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Georgetown-Quitman County Unified Government, GA Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Georgetown-Quitman County Unified Government is about the same as Georgia average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Georgetown-Quitman County Unified Government is lower than Georgia average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #605
| Georgetown-Quitman County Unified Government, GA | 0.01 |
| 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
| Georgetown-Quitman County Unified Government, 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, #428
| Georgetown-Quitman County Unified Government, GA | 158.88 |
| 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 1,879 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Georgetown-Quitman County Unified Government, 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: | 1 | Drought: | 21 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 74 | Hail: | 471 | Heat: | 8 | Heavy Snow: | 20 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 3 | Ice Storm: | 10 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 23 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,107 | Tropical Storm: | 8 | Wildfire: | 2 | Winter Storm: | 9 | Winter Weather: | 28 |
| Other: | 82 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Georgetown-Quitman County Unified Government, GA.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Georgetown-Quitman County Unified Government, GA.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Georgetown-Quitman County Unified Government, GA.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 68 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Georgetown-Quitman County Unified Government, GA.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 6.1 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 31°56'N / 85°05'W | 31°58'N / 84°57'W | 8.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Quitman |
| 12.0 | 1964-10-04 | 2 | 31°48'N / 85°12'W | 0 | 2 | 3K | 0 | Barbour | |||
| 14.0 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 31°56'N / 85°23'W | 31°56'N / 85°05'W | 17.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 3K | 0 | Barbour |
| 17.9 | 2008-02-17 | 2 | 32°05'N / 85°09'W | 32°08'N / 85°03'W | 8.00 Miles | 1000 Yards | 0 | 4 | 120K | 0K | Russell |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado touched down near the intersection of US Highway 431 and CR-51 in the southern portion of the county. It then tracked northeastward to the Chattahoochee River near the Cottonton community, before crossing the river into Georgia. The most significant damage was located near CR-12. At least two mobile homes were destroyed and two frame houses received significant damage. Numerous trees were either snapped off or were uprooted along the path. At least one vehicle was flipped over. Four injuries were reported. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A broken squall line, sparked by an advancing cold front and strong upper level storm, caused severe thunderstorms and tornadoes across Central Alabama. | |||||||||||
| 18.3 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 31°58'N / 84°57'W | 32°09'N / 84°39'W | 21.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 20 | 250K | 0 | Stewart |
| 20.1 | 1961-04-09 | 2 | 32°03'N / 84°48'W | 32°05'N / 84°44'W | 4.90 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Stewart |
| 20.2 | 1957-04-08 | 2 | 31°52'N / 84°42'W | 31°55'N / 84°38'W | 5.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Randolph |
| 20.9 | 1972-01-13 | 3 | 31°43'N / 85°22'W | 31°50'N / 85°20'W | 8.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Barbour |
| 22.5 | 1971-04-30 | 2 | 31°35'N / 84°50'W | 31°34'N / 84°49'W | 2.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Carroll |
| 23.7 | 1971-04-23 | 3 | 31°46'N / 84°38'W | 31°48'N / 84°36'W | 3.30 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Randolph |
| 24.1 | 2002-11-05 | 2 | 31°34'N / 85°18'W | 31°36'N / 85°13'W | 6.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 1 | 20 | 3.0M | 0 | Henry |
| Brief Description: The supercell thunderstorm which spawned the tornado in Dale County, produced another tornado which touched down just west of U.S. Highway 431, and tore through the center of Abbeville. It destroyed several single-family homes and mobile homes, and severely damaged numerous other homes and businesses, including the high school. Uprooted trees and power lines littered city streets, with nearly 2,000 residents without electricity. Twenty people were injured, with a half of those hospitalized. A man died when the tornado destroyed his home on Rock Hill Circle. Henry County was declared a state disaster area. Reported by the Henry County EMA. M54PH | |||||||||||
| 26.1 | 1972-01-13 | 3 | 31°36'N / 85°24'W | 31°43'N / 85°22'W | 8.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Henry |
| 27.4 | 1971-04-23 | 3 | 31°48'N / 84°36'W | 31°55'N / 84°29'W | 10.60 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Paulding |
| 30.5 | 1980-05-20 | 2 | 31°44'N / 85°35'W | 31°52'N / 85°28'W | 11.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Barbour |
| 30.8 | 2007-03-01 | 3 | 31°55'N / 84°33'W | 31°58'N / 84°26'W | 8.00 Miles | 1790 Yards | 0 | 3 | 1.0M | 0K | Webster |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that a strong, violent, and long-lived EF3 tornado tracked across southeast Webster, much of Sumter, and far southern Macon counties. The tornado touched down near Chambliss on the Webster/Terrell county line and tracked east-northeast exiting the county into Sumter county near Bottsford. While the overall path length of the tornado was around 40 miles, the path length within Webster county was between seven and eight miles. While the tornado reached its maximum path width of 1.0 mile in Sumter county near Americus, it was determined to be less than this within Webster county. A path of significant damage was noted across southeast Webster county. A concrete block house and two machine shops on East Centerpoint Road just northeast of Chambliss were completely destroyed. Three injuries resulted from the damage here. Twenty-five feet of asphalt in front of the home was also ripped up by the tornado. On a nearby farm, five cows were killed when they were tossed about by the tornado. A tractor-trailer traveling on Georgia Highway 520 near Chambliss was overturned causing it to catch on fire and burn. Very nearby, at the intersection of Georgia Highway 520 and TV Tower Road, a 1096 foot Georgia Public Television transmission tower was destroyed when two-thirds of the tower was twisted off by the tornado and destroyed. Only 150 feet of the 1096 foot tower was left standing after the tornado passed. Numerous trees and power lines were also down in the area. 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. | |||||||||||
| 31.1 | 1971-04-30 | 2 | 31°34'N / 84°49'W | 31°29'N / 84°30'W | 19.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Calhoun |
| 31.2 | 1997-01-05 | 2 | 31°27'N / 85°20'W | 31°30'N / 85°14'W | 6.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 180K | 0.0M | Henry |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down north of Newville, knocking a small wood frame house off its blocks. Two miles further east the tornado caused extensive damage to a home and destroyed another unoccupied home. A barn was destroyed and several vehicles were damaged. The tornado then damaged a house two miles further east. Finally, another two miles east it damaged a house. | |||||||||||
| 31.5 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 32°09'N / 84°39'W | 32°10'N / 84°33'W | 6.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 8 | 250K | 0 | Webster |
| 32.2 | 1961-11-23 | 2 | 31°24'N / 84°56'W | 0.90 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Early | |
| 32.7 | 1974-04-08 | 2 | 31°24'N / 85°08'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Henry | |||
| 32.7 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 31°23'N / 84°56'W | 31°25'N / 84°50'W | 6.40 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Early |
| 32.7 | 1957-06-28 | 2 | 31°48'N / 85°40'W | 31°58'N / 85°28'W | 16.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Barbour |
| 32.8 | 1961-02-24 | 2 | 32°14'N / 85°24'W | 32°23'N / 85°00'W | 25.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 4 | 25K | 0 | Russell |
| 33.2 | 1954-03-13 | 3 | 32°20'N / 85°02'W | 32°21'N / 85°01'W | 1.90 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Russell |
| 33.5 | 1973-12-29 | 3 | 31°21'N / 85°21'W | 31°30'N / 85°10'W | 15.00 Miles | 70 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Henry |
| 33.9 | 1986-11-25 | 3 | 31°38'N / 85°42'W | 31°53'N / 85°27'W | 22.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Barbour |
| 34.4 | 1954-03-13 | 3 | 32°21'N / 85°01'W | 32°22'N / 84°56'W | 5.10 Miles | 600 Yards | 2 | 20 | 25.0M | 0 | Chattahoochee |
| 34.9 | 1981-04-01 | 3 | 32°15'N / 85°24'W | 32°15'N / 85°23'W | 2 | 23 | 25.0M | 0 | Russell | ||
| 36.7 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 31°50'N / 84°24'W | 31°51'N / 84°22'W | 2.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Terrell |
| 37.2 | 2006-11-15 | 2 | 31°48'N / 85°39'W | 31°50'N / 85°38'W | 3.00 Miles | 650 Yards | 0 | 0 | 5K | 0K | Barbour |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The Hamilton Crossroads tornado crossed from Pike into Barbour County, and traveled another 3 miles before lifting. Damage in the Barbour County portion was relatively minor, and consisted of mainly downed trees. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A strong storm system brought severe weather and heavy rainfall to much of Central Alabama. | |||||||||||
| 37.4 | 1953-12-06 | 2 | 31°22'N / 85°16'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Henry | |
| 37.6 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 32°10'N / 84°33'W | 32°11'N / 84°25'W | 7.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Stewart |
| 37.8 | 1954-03-29 | 2 | 31°22'N / 85°17'W | 2.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Henry | |
| 40.1 | 1961-03-31 | 3 | 32°26'N / 85°02'W | 32°27'N / 84°59'W | 3.00 Miles | 167 Yards | 0 | 7 | 25K | 0 | Russell |
| 41.0 | 1963-04-30 | 2 | 32°27'N / 85°12'W | 32°27'N / 85°00'W | 11.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Russell |
| 41.2 | 2009-04-19 | 2 | 32°27'N / 85°01'W | 32°28'N / 85°00'W | 1.00 Mile | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0K | Russell |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado touched down near the intersection of 22nd Avenue and 17th Street in Phenix City. It then traveled northeast through the south end of Phenix City, and crossed the Chattahoochee River and moved into Muscogee County Georgia. Five businesses sustained major damage, and seven homes received varying degrees of roof damage. At least 100 and as many as 200 trees were snapped or uprooted. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A powerful spring storm system and associated cold front brought numerous thunderstorms to central Alabama. Many of the storms produced large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. | |||||||||||
| 41.9 | 1964-12-26 | 2 | 32°27'N / 85°11'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Russell | |||
| 41.9 | 1991-03-29 | 2 | 32°28'N / 85°04'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 16 | 2.5M | 0 | Russell | |
| 42.3 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 32°18'N / 84°35'W | 32°20'N / 84°28'W | 7.40 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 7 | 25K | 0 | Marion |
| 42.4 | 1978-05-01 | 2 | 32°28'N / 85°03'W | 32°29'N / 84°59'W | 4.30 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Russell |
| 42.6 | 1953-04-18 | 2 | 32°19'N / 84°31'W | 0.20 Mile | 700 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Marion | |
| 43.0 | 1961-03-31 | 3 | 32°27'N / 84°59'W | 32°31'N / 84°56'W | 5.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Muscogee |
| 43.1 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 31°14'N / 84°56'W | 31°15'N / 84°54'W | 2.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Early |
| 43.3 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 32°11'N / 84°25'W | 32°11'N / 84°20'W | 4.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Schley |
| 43.6 | 1953-04-18 | 3 | 32°30'N / 85°00'W | 32°29'N / 84°55'W | 5.10 Miles | 400 Yards | 2 | 300 | 25.0M | 0 | Muscogee |
| 43.7 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 32°27'N / 85°17'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Russell | |||
| 43.9 | 1978-05-01 | 2 | 32°29'N / 84°59'W | 32°30'N / 84°50'W | 8.90 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Muscogee |
| 44.1 | 1953-04-30 | 2 | 32°20'N / 84°30'W | 0.30 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Marion | |
| 44.3 | 2006-11-15 | 2 | 31°37'N / 85°49'W | 31°48'N / 85°40'W | 15.00 Miles | 650 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0K | Pike |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado, which is believed to have initially touched down just across the Coffee County line near the Roeton community, entered Pike County about 1.5 miles southwest of Hamilton Crossroads. The tornado track crossed US Highway 231, State Highway 10, and State Highway 130 before crossing the Pea River into western Barbour County. Numerous trees were blown down or snapped off along the path. Numerous structures suffered significant damage, including a water tower that completely collapsed, a fire department building, and several homes. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A strong storm system brought severe weather and heavy rainfall to much of Central Alabama. | |||||||||||
| 44.9 | 1970-12-16 | 2 | 31°57'N / 84°15'W | 0.50 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Sumter | |
| 45.4 | 1984-05-03 | 2 | 32°31'N / 85°04'W | 0.40 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Lee | |
| 45.7 | 1971-03-02 | 3 | 31°41'N / 85°58'W | 31°44'N / 85°34'W | 23.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pike |
| 45.9 | 2000-12-16 | 2 | 31°16'N / 85°37'W | 31°26'N / 85°24'W | 17.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.0M | 0 | Dale |
| Brief Description: The F0 tornado moved northeast from extreme western Houston County into southeast Dale County. It rapidly intensified to an F2 tornado as it continued its intermittent track into the eastern portion of the county. A Midland City church annex lost parts of its roof and walls. Several homes in the Doe Run Subdivision south of Pinckard were destroyed and numerous others were damaged. In Pinckard, numerous trees and power lines were down. Many homes and businesses were damaged, some seriously. The tornado tracked northeast into western Henry County. Reported by the Dale County EMA. | |||||||||||
| 46.0 | 2007-03-01 | 2 | 32°29'N / 85°00'W | 32°34'N / 84°52'W | 9.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 1 | 28.0M | 0K | Muscogee |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City and the National Weather Service in Calera, Alabama, concluded that an EF2 tornado, that originated in Russell county, Alabama, tracked across northwest and north central Muscogee county. The tornado first touched down in extreme northeast Russell county, Alabama about three miles from the Georgia border, then crossed into extreme southeast Lee county, Alabama, and then entered Georgia as it moved across the north end of Lake Oliver, about 1.5 miles west-southwest of Green Island Hills. The tornado continued to travel east-northeast across north Muscogee county, including the north suburbs of Columbus (Green Island Hills, Brookstone, Autumn Ridge, Hamilton Station, and Old Moon Road), before finally lifting three miles west of Midland in north central Muscogee county. The overall tornado path length was approximately 12 miles, with about nine miles of the tornado path within Georgia. The maximum path width was 300 yards. The heaviest damage occurred in the 6200 block of Brookstone Boulevard just north of U.S. Highway 80 in the northwest part of Columbus. Several homes in this area suffered heavy damage and at least one injury was confirmed. In addition, several commercial buildings on Veterans Parkway sustained substantial structural damage. Windows were blown out, large air conditioning units were tossed about, large metal business signs were blown down, and power poles were twisted and blown down. The Hawthorn Suites on North Lake Parkway was destroyed from roof and water damage. Nearby, the Ramada Inn under construction also suffered considerable damage while a nearby Holiday Inn Express sustained minor damage. In addition, several churches, including Wynnbrook Baptist, Saint Mark's United Methodist, and Old Moon Road Churches were heavily damaged. Hundreds of trees were down in the area, a number of which fell on parked cars. Many power lines were down and thousands were left without power, some for over a day. 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. | |||||||||||
| 46.4 | 1986-11-25 | 3 | 31°33'N / 85°46'W | 31°38'N / 85°42'W | 8.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Dale |
| 46.8 | 2007-03-01 | 3 | 31°58'N / 84°27'W | 32°13'N / 84°04'W | 32.00 Miles | 1790 Yards | 2 | 8 | 110.0M | 0K | Sumter |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia concluded that the EF3 tornado that first touched down in southeast Webster county continued to track northeast from the southwest to the northeast corner of Sumter county and then continued into extreme southern Macon county before finally lifting. The tornado tracked a total distance on the ground of approximately 40 miles. The tornado entered Sumter county about 4.75 miles southwest of Plains in southwest Sumter county and exited the northeast part of the county about 9 miles north of Methvins in northeast Sumter county. This was by far the most violent and devastating tornado of the March 1st outbreak. The tornado tracked roughly 32 miles across Sumter county with a maximum path width of 1.0 mile wide, which occurred in the Americus area. Damage within the city of Americus was extensive, although structures, trees, and power lines were down along the entire path of the tornado. The most significant damage in Americus was to the Sumter Regional Hospital, of which a significant portion was destroyed. Hundreds of homes and businesses in the Americus area were either totally destroyed or sustained significant damage. Hunderds of vehicles were also damaged or destroyed by debris and/or tossed about like matchsticks. The majority of the damage was within the vicinity of the Sumter Regional Hospital. Two deaths were reported at a home in Americus when a wall collapsed on a 43 year-old male and a 53-year old female. At least eight injuries were documented, but there may have been more. Within the city of Americus, proper, there were 1235 total structures damaged or destroyed, including 217 businesses, 993 residences, 3 cemeteries, 10 churches, 1 fire station, 1 hospital, 8 recreational facilities/parks, and 2 schools. There were 75 structures (42 businesses, 31 residences, 1 hospital, 1 church) were destroyed. There were 148 structures (27 businesses, 116 residences, 3 recreational facilities/parks, 2 churches) with major damage. There were 331 structures (60 businesses, 260 residences, 3 recreational facilities/parks, 5 churches, 1 school, 2 cemeteries) with major damage and 681 structures (88 businesses, 586 residences, 2 recreational facilities/parks, 2 churches, 1 school, 1 cemetery, 1 fire station) with minor damage. 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. | |||||||||||
| 47.0 | 1969-12-25 | 2 | 31°42'N / 84°15'W | 31°45'N / 84°12'W | 4.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 7 | 25K | 0 | Lee |
| 47.2 | 1973-12-30 | 3 | 31°27'N / 85°39'W | 1.50 Miles | 120 Yards | 0 | 14 | 3K | 0 | Dale | |
| 47.2 | 2000-12-16 | 2 | 31°35'N / 84°20'W | 31°37'N / 84°12'W | 6.00 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 750K | 0 | Dougherty |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado damaged the main house and several surrounding structures at Abigail Plantation off Old Tallahassee Road, as well as several other homes on Old Dawson and Springhill Roads. Hundreds of plantation trees were uprooted. Downed power poles affected 300 customers in northwest Albany. A few storage buildings were damaged at the Cookville Trailer Park just west of Albany. Reported by the Dougherty County Police and WALB-TV Albany. | |||||||||||
| 47.4 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 32°11'N / 84°20'W | 32°15'N / 84°18'W | 5.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Stewart |
| 47.6 | 1965-07-06 | 2 | 32°04'N / 84°14'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sumter | |
| 47.7 | 1974-12-19 | 3 | 31°43'N / 85°53'W | 31°50'N / 85°45'W | 11.30 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Pike |
| 48.4 | 1971-03-03 | 3 | 31°43'N / 85°49'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pike | |
| 48.8 | 1961-03-31 | 2 | 32°14'N / 84°18'W | 0.50 Mile | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Schley | |
| 49.0 | 1957-04-05 | 2 | 32°12'N / 84°21'W | 32°18'N / 84°16'W | 8.60 Miles | 400 Yards | 2 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Schley |
| 49.7 | 1975-01-10 | 2 | 32°18'N / 85°41'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 9 | 250K | 0 | Macon | |
| 49.8 | 1994-03-09 | 2 | 31°36'N / 85°50'W | 31°36'N / 85°46'W | 3.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 50K | Coffee |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down about two miles east of Frisco in the New Hope Community causing extensive damage. Five homes and two mobile homes were damaged; one chicken house was destroyed and five others were damaged. Two houses had the roofs blown completely off. | |||||||||||
| 49.8 | 1984-05-03 | 2 | 31°17'N / 85°36'W | 31°19'N / 85°29'W | 5.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Dale |
* 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.