Event Summary

Reports indicate 7-10 twisters in Georgia in the latest storm system including an extremely rare EF-4, with the preliminary state tally for the year at 34. The weather service recorded 307 tornado reports across 20 states from Michigan and New York South to Florida and West to Texas since last Sunday, 180 on the 27th alone! The worst swarm of killer tornadoes in 37 years and closing in on the record death toll of 315 set in April, 1974.

The preliminary tornado count for this year nationwide stands at 982 twister reports. This April the tornado count is a preliminary record at a remarkable 685! The old record for April was 267 in 1974. Thanks to the National Weather Service Peachtree City for photos and storm survey maps.

Twenty or even just ten years ago the death toll would have been much higher. The advances in weather forecasting to warn of severe weather days in advance, better watches and warnings and communication. We can detect storms better, track them live and alert everyone to the clear and present danger better than ever with tweets, text, facebook, mobile devices, live chasers, and advanced doppler.

These were the most impressive doppler radar signatures I was looking at and personally seen while working in my 30 year career. Locally the only thing close was the supercell outbreak of March 2008 and the Palm Sunday tornadoes of 1994.

It was just how they teach it in class, a textbook case of severe weather ingredients-- in the extreme. Warmer than normal temperatures with greater than usual moisture content, clashing with an advance of a chillier than normal air mass and dry air. Strong and diverging upper level jet stream winds atop a strong low-level jet providing high wind shear (directional and speed change with height). This produced an ominous situation in which buoyant warm, moist low-level air (high CAPE values) was encouraged to ascend rapidly into cold air aloft, twisting on the way (high vorticity and helicity values)---a process which led to gargantuan, rotating supercell thunderstorms which towered to heights of 58,000 feet into the atmosphere according to Doppler scans of the storms. Not only did these storms produce twisters, they drenched sections of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky with torrential downpours of up to 6 inches.

A strong area of low pressure lifted through the Ohio valley allowing a cold front to sweep through the lower Mississippi valley during the evening hours of April 27th. Ahead of the front, increased moisture emanating off the Gulf of Mexico combined with a potent upper level system to produce widespread severe weather to include numerous large and violent tornadoes over portions of the southeast states. This included North and Central Georgia as several long tracked tornadoes produced extensive damage and unfortunately the loss of life in some cases. Much of the area was placed under a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms  with a high risk advertised over northwest portions of the area. As the evening progressed a Tornado watch was issued with the designation of PDS or Particulary Dangerous Situation, indicating a high potential for strong and long lived tornadoes.

Although data is still being gathered, preliminary data suggests significant tornado damage from a storm that moved out of Alabama into Dade, Walker, and especially Catoosa county Wednesday evening. Other tornado tracks were across Floyd and Bartow counties as well as Meriwether through Spaulding and damage from Harris, Lamar and Monroe counties. It should be stressed that this is all preliminary data and more counties will be included in damage summary updates to be refined later today. More detailed preliminary information can be found in the Local Storm Reports.

Storm Reports and Warnings from April 27-28 Storms.

Storm Surveys

Storm surveys will continue through Friday. Information will be posted on the web as it is received from the survey team. A preliminary description for each tornado can be located in the lastest Public Information Statement.

Catoosa County

A National Weather Service survey team determined that an EF4 tornado with winds of 175 MPH occurred in Catoosa County. It touched down approximately 815 PM EDT Wednesday evening along Davis Ridge Road, traveling through Ringgold to Cohutta and into Tennessee. The path length was 13 miles with a width of one third of a mile. Seven fatalities and 30 injuries occurred with this tornado. 75 to 100 homes were damaged or destroyed. The worst damage was located on Cherokee Valley Road where 12 homes were obliterated.

Path of EF-4 tornado that struck Catoosa County.

Tornado path through Cherokee Valley and along Cherokee Ridge northeast of Ringgold, GA.

EF4 damage along Cherokee Valley Road northeast of Ringgold, GA. At least 15 homes were obliterated on this valley floor. Four fatalities occurred in this area.

Remains of a house near the EF4 tornado damage. A family survived the tornado by taking shelter in this bathroom – the only room left standing.

Dade and Walker County

A National Weather Service survey team determined that an EF3 tornado with winds of 150 MPH occurred in Dade and Walker Counties. The tornado moved across the state line into Dade County around 5 miles southwest of Trenton at approximately 535 PM EDT, and lifted just west of Fort Oglethorpe in Walker County around 557 PM EDT. The path length was 18 miles with a width of six tenths of a mile. Note that this path length ONLY includes the area in Georgia (the tornado tracked into Georgia from Alabama). Homes were destroyed, 18 with major damage and tens of thousands of trees were downed. There were 2 fatalities and 12 injuries with this storm..

Path of EF-3 tornado that struck Dade and Walker Counties.

Remnants of home swept off a ridge overlooking Trenton, GA

Destroyed homes at Georgia/Alabama line near County Road 201.

Several damaged/destroyed homes and a bank building (upper right) in Trenton, GA.

Meriwether, Spalding, and Henry Counties

A National Weather Service survey team determined that an EF3 tornado with winds of 140 MPH touched down 6 miles north northeast of Gay in Meriwether County at approximately 1203 AM EDT Thursday morning. It tracked across Spalding County and lifted 2 miles south of Hampton in Henry County at approximately 1228 AM EDT. The tornado had a path length of 20 miles and  a width of half of a mile.

Path of EF-3 tornado that struck Meriwether, Spalding, and Henry Counties.

Home destroyed in the Birdie area (Spalding County)

Home destroyed in the Birdie area (Spalding County)

Damage between Vaughn and Rio (Spalding County)

Pike, Lamar, Monroe, and Butts Counties

A National Weather Service survey team determined that an EF3 tornado with winds of 140 MPH crossed Pike, Lamar, Monroe and Butts Counties early Thursday morning. The tornado touched down at approximately 1238 AM EDT Thursday morning along highway 19 about 4 miles south of Meansville in south central Pike County. Three houses were destroyed along Piedmont Road about three miles west of Barnesville. Two fatalities occurred when a house was destroyed along Grove Street in Lamar County. A Chevron gas station and a church were destroyed in Barnesville. Three tractor trailers were blown off the road near I-75 at approximately 102 AM EDT.  Three houses were damaged, one of which was destroyed. Three people were injured in the damaged house. The tornado lifted in southeast Butts County at approximately 115 AM EDT. The tornado had a path length of apprxoimately 30 miles and a maximum width of six tenths of a mile. 

Path of EF-3 tornado that struck Pike, Lamar, Monroe, and Butts Counties.

Damage to home on Piedmont Road west of Barnesville (Lamar County)

Chevron gas station in Barnesville (Lamar County)

Damage to home in the Weldon Road area (Monroe County)

Bartow, Cherokee, and Pickens Counties

A National Weather Service survey team along with the Cherokee County Emergency Management determined that an EF3 tornado with winds of 150 MPH touched down around 925 PM EDT Wednesday evening. It tracked from 5 miles northeast of Kingston in Bartow County, crossing northwest Cherokee County, and lifted approximately 7 miles west of Jasper in Pickens County near the intersection of Jerusalem Church Road and State Highway 53 at apprxoimately 945 PM EDT. The path length was 23 miles and width was a half mile. Several chicken houses were destroyed along Interstate 75, several outbuildings were destroyed and hundreds of trees were downed in Bartow County. Hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted in Cherokee County. Extensive damage was reported along Henderson Mountain Road and Bryant Road in Pickens County where several mobile homes were destroyed. At least 3 injuries were reported with this tornado, two in Bartow and one in Pickens.

Path of EF-3 tornado that struck Bartow, Cherokee, and Pickens Counties.

Polk, Floyd, and Bartow Counties

A National Weather Service survey team determined that an EF2 tornado with maximum winds of 125 MPH moved across extreme northwest Polk, south Floyd, and Bartow counties Wednesday evening. The tornado touched down about 6 miles southwest of Cave Springs in Polk County around 845 PM EDT Wednesday. It lifted about 4 miles southwest of Kingston in Bartow County around 925 PM EDT. The path length was 26 miles long and had a width of a half mile wide. More than 13 structures were destroyed and in addition about 10 chicken houses were destroyed.

Path of EF-2 tornado that struck Polk, Floyd, and Bartow Counties.

Chicken houses destroyed on Mountain Home Road (Polk/Floyd County line)

Damage to home on Old Cedartown Road just south of Lindale (Floyd County)

Newton, Morgan, and Greene Counties

A National Weather Service survey team determined that an EF1 tornado with winds of 105 MPH occurred early Thursday morning. It touched down 1 mile west of Newborn in Newton County at approximately 111 AM EDT Thursday morning and lifted 6 miles west of Greensboro in Greene County at approximately 138 AM EDT. It had a path length of 25 miles and a width of half a mile. A shopping center in Madison had a tin roof peeled back. Thousands of trees were downed. Approximately 50 structures sustained damage from downed trees. One trailer had part of the back ripped off. Two trailers sustained tree damage. Three other trailers that were not tied down were flipped.

Path of EF-1 tornado that struck Newton, Morgan, and Greene Counties.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
844 PM EDT THU APR 28 2011

...PAST EF4/F4 TORNADOES IN GEORGIA...

A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STORM SURVEY DETERMINED THAT AN EF4
TORNADO WITH WINDS OF 175 MPH OCCURRED IN CATOOSA COUNTY AS PART
OF THE HISTORIC APRIL 27-28 2011 OUTBREAK. EF4 TORNADOES ARE VERY
RARE IN GEORGIA. INCLUDING THIS EVENT...ONLY EIGHT EF4/F4
TORNADOES HAVE OCCURRED IN GEORGIA SINCE 1950.

DATE        COUNTIES AFFECTED FATALITIES    INJURIES

04/27/2011  CATOOSA            7             30
05/11/2008  MCINTOSH           0             9
03/27/1994  FLOYD/BARTOW/      3             UNKNOWN
            CHEROKEE/PICKENS
11/22/1992  CHEROKEE/COBB      0             46
11/22/1992  PUTNAM/GREENE      5             86
04/03/1974  GORDON/WHITFIELD/  9             67
            MURRAY
04/03/1974  PICKENS/DAWSON/    6             30
            LUMPKIN
04/03/1974  FANNIN             0             0
04/30/1953  HOUSTON            18            300