This should be a LESSON TO US ALL. Please take Severe Thunderstorm warnings seriously. Tornadoes often spawn in these Severe Thunderstorms warned areas before any Tornado warning is issued. Some Tornadoes are so quick that by the time a tornado warning is issued, the tornado has dissipated.
I created the below map using data from the NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA and Iowa Environmental Mesonet. To the best of my knowledge all data used is correct at the time of making the map.
The watch area data, both Tornado Warning [red shaded area] and Severe Thunderstorm Warning [yellow shaded areas] were collected from Iowa Environmental Mesonet and imported into the map via KML file.
The Blue Place Markers indicate the beginning and end of each individual tornado path and was entered from data supplied from NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT issued 526 PM EST FRI DEC 23 2011 [Below].
View Tornadoes in Georgia December 22 2011 in a larger map
You can click the link at the bottom of the map for a larger version and associated TEXT [also below]information, or This Link, it goes to the same map.
Once the National Weather Service in Peachtree City updates their site with information, I will post in to the blog. For now, here is the text of the statement they have released...
594 NOUS42 KFFC 232226 PNSFFC PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 526 PM EST FRI DEC 23 2011 ...PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT... ...EF-3 TORNADO IN GORDON COUNTY... EVENT DATE: DECEMBER 22 2011 ESTIMATED START TIME: 525 PM EST EVENT TYPE: EF-3 TORNADO ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 150 EVENT START LOCATION: 34.37N/-85.10W EVENT END LOCATION: 34.48N/-84.86W DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 15 DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 1/4 TO 1/2 MILE WIDE INJURIES: NONE. SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE: 1 HOME DESTROYED, SEVERAL DAMAGED. A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASSESSMENT TEAM DISPATCHED TO FLOYD AND GORDAN COUNTIES INVESTIGATED DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS THAT MOVED ACROSS FLOYD INTO GORDON COUNTY THE EVENING OF DECEMBER 22. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT EF0 DAMAGE BEGAN IN FAR NORTHEAST FLOYD COUNTY NEAR HIGHWAY 140 ABOUT 2.75 MILES NORTH OF SHANNON AND STRENGTHENED TO AN EF1 ALONG EMILY LANE JUST EAST OF PLAINVILLE IN SOUTHWEST GORDAN COUNTY WHERE SEVERAL HOMES WERE DAMAGED FROM FALLING TREES. THE TORNADO THEN STRENGTHENED TO EF3 AT THE CORNER OF BOONE FORD ROAD AND BEASON ROAD NEAR CALHOUN GEORGIA WHERE A HOME WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. SHORTLY AFTER THIS...THE TORNADO WEAKENED TO AN EF0 AND DISSIPATED ON THE EAST SIDE OF CALHOUN, GEORGIA. PRELIMINARY DAMAGE REPORTS ESTIMATE THAT SEVERAL HOMES WERE DAMAGED...ONE COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND NUMEROUS TREES DOWNED. $$ DARBE 284 NOUS42 KFFC 232053 PNSFFC PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 300 PM EST FRI DEC 23 2011 ...PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT... ...EF-2 TORNADO IN FLOYD COUNTY... EVENT DATE: DECEMBER 22 2011 ESTIMATED START TIME: 455 PM EST EVENT TYPE: EF-2 TORNADO ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 125 EVENT START LOCATION: 34.246338N/-85.242012W EVENT END LOCATION: 34.3252N/-85.1413W DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 8 DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 200 INJURIES: 3 MINOR. SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE: 20 HOMES. A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASSESSMENT TEAM WAS DISPATCHED TO FLOYD COUNTY NEAR ROME TO INVESTIGATE DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS THAT MOVED THROUGH THE EVENING OF DECEMBER 22. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT EF1 DAMAGE BEGAN WEST OF ROME AND STRENGTHENED TO EF2 AS THE STORM PROGRESSED NORTHEAST TOWARD THE COMMUNITY OF WALTON CREEK. THE EF2 DAMAGE CONTINUED FOR APPROXIMATELY A MILE AND A HALF AS IT CROSSED HIGHWAY 20. THE TORNADO EVENTUALLY LIFTED AND DISSIPATED JUST WEST OF HIGHWAY 53 AND NORTH OF JONES BEND ROAD. PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES FROM EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ARE OF 20 HOMES WITH SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE BUT THESE WILL LIKELY BE REVISED AS MORE DETAILS COME FORWARD. THE SURVEY TEAM IS INVESTIGATING OTHER STORM DAMAGE AND UPON THEIR RETURN WILL LIKELY ADD DETAILS TO THIS REPORT. $$ DEESE 692 NOUS42 KFFC 231954 PNSFFC PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 300 PM EST FRI DEC 23 2011 ...PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT... ...EF-1 TORNADO IN COWETA COUNTY... EVENT DATE: DECEMBER 22 2011 ESTIMATED START TIME: 644 PM EST EVENT TYPE: EF-1 TORNADO ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 90 EVENT START LOCATION: 33.2664N/-84.7997W EVENT END LOCATION: 33.2735N/-84.7833W DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 1 DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 100 INJURIES: NONE. A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASSESSMENT TEAM WAS DISPATCHED TO SOUTHERN COWETA COUNTY TO INVESTIGATE DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS THAT MOVED THROUGH THE EVENING OF DECEMBER 22. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT STRONG STRAIGHT LINED WINDS WERE INITIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ISOLATED TREES AND POWERLINE DAMAGE JUST NORTH OF GRANTVILLE. AS THE STORM PROGRESSED NORTHEAST...A CIRCULATION DEVELOPED AND TIGHTENED BETWEEN GRANTVILLE AND MORELAND RESULTING IN SHORT LIVED TORNADO DAMAGE. A DAMAGE PATH OF JUST OVER A MILE WAS FOUND WITH EF1 DAMAGE BEGINNING AT TORNADO TOUCHDOWN NEAR POLK ROAD AND SNAPPING DOZENS OF TREES AS IT MOVED TOWARD DINGLER ROAD. ONE HOME ON POLK ROAD HAD MOST OF ITS ROOF REMOVED AND SEVERAL TREES ON THE PROPERTY WERE UPROOTED AND SNAPPED. $$ DEESE
