Rocky Ford, GA Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Rocky Ford is about the same as Georgia average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Rocky Ford is lower than Georgia average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #296
| Rocky Ford, GA | 0.05 |
| 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
| Rocky Ford, 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, #554
| Rocky Ford, GA | 125.25 |
| 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 2,289 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Rocky Ford, 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: | 14 | Dense Fog: | 2 | Drought: | 42 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 107 | Hail: | 528 | Heat: | 14 | Heavy Snow: | 13 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 4 | Ice Storm: | 9 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 34 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,421 | Tropical Storm: | 11 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 7 | Winter Weather: | 6 |
| Other: | 77 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Rocky Ford, 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 Rocky Ford, GA.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 47.6 | 1976-12-27 | 3.7 | 5 | 32.22 | -82.46 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 48 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Rocky Ford, GA.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 9.6 | 2003-07-01 | 2 | 32°34'N / 81°42'W | 32°36'N / 81°42'W | 2.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Screven |
| Brief Description: A tornado moved out of Bulloch county into the extreme southern part of the county. Numerous trees were knocked down. Much of WFO Charleston's CWA was impacted by the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill as it tracked to the northeast across the extreme northern section of Georgia. The mini outbreak of tornadoes started around 8 p.m. on the night of July 1st and did not stop until after 115 a.m. on the morning of July 2nd. Fortunately, there were no deaths with the tornadoes. Screven County was hardest hit with three separate tornadoes and three areas of wind damage. | |||||||||||
| 10.5 | 2003-07-01 | 2 | 32°31'N / 81°46'W | 32°33'N / 81°43'W | 4.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Bulloch |
| Brief Description: A tornado knocked down trees and damaged mobile homes Much of WFO Charleston's CWA was impacted by the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill as it tracked to the northeast across the extreme northern section of Georgia. The mini outbreak of tornadoes started around 8 p.m. on the night of July 1st and did not stop until after 115 a.m. on the morning of July 2nd. Fortunately, there were no deaths with the tornadoes. Screven County was hardest hit with three separate tornadoes and three areas of wind damage. | |||||||||||
| 12.1 | 1976-03-16 | 2 | 32°48'N / 81°58'W | 0.30 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Jenkins | |
| 12.7 | 1976-03-16 | 2 | 32°42'N / 82°03'W | 0.80 Mile | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Jenkins | |
| 13.2 | 1967-07-07 | 2 | 32°45'N / 81°38'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Screven | |
| 14.8 | 1998-09-03 | 2 | 32°45'N / 81°39'W | 32°49'N / 81°36'W | 8.00 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 7 | 435K | 0 | Screven |
| Brief Description: Numerous trees snapped off or uprooted. The most extensive damage was approximately 3 miles north of Sylvania. In this area, there were 5 mobile homes destroyed, 1 business destroyed, 15 mobile homes with major damage and 5 mobile homes with minor damage. | |||||||||||
| 16.0 | 1984-05-03 | 2 | 32°22'N / 81°53'W | 32°31'N / 81°38'W | 20.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 30 | 2.5M | 0 | Bulloch |
| 16.0 | 2003-07-01 | 2 | 32°41'N / 81°36'W | 32°45'N / 81°32'W | 6.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Screven |
| Brief Description: A tornado knocked down numerous trees and power lines and overturned a car. Much of WFO Charleston's CWA was impacted by the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill as it tracked to the northeast across the extreme northern section of Georgia. The mini outbreak of tornadoes started around 8 p.m. on the night of July 1st and did not stop until after 115 a.m. on the morning of July 2nd. Fortunately, there were no deaths with the tornadoes. Screven County was hardest hit with three separate tornadoes and three areas of wind damage. | |||||||||||
| 17.4 | 1968-08-06 | 2 | 32°54'N / 81°44'W | 0.30 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Screven | |
| 17.7 | 2007-04-15 | 2 | 32°33'N / 82°09'W | 32°37'N / 82°06'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0K | Emanuel |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that yet another tornado struck in Emanuel county, this time on the far eastern end of the county. This tornado was an EF2 tornado and touched down about two miles southeast of Twin City and traveled northeast to a point about five miles northeast of Twin City. The total tornado path length was five miles with a maximum path width of 200 yards. The maximum wind speed in this tornado was estimated to be 115 mph. Two homes along the path of the tornado sustained major damage when they both lost a significant portion of their roofs and outer walls. A mobile home was also damaged and some nearby outbuildings were destroyed. A large portion of the tornado was through a rural area. EPISODE NARRATIVE: The fourth tornado outbreak of the year for the Peachtree City, Georgia forecast area, and the second major tornado outbreak for the year, occurred across the southern portion of the forecast area, or central Georgia. A broad upper trough over the central U.S. was tracking eastward while a surface low deepened rapidly as it moved from northern Mississippi into eastern Virginia. A strong low-level jet accompanied the system with 50-60 knot winds observed at 850mb across central and south Georgia late in the day on the 14th. The low-level jet transported deep Gulf moisture northward into the region. Sunshine during the early part of the day destabilized the region sufficiently to allow for strong to severe supercell thunderstorms to track across central Georgia just south of a warm frontal boundary across north Georgia. Damage surveys confirmed that nine tornadoes tracked across central Georgia, including many of the same areas that were affected during the major tornado outbreak on March 1st. The was the second most significant tornado outbreak to impact the Peachtree City, Georgia forecast area since the August 29, 2005 outbreak associated with Hurricane Katrinia. The state insurance commissioner reported that at least 81 site-built homes, 28 mobile homes, and 10 businesses were damaged or destroyed during the event. Damages to structures alone were near $5 million, with additional damages the result of downed trees and power lines. | |||||||||||
| 22.2 | 1963-09-28 | 2 | 32°55'N / 82°04'W | 33°03'N / 81°40'W | 24.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Burke |
| 23.1 | 1963-09-28 | 2 | 32°36'N / 82°22'W | 32°55'N / 82°04'W | 27.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Emanuel |
| 26.6 | 1972-01-13 | 3 | 32°55'N / 82°15'W | 33°05'N / 81°52'W | 25.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 19 | 2.5M | 0 | Burke |
| 32.1 | 1972-01-13 | 3 | 32°52'N / 82°23'W | 32°55'N / 82°15'W | 8.60 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Jefferson |
| 32.1 | 2009-04-10 | 3 | 33°07'N / 82°11'W | 33°07'N / 81°44'W | 26.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 4 | 3.0M | 0K | Burke |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An supercell tornado tracked across Burke county and severely damaged several homes and buildings. Numerous trees and powerlines were damaged. There was one critical injury and several other minor injuries. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Supercell thunderstorms moved across the CSRA and produced large tornadoes. One tornado tracked across Columbia and Richmond counties then went into Aiken county South Carolina along highway 278. The second tornado tracked across Burke county then into lower Barnwell and Allendale counties in South Carolina. Several homes were destroyed and many had moderate to severe damage. Widespread trees and powerlines were also down. Total damage estimate was 3 million dollars. | |||||||||||
| 32.1 | 2008-05-11 | 3 | 32°18'N / 82°13'W | 32°17'N / 82°07'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 1.0M | 0K | Tattnall |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A confirmed EF-3 Tornado crossed into extreme northwestern Tattnall county from Toombs county, then continued east-southeastward into the community of Cobbtown, Georgia before turning east and dissipating. The first indications of significant damage, consistent with an EF-1 Tornado, occurred along Representative Kennedy Road where a mobile home was partially destroyed. A well defined path of debris was noted trailing southeast of this area across open farm fields. Several homes were also severely damaged with roofs blown off along Henry Moxley Road about 1 mile southeast of Representative Kennedy Road. The Tornado continued to strengthen as it turned east toward Cobbtown, Georgia and peaked in intensity as it tracked near the intersection of Georgia State Highways 121 and 57. Here the Tornado completely leveled a brick convenience store and caused considerable damage to trees and nearby structures. Two people working in the store at the time of the Tornado were injured but not killed. The damage pattern in this area was consistent with an EF-3 Tornado with winds estimated between 140 and 150 mph. Also in this same general area, but south of the Tornado track there was evidence of a strong downburst. The winds were estimated to be around 100 mph with the downburst, likely associated with the rear flank downdraft of the Supercell Thunderstorm. The Tornado continued to move east across open farm fields where extensive tree damage and minor structural damage consistent with an EF-1 and EF-0 Tornado was noted. The Tornado dissipated about 1.5 miles east of Cobbtown, however occasional bouts of non-tornadic straight line winds were observed across portions of northeast Tattnall County and northern Evans County near Undine, Georgia. Maximum sustained winds were estimated between 140 and 150 mph with a maximum width of approximately 200 yards. Considerable damage was reported along the path of the Tornado, and although no one was killed, 2 people were injured. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A warm front lifted northward through southern South Carolina and southeast Georgia during the morning, with a strong cold front then sweeping through the area during the evening. This resulted in several rounds of severe weather across the region. | |||||||||||
| 33.9 | 1971-01-15 | 2 | 32°14'N / 82°07'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Tattnall | |||
| 34.1 | 1970-07-22 | 2 | 32°48'N / 82°24'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 1 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Emanuel | |
| 34.6 | 2008-05-11 | 2 | 32°43'N / 82°27'W | 32°45'N / 82°24'W | 3.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 750K | 0K | Emanuel |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that the second tornado, an EF2, that touched down in far eastern Johnson county, just northwest of Kite, continued on an east-northeastward track into far northwestern Emanuel county, lifting approximately one mile west of Blundale, just north of Cordie Road. Maximum winds within the tornado were estimated to be 130 mph with a maximum path width up to 1/2 mile as the tornado first entered Emanuel county. Approximately 28 homes in Emanuel county sustained damage from the tornado, two of which were destroyed, 13 of which suffered major damage, and 10 had 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. | |||||||||||
| 36.5 | 1972-10-27 | 2 | 32°22'N / 81°19'W | 1.00 Mile | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Effingham | |
| 36.6 | 1975-05-03 | 2 | 32°29'N / 81°16'W | 32°32'N / 81°12'W | 5.40 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Effingham |
| 36.9 | 2000-09-22 | 2 | 33°05'N / 81°29'W | 33°05'N / 81°24'W | 4.50 Miles | 750 Yards | 1 | 5 | 290K | 0 | Allendale |
| Brief Description: Fatality occurred in a camper that was one of 10 other campers at a hunt club. The camper was the second one in the line and it appeared to have disintegrated. One of the other campers was turned on its side while the others remained upright, for the most part. Also, there were three mobile homes destroyed, major damage to two mobile homes, minor damage to six mobile homes and major damage to a frame home along with numerous trees down or snapped 10 to 15 feet above the ground. This tornado continued into Barnwell County in WFO Columbia's CWA. M68VE The two tornadoes that occurred in Allendale County were associated with the remnants of T.S. Helene as it moved across Georgia and South Carolina. Heavy rain developed across Berkeley County during the early morning hours of 9/22/00 and caused flooding over the northern half of the county, especially in and around Moncks Corner. The 42 year-old female was killed when she hit a puddle of water and hydroplaned. She hit a pine tree head on and was killed on impact. | |||||||||||
| 37.8 | 2008-05-11 | 2 | 32°42'N / 82°31'W | 32°43'N / 82°27'W | 5.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 3 | 7.0M | 0K | Johnson |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that yet another tornado had touched down within Johnson county. This tornado was an EF2 and touched down in far eastern Johnson county, about one mile northwest of Kite and continued on an east-northeastward track into Emanuel county, crossing into Emanuel county just west of the city of Blundale. Maximum winds within the tornado were estimated to be 130 mph and the maximum path width was determined to be up to 1/2 mile wide. As the tornado touched down northwest of Kite, a mobile home was rolled and several other homes and vehicles were damaged along U.S. Highway 221 north of Kite. The most significant damage occurred about three miles north of Kite, along Minton Chapel Road, where a mobile home was completely destroyed and the debris thrown up to 50 feet away. Three injuries were reported as a result of the destruction of this mobile home. An additional indirect injury occurred later when a tree fell on an individual during debris clean up. A well constructed metal building in the same general area sustained substantial wall, frame, and column anchor failures. A number of trees and several power lines were downed along the path of the tornado as well. 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. | |||||||||||
| 38.0 | 1998-04-09 | 3 | 32°10'N / 81°35'W | 32°13'N / 81°25'W | 8.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 2 | 16 | 2.2M | 0 | Bryan |
| Brief Description: Tornado first touched down just northeast of Pembroke and then crossed I-16 at the Olive Branch Road overpass (about 2 miles west of exit 29) then continued northeast. Significant damage occurred in the Olive Branch Rd. area and also just north of Blitchton, where a 38 year-old female and a 41 year old male were killed along with 15 injured. There were seventy-four (74) homes and other buildiings damaged, with fourteen of those destroyed (6 mobile homes, two frame houses, two brick homes, and four other buildings. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped off 10 to 15 feet above the ground. F38MH, M41MH | |||||||||||
| 38.7 | 2009-04-10 | 2 | 33°06'N / 81°25'W | 6.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 0K | Allendale | |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A National Weather Service Survey Team determined a tornado touched down along Roberts Road 3.5 miles northeast of Martin, South Carolina at 1230 AM local time Saturday morning and traveled 5.6 miles before lifting. Initially the tornado uprooted or snapped numerous trees with one tree falling on a mobile home and damaging the roof of the structure. The under-skirting of the mobile home was peeled back by the winds and a couple windows were blown out. Additionally, several cars sustained damage by falling trees outside of the mobile home. Another couple homes along Roberts Road received minor rood damage and a couple carports were slightly damaged as well. The tornado continued to nearly parallel Miller Creek Road downing numerous trees and power lines. The maximum width of the tornado was approximately 500 yards near the intersection of Camp Jackson Road and Miller Creek Road. The tornado lifted 2.3 miles south southeast of Kline, South Carolina just past the intersection of Appleton Road and Barnwell Highway /US Highway 278/ at 1239 AM local time, but not before damaging the roof and cinder-block walls of a home, downing numerous trees and completely destroying the historic Cave Methodist Church. The church was wiped completely off its foundation. Several grave stones surrounding the church were overturned or knocked down. An 18 wheel truck was overturned a couple hundred feet from the Cave Methodist Church with a tree falling on it and causing further damage. In total, 4 homes, 1 mobile home, 1 church and 5 vehicles received damage as a result of the tornado. In addition, hundreds of acres of timber was damaged or destroyed. The tornado did not result in any injuries or fatalities. The National Weather Service Damage Survey Team determined the strength of the tornado to be an EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with winds estimated between 120 and 130 miles per hour. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An area of low pressure and associated cold front pushed through the southeast where kinematic profiles and anomalously cold air aloft existed. This lead to the development of strong storms over Allendale county overnight on April 10, 2009. | |||||||||||
| 39.2 | 1991-03-29 | 2 | 33°13'N / 81°41'W | 0.20 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Aiken | |
| 39.5 | 2008-03-15 | 2 | 32°23'N / 81°18'W | 32°22'N / 81°12'W | 7.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 5 | 1.5M | 0K | Effingham |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF2 Tornado was confirmed by a Storm Survey conducted by the Charleston, South Carolina National Weather Service Forecast Office. The Tornado touched down in Effingham county 1 mile northeast of Springfield, Georgia at 934 PM EDT and traveled southeast approximately 7 miles before lifting at 943 PM EDT about 6 miles east-southeast of Springfield, Georgia. This Tornado destroyed three mobile homes, damaged three to four dozen homes, knocked down 15 high voltage transmission towers, destroyed or damaged 20 vehicles, destroyed numerous outbuildings, sheds, and barns. Five people were injured when the mobile home they were in was blown over and rolled a time or two. Another person was injured when they drove a car into a tree that had fallen across the road. This tornado was a quarter mile wide at its widest point when it crossed Ebenezer Road and had maximum sustained winds estimated between 110 and 120 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A large and intense area of low pressure lifted northward through the central Appalachians, dragging a strong cold front toward southern South Carolina and southeast Georgia. The combination of the approaching cold front along with strong dynamic forcing and plenty of instability resulted in a widespread organized severe weather outbreak across the region. | |||||||||||
| 40.4 | 1989-10-01 | 2 | 33°09'N / 81°42'W | 33°15'N / 81°25'W | 16.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Barnwell |
| 40.5 | 2008-03-15 | 2 | 33°12'N / 82°14'W | 33°12'N / 82°00'W | 14.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Burke |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A supercell spawned a tornado over Wrens in Jefferson county which moved across northern Burke county. It destroyed a church, a mobile home, and a large portion of a dairy farming business and damaged other homes and mobile homes. Numerous trees and powerlines were down. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Three supercells tracked across portions of the GA CSRA and produce multiple long-lived tornadoes that produced significant damage. | |||||||||||
| 42.0 | 1998-04-09 | 2 | 32°11'N / 81°25'W | 32°14'N / 81°18'W | 8.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 1 | 500K | 0 | Effingham |
| Brief Description: The Bryan County tornado crossed the county line and weakened as it moved into a less populated area. Once the tornado moved east of GA State Road 17, it lifted. There were no further reports of damage or touchdowns from the parent supercell until the F1 touchdown reported just west of Hardeeville, S.C., which is approximately 12 miles from the last report of damage in Effingham County, Georgia. There were 40 homes damaged along GA 17, about 5 miles south of Guyton. Six of these were mobile homes that were destroyed. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped off 10 to 15 feet above the ground. | |||||||||||
| 42.5 | 2008-05-11 | 2 | 32°15'N / 82°23'W | 32°15'N / 82°22'W | 1.00 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 3 | 500K | 0K | Toombs |
| 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 in extreme northwest Toombs county, approxmiately three miles south-southwest of Normantown. This tornado was spawned by the same thunderstorm that less than 10 minutes prior had spanwed an EF3 tornado, the strongest tornado of this event, just south of Soperton in Treutlen county, which tracked into extreme northeast Montgomery county. This first tornado in Toombs county was only on the ground for about one mile, but caused considerable damage. Four mobile homes were completely destroyed, resulting in three minor injuries and the displacement of seven families from their homes. A church also sustained heavy damage. Two brick homes were damaged as well as several barns, sheds, and storage buildings. In addition a tractor-trailer rig was overturned. Some 200 to 300 pine trees were also blown down in the area. The tornado path width was determined to be 150 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. | |||||||||||
| 42.6 | 1975-01-12 | 2 | 32°12'N / 82°19'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Toombs | |
| 42.8 | 1975-09-17 | 2 | 33°17'N / 81°49'W | 1.00 Mile | 37 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Aiken | |
| 43.9 | 2008-05-11 | 3 | 32°19'N / 82°29'W | 32°19'N / 82°27'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0K | Montgomery |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that the EF3 tornado, that initially touched down approximately three miles south-southeast of Soperton, continued on an east-southeastward track approximately seven miles into extreme northeast Montgomery county. The tornado likely weakened to less than EF3 intensity as it entered Montgomery county. A number of outbuildings and sheds were destroyed along the path of the tornado in northeast Montgomery county. A number of trees and power lines were also downed. However, no damage to any homes was observed or reported in Montgomery county. 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. | |||||||||||
| 44.1 | 2008-03-15 | 2 | 32°19'N / 81°12'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3.0M | 0K | Effingham | |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF2 Tornado was confirmed by a Storm Survey conducted by the Charleston, South Carolina National Weather Service Forecast Office. The Tornado touched down in Effingham county 3.5 miles northeast of Rincon, Georgia and just northwest of the Georgia Power McIntosh Plant around 944 PM EDT and traveled southeast approximately a half a mile before lifting at 945 PM EDT. This Tornado destroyed a water cooling tower, damaged another water cooling tower and several buildings, toppled two high voltage transmission towers, knocked down or uprooted several dozen trees, tossed tractor trailer cargo containers with equipment inside up to 100 yards. In addition, at the time of the survey one of the tractor trailer containers could not be found. A steel hoist roof assembly weighing a couple thousand pounds used to load and unload heavy items was tossed 100 feet. This tornado was up to 100 yards wide and had maximum sustained winds estimated between 120 and 130 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A large and intense area of low pressure lifted northward through the central Appalachians, dragging a strong cold front toward southern South Carolina and southeast Georgia. The combination of the approaching cold front along with strong dynamic forcing and plenty of instability resulted in a widespread organized severe weather outbreak across the region. | |||||||||||
| 45.0 | 1971-04-23 | 2 | 32°00'N / 81°58'W | 32°02'N / 81°53'W | 5.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Tattnall |
| 45.8 | 1968-06-02 | 2 | 32°13'N / 82°25'W | 0.10 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Toombs | |
| 46.0 | 1961-03-31 | 2 | 32°00'N / 81°54'W | 0.20 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Tattnall | |
| 46.1 | 2008-03-15 | 2 | 33°12'N / 82°23'W | 33°12'N / 82°14'W | 8.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0K | Jefferson |
| 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 in northern Jefferson county. The tornado touched down approximately one mile northwest of Wrens and traveled east a little less than nine miles across northeastern Jefferson county and the town of Matthews, before crossing into Burke county just south of the town of Keysville. The tornado continued on the ground an additional eight to nine miles into Burke county before finally lifting near the Applewood County Club in Burke county. The total tornado path length was 19 miles. The maximum path width was one-quarter mile and maximum sustained winds were estimated at 120 mph. The most significant damage occurred in Matthews, where several mobile homes were destroyed. Two businesses in Wrens were destroyed and several others sustained damage. A church and an elementary school, and several homes in Wrens also suffered at least minor damage from wind and numerous downed trees. ficant roof damage. No serious injuries or fatalities were reported from this tornado. EPISODE NARRATIVE: The pattern that began to evolve on March 14th continued and intensified on March 15th. A stationary front remained draped across north Georgia from near Atlanta to Athens. South of this front, the air mass was becoming increasingly warm, moist and unstable. Meanwhile, aloft, a low amplitude, yet vigorous short wave embedded within a fast zonal flow, was tracking rapidly eastward from the mid south into the southeast. Strong shear and high helicity combined with the unstable air mass and the frontal boundary to allow repeated severe thunderstorms to develop and track eastward along the boundary across north Georgia. The activity began early in the day as a complex of thunderstorms moved into the area from Alabama and continued until nearly midnight. As the day progressed, especially during the afternoon, the development of the activity gradually progressed further south and by midnight had reached the south and southeast parts of the state. Numerous severe thunderstorms and tornadic supercells were observed throughout the day. Historical records indicate that this was one of the most significant severe weather days for the Peachtree City Weather Forecast Office with more events and warnings than had been observed since May 2003. | |||||||||||
| 46.3 | 2000-12-17 | 2 | 33°19'N / 81°58'W | 33°20'N / 81°58'W | 2.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | Richmond |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado intermittently touched down along a 2 mile path. Extensive damage was done to the Timberidge subdivision and to other homes and mobile homes along its path. Eight people were injurred, one seriously. There were no deaths. | |||||||||||
| 46.5 | 2008-05-11 | 3 | 32°20'N / 82°34'W | 32°19'N / 82°29'W | 5.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0K | Treutlen |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that an EF3 tornado, the strongest tornado of the 15 separate tornadoes to affect north and central Georgia this Mother's Day, touched down approximately three miles south-southeast of Soperton, then tracked east-southeast across southern Treutlen county and into extreme northeastern Montgomery county. The second floor of a two-story home was completely removed by the tornado. Numerous sheds and outbuildings were destroyed along the path of the tornado. Trees and power lines were also down 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. | |||||||||||
| 46.5 | 2009-10-27 | 2 | 32°00'N / 81°42'W | 32°00'N / 81°42'W | 1.00 Mile | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 425K | Liberty |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The United States Army Garrison at Fort Steward, Georgia found 850 full size trees downed in one of their training areas. Crew members of Fort Steward determined many downed trees were in a dropped matchstick pattern. A survey from air and ground confirmed EF2 tornado damage with estimated wind speeds between 115 to 125 miles per hour. The tornado occurred along a southwest to northeast path beginning at latitude and longitude coordinates 32.002, -81.708 and ending at 32.013, -81.708. The tornado path length was 0.80 mile long and approximately 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile wide. A total of 63 acres were damaged. The monetary damage was estimated at $425,000. Timber from the trees will be salvaged. No injuries or deaths resulted from this event. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A weak short wave tracked northeast to the lee of the Southern Appalachians late Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday evening, providing ascent and allowing a band of convection to shift east into the forecast area. Convection became enhanced as a warm front lifted north and west into the forecast area causing dewpoints to surge into the mid 70s and destabilization to occur. Meanwhile, strong low-level shear developed as a low-level jet strengthened to 30-50 kt over the area. | |||||||||||
| 47.1 | 1983-04-23 | 3 | 33°10'N / 81°27'W | 33°14'N / 81°13'W | 13.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Barnwell |
| 47.7 | 1991-03-03 | 2 | 33°19'N / 81°38'W | 33°21'N / 81°38'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Aiken |
| 48.3 | 1999-04-15 | 2 | 33°07'N / 81°13'W | 33°07'N / 81°11'W | 3.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2K | 20K | Allendale |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado destroyed 20 acres of watermelons and rolled over a large tractor several times. Numerous trees and powerlines were down along the track. | |||||||||||
| 48.7 | 1989-10-01 | 2 | 32°50'N / 82°37'W | 32°53'N / 82°40'W | 4.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
| 48.7 | 1974-05-12 | 2 | 31°56'N / 81°56'W | 31°59'N / 81°47'W | 9.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 2 | 7 | 2.5M | 0 | Tattnall |
| 49.2 | 1991-03-01 | 2 | 33°22'N / 81°42'W | 1.50 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Aiken | |
* 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.