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EF1 tornado in Troup County, Georgia

Tornado February 17, 2023 · Troup County, Georgia

EF1
Rating
5.7 mi
Path length
200 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 200 yards (0.11 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

The tornado began northeast of the airport near the intersection of Gordon Road and Swanson Dr. Sporadic EF-0 tree damage occurred as it traveled east before intensifying to a low end EF-1 near Callaway Stadium on the LaGrange College campus. Roof damage occurred both to a local brewery and Georgia health department building. The most considerable damage occurred to a house near this location along Forrest Avenue where a large oak tree was uprooted and fell into the home. Several bleachers were tossed into a brick and metal fence destroying a portion of the fence. Damage continued to the northeast where numerous trees were uprooted and several homes sustained minor roof damage. Another area of EF-1 damage was observed at the George F. Harris Baseball Complex where a few trees were uprooted and several were snapped. The tornado then entered another area of homes where some tree damage and uprooted trees were noted before entering a shopping district along Highway 109 just west of I-85. Several businesses had damaged signs and minor roof damage. A local gas station had windows blown out of a car wash. Some additional damage continued to the northeast with some trees downed before the tornado lifted near the intersection of I-85 and Highway 109.

The wider storm

A line of thunderstorms moved into north and central Georgia during the early morning hours of February 17, 2023. This line of storms produced isolated wind damage and with a highly sheared environment, allowed for a tornado to spin up just on the outskirts of LaGrange.

Began near La Grange Callawy Ar (33.0252, -85.0644).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1084252. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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