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EF0 tornado in Upson County, Georgia

Tornado March 16, 2026 · Upson County, Georgia

EF0
Rating
1.6 mi
Path length
100 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 100 yards (0.06 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF0 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF0 is light damage: shingles and siding peeled, gutters torn, branches broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 65–85 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

A weak velocity couplet was detected on radar northwest of the intersection of Grays Chapel Rd and Grady Pennyman Rd at 7:20 AM. The storm tracked to the east, with a tornado debris signature (TDS) appearing at 7:24 AM over Grays Chapel Rd. Two trees were uprooted along the road, and four trees were snapped at their tops before

the circulation moved over a densely wooded area. By 7:26 AM, the velocity couplet had weakened and was located over Israel Creek east of Grays Chapel Rd, although the TDS persisted due to lofted debris. The damage in this area was limited, but enough to indicate a brief touchdown. All damage was consistent of EF-0 damage, with maximum winds estimated around 75 mph.

The wider storm

Yet another QLCS moved through portions of north and central Georgia in the early morning hours of the 16th. Pockets of concentrated winds damage were found mostly in north Georgia where the storms held together best. A few more brief tornados were found via surveys, including one just southeast of the metro and two further south to Macon and Pine Mountain.

Began near Salem (32.8964, -84.1947).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

3 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1328647. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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