The following events were reported: Thunderstorm Wind, Tornado. These occurred near station USW00013874, approximately 31.4279 km away, between 2023-01-12 15:06:00 and 2023-01-12 16:51:00.The events resulted in 74 injuries and 4 fatalities. The events caused property damage valued at 1000.0 and crop damage of 0.0. Episode Narrative: A line of strong thunderstorms moved into north and central Georgia during the afternoon through the evening on Thursday, January 12th and spawned numerous tornadoes, including several that were long track and significant. Ahead of this line, a few supercells also spawned tornadoes in portions of central and eastern Georgia. Upon further examination of radar data and high resolution areal imagery, it was found that several tornadoes rotated around and within a larger vortex and caused the widespread damage in the area near Griffin GA, over 2 miles wide in some cases. |The result was that as many as 4 tornadoes were on the ground simultaneously in SW Spalding County, which were rotating around the larger circulation, merging together in several cases and crossing paths. The presence of 3 mergers was identified in the reanalysis. Additional analysis revealed that wind speeds in the EF3 storm reached|as high as 155mph or high end EF3. This confirmed a total of 14 tornadoes, including 10 which resulted from the same storm/larger mesocyclone. A line of strong thunderstorms moved into north and central Georgia during the afternoon through the evening on Thursday, January 12th and spawned numerous tornadoes, including several that were long track and significant. Event Narrative: New high resolution areal imagery in concert with a reanalysis of radar data, areal surveys and ground surveys it has been determined that there were multiple tornadoes on the ground simultaneously in southwest Spalding and Northwestern Pike Counties as well as crossing tornado paths. The tornadoes were part of a larger mesocyclone which can be traced west all the way back to the Selma Alabama tornado. Our analysis determined that this tornado spun up near the center of the main mesocylone as it crossed the Flint River in SW Spalding County. The first evidence of a tornado touching down appear along Blanton Mill Road where several trees were uprooted. This tornado would become caught within the larger circulation and swing SE around the center through mostly wooded or swampy areas of SW Spalding County. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted in a path that that tracks ESE until it reaches Scott Barch Road. It is in this area it crosses the path of a tornado which passes approximately 2 minutes early moving NE on the eastern periphery of the larger mesocyclone. Low end EF1 damage occurred to a barn in this area, however, it could have occurred with the first tornado. Numerous trees are uprooted or snapped in this area as well. The tornado continued ESE crossing Flat Creek causing mid range EF1 damage to trees. It is noted per areal imagery and radar data that as the tornado approached Yarborough Rd and Shackleford Road it become absorbed/merged with a larger stronger circulation/tornado moving to the NE. Damage on the ground in this area is indicative of tornadoes coming in from 2 different directions. The particular circulation is terminated at this point as the larger more dominate tornado continues NE toward a rock quarry along Rover Zetalla Road. It should also be noted that EF2 damage occurred shortly after these 2 tornadoes merged near Yarborough Road but will be attributed to the more dominate circulation. Report of tree causing powerlines down along Woodfield Ln. Tree and powerlines down along Old Morrow Rd south of Battle Creek Rd. Report of a building collapse off of the Cobb county side of Oak Ridge Rd. Report of tree down along Landrum Dr SW. Report of a large tree down in the area of the Woodcreek Development. Report of tree down along Mundys Mill Rd. Report of tree down at intersection at Union Grove and Southern Grove Rd. Report of powerlines down near intersection of Beaver Ruin Rd NW and Shady Dr NW. Tree down along S Goddard Rd at Roundtree Ln. Report of a tree down along Niskey Lake Rd SW. Report of tree down along Post Rd. Report of trees causing powerlines down near intersection of Rebecca St NW and Charles St NW. As a line of strong to severe thunderstorms moved through the west Atlanta metropolitan area and into southwest Cobb county, a brief tornado spun up near the intersection of Oak Ridge Rd and Oak Ridge Pkwy SW, which is about a half-mile to the north of I-20. The tornado immediately caused damage to the 18 Wheeler Truck Parts & Chrome building, causing a portion of an exterior wall to collapse. A door was open on the back side of the building, providing a failure point as tornado winds entered the building. The tornado moved northeastward across Ivy Pointe Row SW and Ivy Log Dr SW, where several large and tall trees were snapped and caused damage to roofs and walls of homes. The tornado then turned east-northeast, bringing down additional trees onto Ivy Log Dr SW, Maple Log Pl SW, and Poplar Log Pl SW. Two homes on Poplar Log Pl SW sustained major damage as large trees fell on the home, removing portions of the roof and walls, which were then tossed by the tornado winds. The tornado then turned east-southeastward, uprooting several trees on Hembree Ln SW and Blair Bridge Rd SW, once again falling on homes and causing structural damage. The tornado continued onto William Rd, snapping and uprooting about a dozen trees before finally lifting and dissipating over Myra Ln SW. Tree down near intersection of New Hope Rd and Heartherland Dr. Report of powerline down along Lee Rd and Vulcan Dr. Report of debris blocking Hwy 16 just east of interstate 85. Report of tree down on King Arthur Ct. Report of trees and power lines down at Beauregard St and Grady Avenue. Report of a tree down on I-285 at Langford Parkway. Tree down along Alison CT SW near the intersection of Plaza Lane SW. Tree down on car near intersection of Amal Dr SW and Giben Rd SW. Report of tree down along Brownwood Ave SE. Tree down on house and in roadway on Powder Springs Rd and Hopkins Rd. Report of a tree down near the intersection of Oak Grove and Crestline Dr NE. Report of a tree into house at Kennesaw Dr. and Trailwood Dr. Tree down on home near intersection of Farmbrooke Ln and Black Kettle Rd. PDK ASOS site recorded a wind gust of 60 mph. Tree and powerlines down off of Pool Rd and Johnston Rd. Report of Tree on house near intersection of Caldwell Rd and Redding Rd. Report of multiple trees and powerlines down on streets within Fairfield Plantation Resort including: Taylor Ridge Trail, Magnolia Dr., Lakeview Pkwy, Tarnwood Dr, with reports of trees on structures on Golfview Dr., Fairfield Rd, and Monticello. Report of tree down near intersection of Warren Dr and West Strickland St. Report of multiple trees down along Cochran Mill Rd. Tree and powerlines down on Hwy 54 near entrance of Sprouts market. Report of numerous trees down along the 2000 block of  Hwy 16. Report of tree down near intersection of Campbellton Rd SW and County Line Rd SW. Multiple trees down along and in the woods next to Echo Ct. Report of tree causing powerlines down along Lake Harbin Rd. Report of tree down near intersection of Avonridge Dr and Avonridge Ct. Reports of multiple trees down blocking roadways over north Peachtree City, including Hwy 74 and North Kedron, Belvedere Dr, Peachtree Pkwy at North Hill and Tinsley Mill. Tree down on building near intersection of Buford Hwy and Roger St. Tree and powerlines down along old Douglasville Rd and Bennett Trail. Tree down just west of the intersection of Skyview Dr and Mt Vernon Rd. Report of powerline down with power pole on Thornton and Oak Ridge Line. Report of a tree down on Nebo Rd near intersection with Stone Creek. Tree down near intersection of Joseph E Boone NW and Chappell Rd. Tree down near intersection of Ivy Pointe Row and Oak Ridge Rd. Report of tree down on Witcher Rd and near Hwy 16. Report of tree on building near intersection of Burns Rd NW and Walking Lane NW. Powerlines down near intersection of Rainbow Circle SW and Hewatt Rd SW. Report of a tree down blocking I-75 southbound before Hwy 20/81. Roof damage on businesses in McDonough Square at Sloan street and Highway 42. Tree causing power lines down on Rocky Creek Rd in Hannahs Mill area of Upson. Tree down along Alison Ct SW near Plaza Lane SW. Multiple trees down on Union Grove Rd near Southern Grove Rd. Tree down on powerlines down intersection of Signal Ridge SW and Beauregard Dr SW. Report of powerlines down near intersection of Willow Walk SW and Kensington High St. Report of tree on building near intersection of Lincoln Way SW and Lake Lucerne Rd SW. Report of tree on building near intersection of Lawrenceville Hwy and Amberwood Dr NW. New high resolution areal imagery in concert with a reanalysis of radar data, areal surveys and ground surveys it has been determined that there were multiple tornadoes on the ground simultaneously in southwest Spalding and Northwestern Pike Counties as well as crossing tornado paths. Our analysis determined that this tornado would become the dominant circulation which impacted Griffin and much of Spalding County and Southern Henry County. The tornado first touched down in Northwest Pike County along HWY 362 west of Irish Hill Drive where a few trees were snapped and uprooted and quickly increased in intensity to EF1 as it crossed Kings Bridge Road, Huff Creek Rd and Scott Road where numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. As the storm crossed Blanton Mill Road more severe damage was noted both on the ground and areal survey and it was determined that EF2 damage was present in the area around Nunnally Rd and Bethany Road where widespread snapping of trees occurred and a few structures were severely damaged. However, the updated analysis shows that this area also experienced crossing tornado paths both from this tornado and another which struck the area approximately 2 minutes later. The combination of the 2 paths likely resulted in more intense damage indicators. As the storm continued north into southern Spalding County, the circulation briefly weakened causing only sporadic low end EF0 damage northward along Scott Barch Road. It should also be noted that this circulation would pass into southern Spalding County along Scott Barch Road just 2 minutes ahead of another EF1 tornado to cross its path coming in from the west. The tornado continued north crossing Scott Barch Road and uprooting trees in an area south of Blanton Mill Road. Per both radar data and damage on the ground the tornado would pivot within the larger mesocyclone in an area north of Blanton Mill and begin its track east crossing Rover Zetlla Road destroying a barn. It was near this point the tornado and the wind damage would significantly increase as the tornado was intensifying rapidly. The tornado would quickly reach peak intensity of 150-155 mph and several homes were completely destroyed along Kendall Drive and West Road. 2 homes in particular were noted to be completely destroyed down to the foundation however further inspection of the homes revealed that the walls were not anchored fully anchored into the concrete thus a higher rating could not be determined from those homes. The resident of one of those homes rode out the storm in his bathtub, however the bathtub and all plumbing fixtures were torn away from the slab and tossed into the nearby woods. The survivor of the home was miraculously uninjured and got out to help neighbors. Further west along Kendall Drive several homes were also completely destroyed with several others suffering major damage thus the EF3 rating. The damage along West Road in particular garnered a slight upgrade in the wind speed to high end EF3 damage per a reanalysis. Major to severe damage was also noted along Maloy Road, Hwy 16, areas around Griffin High School, The club at Shoal Creek and North Pine Hill Road. As the tornado approached Hwy 19, per UGA faculty, the UGA facility at Dempsey Farm recorded a wind speed of 81.1 mph before the anemometer/wind combo instrument blew off the tower. The tornado continued ENE through the community of Experiment to the NW of the town of Griffin crossing HWY 92 where numerous business and homes suffered damage either from wind or fallen trees consistent with EF0 through EF1 damage. A weather instrument on the south end of the tornado swath at the UGA Griffin Campus recorded a 73.9 mph wind gust as the storm passed by. Damage in the area was consistent with EF0 type wind damage. The tornado struck a Hobby Lobby building in an around Experiment St and Hwy 92 which suffered severe damage to the roof, and exterior walls on the northeast side. Damage to the building was consistent with EF2 winds of approximately 130 mph. The tornado continued Northeast through the northside of Griffin with mostly EF0-EF1 type wind damage. Pockets of more severe damage were noted along Northside Drive and McIntosh Road consistent with high end EF1 damage. The tornado continued northeast crossing Smoak Road and N. McDonough road where it was noted both on the ground and from the air that the circulation weakened and the damage become more sporadic in nature particularly the area from Amelia rd eastward to I75 in southern Henry County. Once the circulation crossed I75 intensity of the tornado increased to a mid to high end EF1 with damage in the city of Locust Grove. The tornado crossed LG Griffin Road where it impacted numerous homes in a subdivision and snapped or uprooted trees. The storm crossed Stanley K Tanger Road and through another neighborhood affecting several homes including some high end EF1 damage. As the storm crossed Hwy 23 numerous trees were snapped or uprooted and a new TDS appeared on radar. The tornado continued NE across Jackson St, Grove Park Drive, Skyland Dr, S. Unity Grove Road and S Ola grove road snapping and uprooting trees as well as causing EF0 or in some cases EF1 damage to homes. The storm continued ENE snapping and uprooting trees through Peaksville Road where it shortly there after become less defined and eventually merged with the circulation/tornado ongoing to the south in the Jenkinsburg area. New high-resolution areal imagery in concert with a reanalysis of radar data, areal surveys and ground surveys it has been determined that there were multiple tornadoes on the ground simultaneously in southwest Spalding and Northwestern Pike Counties as well as crossing tornado paths. The storm continued ENE snapping and uprooting trees through Peaksville Road where it shortly thereafter become less defined and eventually merged with the circulation/tornado ongoing to the south in the Jenkinsburg area. This particular EF1 tornado formed on the southern extent of the larger mesocyclone in close proximity to the EF2 tornado to the north. This tornado formed in and around the Nunnally Road and Dunbar School Road area snapping and uprooting trees. It would continue ENE crossing Hutchinson Rd and Bethany Road snapping and uprooting trees. EF1 damage to several storage buildings and homes occurred as the tornado crossed W. Williamson Road just to the south of the Rock Quarry along Rover Zetella Road. This tornado would continue east and pass to the south of the Rock Quarry snapping and uprooting trees before crossing Rover Zetella Road near the intersection of N. Rover Road. A small barn was destroyed and numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. It was near this point the tornado would begin a more north to northeastward path as it became more wrapped up into the larger mesocyclone and more dominate tornado developing and occurring to the north near Hwy16. This EF1 would cross Emanuel Way, Wilder Way, Maloy Road and Delray Cir causing damage to numerous homes and uprooting trees. 2 large storage bins just east of Wilder Way and Saint Luke Dr were completely destroyed. Trees were snapped and uprooted as the tornado continued north into the larger circulation where it would merge just south of HWY16 to the NE of Princess Circle. Areal satellite imagery and radar data confirms the northward moving tornado into the more dominate Griffin EF3 tornado with trees snapped and uprooted to the north and an area of trees snapped and uprooted to the east. Exact width is an estimate due to the challenges of determining where one tornado damage swath ended and where another one started. The one thing that can be certain is that the vorticies/tornadoes did merge near or just after the EF3 damage occurred. Radar data, areal surveys and ground surveys confirm that a long track EF2 tornado occurred beginning a few miles east of Griffin GA through Butts, Newton and into Jasper counties. The tornado was part of a larger mesocyclone which can be traced west all the way back to the Selma Alabama tornado which spawned numerous tornadoes during its lifecycle. This particular tornado first touched down in an area around Crouch road and Wild Plum Road snapping and uprooting trees. The tornado struck a Rinai building causing damage to the roof, windows and outside walls. The tornado continued northeast snapping and uprooting trees quickly intensifying as it crossed hwy 19 becoming and EF2. Widespread tree damage was noted along S. McDonough Road and Walnut Grove Road north of Hwy 16. A well built home sustained significant roof and structure damage consistent with high end EF2 winds. The tornado continued northeast crossing High Falls Road, N. Walkers Mill Road, Yamacraw road snapping and uprooting trees consistent with EF1 damage. As the tornado continued northeast, it became the dominant circulation within the larger mesocyclone as the previous Griffin tornado began to occlude within the large circulation. The tornado crossed Jackson road and paralleled Jenkinsburg road before crossing I75 near Jenkinsburg Road. Snapped and uprooted trees were noted along both sides of I75 where the tornado crossed. As the storm became the dominant circulation within the mesocyclone, the wind field expanded and the damage became fairly consistent with high end EF1 to low EF2 thereafter. The tornado crossed Locust Road, Dean Patrick Road and England Chapel Road were numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. Some home damage was noted in the area as well, particularly as it approached Shiloah Road. Several homes were damaged along Plaza Dr and Smith Dr. The tornado continued NE crossing Hwy 23 striking a large warehouse. Severe roof and exterior wall damage was noted as debris was spread across the highway and to the NE of the hwy. As the tornado crossed the highway it struck a train on the tracks and overturned 3 rail cars just west Walter Moore Rd. The storm continued northeast crossing Wolf Creek Road snapping and uprooting trees near several homes consistent with EF1 wind damage. The tornado continued northeast crossing Rising Star Church road and Brown road snapping and uprooting trees. As the storm continued northeast beyond this point, the remnant circulation which last produced damage near Locust Grove regenerated a new tornado a little over a mile to the northwest along Fincherville Road. The two tornadoes would continue to the NE nearly parallel through the Jackson Lake area. This particular tornado continued northeast and would intensify to EF2 as it crossed Hwy 36 north of Keys Ferry Road and Haley Road. The fatality and critical injury directly associated with this tornado occurred along Haley Road when a tree fell onto a vehicle injuring the driver and fatally wounding a passenger. EF2 damage was noted East of hwy36 along Haley Road, Pocahontas St. Chickasaw lane and several neighborhoods along the lake. The tornado crossed into Southern Newton County causing severe damage along Parker Road, Ray Road, Malcom Rd, Quarry Ct, Pebble Ridge Dr, Hunters Trace, Campbell Rd and Hwy 212 as it entered Jasper County near the Franks Restaurant. EF1 to low end EF2 damage was intermittent along Yancy Rd, Dallas Tr, Gem Lane, Lee���s Cove, Alcovy N. Dr, Rainbow Dr and County Line Road. The Bear Creek Marian was destroyed and several campers were destroyed. The storm continued NE crossing Henderson Mill Road snapping and uprooting trees, County line Trail and Hwy 11 before weakening and lifting as it approached Margery Lake. A second fatality was resulted the following day when a lineman was knocked out of a bucket truck in Jasper County after being struck by a large tree branch while attempting to restore powerlines. The fatality, is considered indirect but will be tied to this particular tornado. Widespread wind damage can be seen via areal survey and ground survey throughout northern Butts, Southern Newton and Western Jasper counties and surveying this particular storm was a challenge to discern where the tornado actually ended and where the severe wind damage started. The path width is an approximation based on the most severe damage swaths which were surveyed however, strong inflow winds occurred for much of the lifecycle of this tornado making a very wide swath of damage along its 30+ mile long path. This particular tornado was spinning up in extreme SW Spalding County near Holonville Road and the Flint River as the EF2 tornado crossing Meriweather County into NW Pike was weaking and winding down. The particular tornado first showed a debris signature on radar in a marshy area near the flint River east of Holonville Road. Areal satellite imagery and newly acquired information from a homeowner along Huff Creek Road confirm the track continued east just north of Huff Creek Road snapping and uprooting hundreds of trees. The tornado Crossed Hancock Road as a high end EF 1 before reaching Blanton Mill Road where several outbuildings were destroyed, a home was damaged and hundreds of trees were uprooted or snapped. As the tornado continued east toward Nunnally Road it was noted that the tornado which would become the Griffin Tornado had crossed approximately 2 minutes prior and as this tornado approached that area. Damage in the Nunnally Road area is consistent with multiple circulations crossing this region. Also as this EF1 tornado reached the Nunnally/Bethany Road area, a strong surge in wind can be seen on radar rotating ENE around the larger mesocyclone and catching this tornado in this region. The particular tornado would be not only becoming part of that wind surge but also merge with an EF1 tornado sinking ESE out of Spalding County approximately at the Spalding/Pike county line in and around the Yarborough Mill Road region. This tornado would become the dominate circulation per radar analysis thus this track is continued ENE. As the EF1 tornado merges from the WNW, this tornado increases to max intensity of EF2 in and around the Yarborough Mill Road and Crystal Creek Drive area where several structures were severely damaged or destroyed in addition to hundreds of trees snapped and uprooted. Per damage analysis from imagery, this merging which occurred likely resulted in the increased intensification of the tornado to EF2 in this region. The tornado continued eastward toward a large rock quarry along Rover Zetella Road. The tornado snapped trees up to the Rock Quarry however, it appears that due to the size of the quarry, the tornado redeveloped on the N side of the quarry along Rover Zetalla Road and continued east before resuming a northward path. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted wet of Candler Road north across North Rover Road,Agape Avenue and Bethel Lane. Numerous homes sustained everything from minor to moderate damage in this area consistent with EF0 to EF1 winds. This particular tornado continued north toward the stronger EF3 tornado occurring simultaneously ultimately absorbing this tornado into the circulation in the area around Maloy road. Due to the scope of the damage and the width, the exact location and the damage attribution (which tornado caused which damage) becomes difficult to discern even with the imagery. As a result, the exact width is an estimate due to the challenges of determining where one tornado damage swath ended and where another one started. The particular tornado first showed a debris signature on radar in a marshy aread near the flint River east of Holonville Road. Areal satellite imagery and newly acquired information from a homeowner along Huff Creek Road confirm the track continued east just north of Huff Crrek Road snapping and uprooting hundreds of trees. The tornado Crossed Hancock Road as a high end EF 1 before reaching Blanton Mill Road where several outbuildings were destroyed, a home was damaged and hundredes of trees were uprooted or snapped. As the tornado coninued east toward Nunnally Road it was noted that the tornado which would become the Griffin Tornado had crossed approximately 2 minutes prior and as this tornado approached that area. Damage in the Nunnally Road area is consistent with multiple cirulations crossing this region. This particular tornado continued north toward the stronger EF3 tornado occurring simultaneously ultimately absorbing this tornado into the ciruclation in the area around Maloy road. Tree down on powerlines at intersection of Ann Rd and Jay Dr. Report of tree down along Beecher Rd SW. Report of powerlines down near intersection of  Parkwood Rd SW and Birchwood Trail SW.