EF0 tornado in Hancock County, Georgia

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia concluded that an EF0 tornado touched down in extreme eastern Hancock county before crossing into Washington county and briefly strengthening to an EF1 as it made an approximately four-mile-long track, ending approximately 3 miles north of Warthen in Washington county. Within Hancock county, the tornado was only rated an EF0 as it tracked across a totally rural area of less than 1/4 mile just south of Barnes Road and west of Georgia Highway 15. Damage within Hancock county was confined to minor tree damage.

An active and very unstable northwest flow continued across the southeast United States as the polar vortex remained very strong in the northeast United States. A disturbance rotated around the back side of the upper low into the southeast United States during the afternoon and evening. Multiple complexes of severe thunderstorms developed across north and central Georgia during the mid to later afternoon as a result and moved southeast during the evening hours. Large hail was the primary severe weather element observed during this outbreak, however an EF2 tornado developed in Cherokee county and caused extensive damage to hundreds of homes. This was the 45th tornado of the spring season for north and central Georgia.