EF0 tornado in Houston County, Georgia
Tornado February 18, 2009 · Houston County, Georgia
NOAA recorded where this tornado touched down but not where it lifted, so it appears as a point. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.
What the National Weather Service wrote
The official on duty weather observer at Warner Robins Air Force Base reported that a very brief EF0 tornado touched down just off the end of one of the end of the runway and quickly moved into the adjacent woods. No damage was reported or observed.
The wider storm
A strong cold front accompanied and deep negatively tilted upper trough through the eastern U.S. from the 18th into the 19th. An unseasonably warm and unstable air mass developed in advance of the cold front during the late afternoon and early evening across north and central Georgia as warm, moist air rode northward into Georgia on a strong low-level jet. Afternoon temperatures in the 70s and dewpoints in the 60s, combined with strong shear and moderate instability, resulted in the development of numerous supercell thunderstorms from mid-afternoon until a few hours after midnight on the 19th. Ten tornadoes, ranging in scale from EF0 to EF3 tracked across several north and central Georgia counties. The worst tornadoes affected the east central Georgia counties of Jasper, Putnam, Hancock, and Jasper. A death was observed in Hancock county with an EF3 tornado and several injuries were reported from Putnam and Hancock counties. In addition to the tornadoes, very large hail occurred with several of the thunderstorms, including four-inch diameter hail in Coweta and Fayette counties just south of Atlanta. Numerous reports of golf ball and larger-sized hail were received. The event resulted in millions of dollars of damage and the destruction of several homes in north and central Georgia counties.
Began near Elberta (32.6531, -83.5979).
Other tornadoes from the same storm system
9 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 153236. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.
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