EF1 tornado in Heard County, Georgia

A tornado quickly touched down in extreme northwest Heard County

in west-central GA, near the intersection of Hendley Road and Roosterville Road.

Fairly significant damage was noted immediately as a manufactured

home was completely destroyed and pushed off its foundation.

Numerous trees around this property were twisted off or snapped,

some more than halfway to its base. The tornado was at its peak

intensity around this location. The tornado tracked northeast snapping a

few more trees in a very narrow path along Gum Creek Airport

Road. The tornado then continued over a mainly wooded/rural area

between Gum Creek Airport Road and Dowdy Road. Looking west from

Dowdy Road, numerous large trees were seen flattened (snapped or

uprooted). The tornado then took out a 30 x 30-foot barn at a

residence along Dowdy Road. Multiple trees were snapped or

uprooted around this location. The tornado appeared to weaken as

it moved northeast from this point.

A strong developing system over brought moist southerly winds across the north and central Georgia, creating isolated severe thunderstorms and flash flooding on the afternoon and evening of January 3rd. The severe weather threat continued into Wednesday, January 4th, as the storm progressed eastward and brought a cold front across the area, producing isolated damaging wind gusts.