EF1 tornado in Gilmer County, Georgia

Evidence of a tornado occurred very near the intersection of

Ellington Road and Old Highway 5 South, a little more than

2 miles south-southwest of Ellijay in Gilmer County. The tornado

destroyed parts of 2 single-story storage units (made of

tin/metal) as well as a Georgia Forestry building that houses

large equipment. Based on the damage at these locations, it is

estimated the tornado had wind speeds between 90-100 mph (EF-1).

As the tornado crossed Old Highway 5 South, additional minor roof

damage along with a few small to medium trees snapped. The last

of this damage was seen near the CSX Railroad just north of the

Progress Road and Casey Drive intersection. NOTE: this damage

**may** be part of a longer track tornado or multiple tornadoes

from the same complex of severe storms, but due to complex

terrain (difficulty accessing any roads in forested areas),

further investigation (by air) is currently happening. Updates

are likely in the next several days.

Several waves of severe thunderstorms moved through the area from the evening hours of the 8th through the early afternoon hours of the 9th. Initial convection ahead of the first line was able to tap into ample shear to produce tornadic thunderstorms in Northwest GA. This threat transitioned more into a wind event as the first line moved through the morning of the 9th. This line continued southward into the metro causing sporadic wind damage. Thunderstorms weakened as they moved south of I20, however another line of severe made its way out of AL/TN, producing further wind damage in the North. The initial line slowly moved into the southern portion of the CWA where conditions were not as worked over and shear was stronger. Storms re-strengthened, with several producing brief tornados.