EF0 tornado in Meriwether County, Georgia

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that the EF2 tornado that caused extensive damage across southern Coweta county and into Spalding county initially touched down just inside the Meriwether county line at 923 Bradberry Road. The property at this address straddles the Meriwether/Coweta county line. Damage within Meriwether county was primarily confined to a fence. The tornado was likely less intense within its short distance in Meriwether county than its maximum EF2 rating in Coweta and Spalding counties. The tornado tracked less than 50 feet within Meriwether county. Maximum path width within Meriwether county was less than 100 feet.

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.