EF3 Tornado — Rabun, Georgia

2011-04-27 · near Persimmon, Rabun, Georgia

Event narrative

The path of an intense tornado, which was likely the continuation of the Habersham County tornado, was found in Rabun County beginning in the Lake Burton area. Damage was first found near a marina on Wildcat Creek Cove. A fire department building near this location was destroyed. As the tornado moved northeast across Moccasin Creek, it intensified and widened to around one half mile. Several large lake homes were completely destroyed in this area. Another home slid off its foundation into the lake. The tornado continued northeast across the Moccasin Creek peninsula and over the main channel of Lake Burton. Severe damage was observed again along the north shore of Timpson Cove, roughly paralleling Meeting House Mountain Rd. Several large luxury homes along the shore were destroyed, while many others received major structural damage. One 83-year-old man was killed in one of these homes. In addition to the major structural damage, thousands of trees were blown down in the Lake Burton area. The tornado weakened as it crossed highway 76 just northeast of Timpson Cove, proceeding to Black Rock State Park, where hundreds of additional trees were blown down. As the tornado continued northeast from the state park, it intensified slightly as it moved over a residential area in Mountain City. Half of the roof was blown off a condominium building, while surrounding homes had minor to moderate roof damage. The tornado crossed highway 441 just north of Mountain City and appeared to lift in the Oakey Mountain area. The tornado was very unusual not only for its strength but also for the rugged terrain in which it occurred. It was the first tornado to hit Rabun County since 1983 and the first F3 or EF3 tornado in the county's recorded history.

Wider weather episode

An historic tornado outbreak affected areas from the Deep South to the Mid-Atlantic states April 27-28. A strong tornado touched down in Rabun County late on the 27th, with additional tornadoes affecting the North Carolina foothills during the early morning hours of the 28th. At least three supercell thunderstorms crossed the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia during this time. A greater number of supercells and tornadoes affected areas to the west of the Appalachians. Scattered areas of straight line wind damage and large hail also accompanied the storms.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.8250, -83.5961)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 301771. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.