Thunderstorm Wind in Forsyth County, Georgia

The Forsyth County Emergency Management Director reported that a tree fell on a sport utility vehicle (SUV) killing a 51-year old male inside the vehicle. The incident took place on Brookwood Drive near McGinnis Ferry Road in the Johns Creek portion of far southern Forsyth county. The person inside the vehicle was killed instantly. One other tree was down in the northern part of the county as well.

A sharp and deep negatively tilted full-latitude upper trough was sweeping through the eastern half of the United States. An unseasonably warm, moist air mass was present in advance of the front, as was the case with many events during the 2011 - 2012 winter season. In addition, a strong low-level jet contributed highly to a high shear/high helicity environment and the development of rotating cells within a quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) that tracked from west central to east central Georgia during the afternoon. An EF2 tornado tracked from Lee county in east central Alabama into Harris county in west central Georgia. In addition, there were several reports of quarter-sized hail and thunderstorm wind damage, primarily across central Georgia during this event.