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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1008 PM EDT Tue Mar 20 2018


...NWS Damage Survey For 03/19/18 Tornado/Severe Weather Event...


.Update...
A summary of the second of two tornadoes to impact Haralson 
County has been added the previous Public Information Statement. 
The first tornado crossed into Georgia from Alabama before quickly
dissipating, therefore, the summary for the first Haralson County
Tornado will be sent on Wednesday after the conclusion of the
damage survey conducted by NWS Birmingham.


.Overview...
An intense storm system impacted much of north and central 
Georgia Monday evening (March 19), resulting in areas of 
significant thunderstorm wind damage along with several tornadoes.
In conjunction with local/county emergency management, NWS 
Peachtree City conducted two separate surveys today, one in 
Haralson County and the other in South Fulton County. Details on 
each event are listed below. 


.Haralson County Tornado #2...

Rating:                 EF-1
Estimated Peak Wind:    90 mph
Path Length /statute/:  1.4 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   500 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               2

Start Date:             Mar 19 2018 
Start Time:             10:25 PM EDT
Start Location:         0.7 miles north of Buchanan
Start Lat/Lon:          33.811526 / -85.192399

End Date:               Mar 19 2018
End Time:               10:27 PM EDT
End Location:           0.7 miles south of Buchanan 
End Lat/Lon:            33.791592 / -85.188838

Survey_Summary:
A short-lived but impactful tornado caused damage on the western
side of Buchanan on Monday evening. The tornado formed on the
backside of an occluding, cyclic supercell which had a history of
producing strong tornadoes in Alabama. After moving into Georgia,
multiple downbursts within the rear-flank downdraft caused
extensive straight-line wind damage, primarily along Broad St and
Hwy 120. Afterwards, the supercell began to occlude, during which
a tornado formed on the northern side of Buchanan and took a
southerly, cyclonically curved track for approximately 1.4 miles.

The tornado touched down near the New Vision Church Cemetery, at 
approximately 10:25 PM, snapping and uprooting small trees as it
traveled SSW. Around 10:26 PM, the tornado grew in size to approx
500 yards as it crossed Hwy 120 just west of Business Hwy 24. Here
it uprooted and snapped several very large trees and wind speeds 
of 90 mph were estimated by the degree of damage observed; wind 
speeds equating to a low-end EF1. Just south of Hwy 120 on 
Tallapoosa St. a large tree fell on a home, seriously injuring 2 
people inside. The tornado then continued SSE, snapping and 
uprooting several more small trees before dissipating at approx 
10:27 PM just west of Business Hwy 24 between Jeffers St. and 
Macedonia Church Rd.


.South Fulton County Tornado...

Rating:                 EF-2
Estimated Peak Wind:    120 mph
Path Length /statute/:  0.5 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   315 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             Mar 19 2018
Start Time:             11:11 PM EDT
Start Location:         4.5 miles northwest of Fairburn
Start Lat/Lon:          33.622599 / -84.625235

End Date:               Mar 19 2018
End Time:               11:14 PM EDT
End Location:           5 miles north-northwest of Fairburn
End Lat/Lon:            33.626745 / -84.617553

Survey Summary:
A very brief but strong tornado wrapped up and touched down in the
South Fulton community between Fairburn and Campbellton, late on
Monday evening. Much of the damage was to 2-story residential
homes in the Chestnut Ridge neighborhood. More than 50 homes
sustained some visible damage with at least half of these seeing
significant damage. The worst of the damage occurred along Jumpers
Trace between Jodhpur Road and Suffolk Lane. In this small area,
numerous homes had large sections of the roof removed along with
large pieces of the exterior walls (mainly on one or two sides)
removed. Based on this consistent structural damage, the tornado
earned its EF-2 rating with maximum winds estimated around 120
mph. Large trees running along the north and east areas of the 
neighborhood were snapped or uprooted.

As quickly as the tornado developed, it dissipated as the 
supercell tracked east across Hwy 92 just north of Jones Road. 
Just east of Hwy 92 in a separate neighborhood, there was one 
house that lost part of its roof and several along Winstar Lane 
that only lost shingles or small pieces of siding. Just past this
location, there was no further damage seen, hence the ending 
point being around 1/2 mile away from its starting location. 

NWS Survey conducted by: Nadler

&&

EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the
following categories.

EF0...Weak......65 TO 85 mph
EF1...Weak......86 TO 110 mph
EF2...Strong....111 TO 135 mph
EF3...Strong....136 TO 165 mph
EF4...Violent...166 TO 200 mph
EF5...Violent...>200 mph 

NOTE:
The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to
change pending final review of the events and publication in NWS 
Storm Data. 

$$