was located across middle Georgia. A narrow, yet intense squall line spread into the area during the mid-afternoon bringing severe weather and yet another tornado to Coweta county in West Central Georgia. This was the third tornado in Coweta county since January 1st. Overall, however, the total amount of severe weather was less also less widespread than that observed on January 5th. | |||||||||||
| 42.9 | 2008-05-11 | 2 | 33°04'N / 84°55'W | 33°04'N / 84°55'W | 1.00 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 80K | 0K | Troup |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that an EF2 tornado touched down approximately one mile south of Louise or 5.5 miles northeast of LaGrange in northeast Troup county. This was just one of 15 tornadoes that affected the central portion of Georgia early on Mother's Day 2008 and the first of two tornadoes, within the same parent thunderstorm, to touch down in Troup county. The tornado touched down near the intersection of U.S. Highway 29 and Willowwood Road. The tornado tracked approximately 1 mile to the east-northeast to a point less than one mile east-southeast of Louise. The path width was approximately 150 yards wide. Three homes were damaged, a well house was destroyed, and numerous large trees were snapped in half along the path of the tornado. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A stationary front was draped across north Georgia early on May 10th with an active northwest flow aloft. Meanwhile...a vigorous short wave aloft was approaching the area from the southern plains. The stationary front provided the focus for two rounds of showers and thunderstorms, one early in the morning on the 10th and another in the afternoon. The activity tracked east-southeast with the upper flow aloft, mainly across north Georgia during the early morning and across central Georgia during the afternoon. An isolated strong supercell also tracked across the southern part of central Georgia during the evening. After a lull of convective activity for about four hours, intense multicell thunderstorms tracked into the area from Alabama after midnight and before dawn on the 11th. As these thunderstorms tracked across west central and central Georgia, 15 tornadoes were identified by subsequent surveys making this the most significant tornado outbreak to affect the area since the Katrina-associated tornadoes on August 29, 2005. Millions of dollars of property damage were reported as many homes were destroyed from these tornadoes from the western and southern suburbs of Atlanta southeastward across Macon, Dublin, and other counties in east central and southeast Georgia. Many of these counties were eligible for disaster assistance from the federal government. In addition to the tornadoes and thunderstorm winds that caused extensive damage in dozens of counties across north and central Georgia during the early morning hours of May 11th, strong gradient winds developed on the back side of the strong cold front that moved through the area as low pressure intensified across the mid-Atlantic region. The strong winds combined with wet ground resulted in dozens of trees being blown down in some north Georgia counties. There were also two deaths as a result of downed trees in Barrow and Gwinnett county, all non-thunderstorm-related winds. | |||||||||||
| 43.2 | 1953-04-30 | 2 | 32°47'N / 83°30'W | 0.50 Mile | 10 Yards | 1 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Twiggs | |
| 43.2 | 1967-03-06 | 2 | 33°27'N / 83°36'W | 0.80 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jasper | |
| 43.3 | 1978-05-08 | 2 | 33°39'N / 84°19'W | 33°41'N / 84°18'W | 2.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | De Kalb |
| 44.1 | 1959-04-19 | 2 | 32°48'N / 83°30'W | 32°52'N / 83°25'W | 6.60 Miles | 120 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Twiggs |
| 44.3 | 1957-04-05 | 2 | 32°18'N / 84°16'W | 32°31'N / 84°02'W | 20.20 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Macon |
| 44.7 | 1972-01-10 | 3 | 33°40'N / 84°24'W | 33°41'N / 84°21'W | 3.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 1 | 9 | 250K | 0 | Fulton |
| 45.0 | 1965-07-11 | 2 | 33°30'N / 83°35'W | 33°33'N / 83°42'W | 7.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Newton |
| 45.2 | 1972-01-10 | 3 | 33°41'N / 84°21'W | 33°42'N / 84°18'W | 3.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | De Kalb |
| 45.6 | 1953-04-30 | 4 | 32°36'N / 83°36'W | 1.00 Mile | 333 Yards | 18 | 300 | 25.0M | 0 | Houston | |
| 46.0 | 1971-04-23 | 2 | 32°22'N / 84°13'W | 32°24'N / 84°10'W | 3.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 10 | 25K | 0 | Macon |
| 46.3 | 1954-12-05 | 3 | 32°40'N / 85°05'W | 32°52'N / 84°43'W | 24.80 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Harris |
| 46.8 | 1989-10-01 | 2 | 33°42'N / 83°57'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Rockdale | |
| 47.3 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 33°42'N / 84°26'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 1 | 40 | 25K | 0 | Fulton | |
| 48.1 | 1963-01-20 | 2 | 32°30'N / 83°44'W | 32°30'N / 83°36'W | 7.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Houston |
| 48.9 | 1989-03-05 | 2 | 33°22'N / 84°58'W | 33°28'N / 84°50'W | 10.00 Miles | 167 Yards | 0 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Coweta |
| 49.6 | 1970-03-20 | 2 | 32°40'N / 84°54'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Harris | |
| 49.7 | 1973-05-27 | 3 | 33°43'N / 84°30'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Fulton | |
| 49.8 | 2008-03-14 | 2 | 33°46'N / 84°25'W | 33°44'N / 84°21'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 1 | 30 | 25.0M | 0K | Fulton |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A ground and aerial survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia in cooperation with the Atlanta Police Department, confirmed that an EF2 tornado tracked through the heart of the city of Atlanta causing millions of dollars of damage to buildings, including several high rise business and/or hotel buildings, within the downtown Atlanta area. The tornado also resulted in one death and 30 non-life threatening injuries. The death occurred on Decatur Street across from the Martin Luther King MARTA station. The tornado first touched down near the intersection of Simpson and Burbank Streets in the Vine City neighborhood just west of downtown Atlanta. The tornado then tracked near due east over the center of the Georgia World Congress Center, about 100 yards north of the Georgia Dome, which was concurrently hosting an SEC basketball conference, across the CNN Omni Hotel Complex and the Phillips Arena, where an NBA basketball game was underway, across the Equitable Bank tower, across the Interstate 75/85 Downtown Connector at the Edgewood Exit, and then into the Cotton Mill Lofts across the Oakland Cemetery located near the Fulton/DeKalb county line. The tornado then weakened, but continued into extreme western DeKalb county before finally lifting for good. The tornado had a total path length of six miles, five of which fell within Fulton county, and a maximum path width of 200 yards. Maximum wind speeds were estimated at 130 mph, which is a high end EF2. The tornado had a path width of 100 yards as it moved across the Georgia World Congress Center and CNN Omni Hotel complex and was ranked an EF1 at that point. At least 50 homes were damaged by the tornado, as were several multi-story towers and commercial buildings near and east of Centennial Olympic Park. Windows were blown out of several of these high rise tower buildings at multiple heights. Damage in residential and industrial areas ranged from roofing materials blown from homes and businesses to trees falling on structures and vehicles. The Cotton Mill Lofts experienced some of the most significant damage with the roof blown off and exterior walls on the top or fourth floors blown inward. Two sections of the fourth flour collapsed all the way into the basement of the building, trapping several people. Most of the injuries observed were associated with this damage. Damaged buildings and structures in the downtown Atlanta area included two Hermes 65-foot tall light towers at Centennial Olympic Park, the CNN Center/Omni Hotel, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Equitable Bank Building, Georgia-Pacific Building, Georgia World Congress Center, Grady Hospital, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Martin Luther King Center, Oakland Cemetery, SunTrust Building, Tabernacle, Ted's Montana Grill, Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, and Walton Building Barbershop. In addition to the damage reports, a wind gust of 83 mph was measured at Atlanta Fire Station No. 13 at 447 Flat Shoals Road Southeast in Atlanta, and a wind gust of 65 mph was measured at Atlanta Fire Station No. 4 at 309 Edgewood Drive in Atlanta. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A series of vigorous upper-level disturbances were racing through a fast zonal flow across the southern states. A supercell thunderstorm developed across north central Alabama and tracked southeast into northwest Georgia and eventually across downtown Atlanta, spawning an EF2 tornado that tracked right through the heart of downtown Atlanta. This was the first recorded incident of a tornado touchdown in downtown Atlanta. The tornado wreaked havoc on the downtown streets as it tracked from the Vine City neighborhood on the west, across the I-75/85 corridor, through the Cotton Mill Lofts, and into extreme western DeKalb county before weakening. One death was reported and dozens were injured as they were trapped in downtown buildings amidst debris. Damage was in the millions. | |||||||||||
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.