EF1 Tornado — Gilmer, Georgia
2024-05-08 · near Kiker, Gilmer, Georgia
Event narrative
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.
Wider weather episode
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.
View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.6641, -84.5084)
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1186079. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.