EF2 Tornado — Floyd, Georgia

2011-12-22 · near Coosa, Floyd, Georgia

Event narrative

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia, confirmed that an EF2 tornado, the first of six tornadoes to affect west Georgia on this day, touched down approximately three miles west-southwest of Rome, then continued on a northeastward track approximately 12 miles before lifting about 7 1/4 miles north-northeast of Rome. The tornado was determined to have a maximum path width of 200 yards with maximum winds estimated to be 125 mph. As the tornado first touched down just west of Rome, it was classified as an EF1 but strengthened to an EF2 as it moved toward the community of Walton Creek. The tornado remained at an EF2 intensity for approximately 1 1/2 miles as it crossed Georgia Highway 20. The tornado eventually lifted and dissipated just west of Georgia Highway 53, just north of Jones Bend Road. At least 20 homes along the path of the tornado sustained significant damage. Many trees and several power lines were also damage or destroyed by the tornado. In addition, three minor injuries were reported at one of the damaged homes. Numerous trees and power lines were down along the path of the tornado as well, including along Georgia Highway 27, Division Street, Shorter Avenue, Edmond Road, and Elm Street. Some traffic signals were also blown down.

[12/22/11: Tornado #1, County #1-1, EF2, Floyd, 2011:027].

Wider weather episode

A deep trough, quite characteristic of the early winter season of 2011-2012, was anchored across the southwest U.S. with broad southwest flow aloft evident from the southwest U.S. toward the mid-Atlantic. A summer-like Bermuda high pressure area was anchored off the southeast U.S. coast. A stationary front extended across the lower Mississippi valley toward the mid-Atlantic with a cold front approaching from the west of this region from Texas toward the Great lakes. The air mass across the region in advance of the stationary front was extremely moist, warm, and unstable for mid-December. As an embedded strong short wave traversed the region in the southwest flow aloft, a period of strong shear and marginal instability translated across the region during the late afternoon and early evening. These synoptic features supported a strong to severe quasi-linear convective system, or squall line, which moved across the state from west to east during the late afternoon and evening. The line of thunderstorms spawned a half-a-dozen tornadoes causing extensive damage across several counties from west central into northwest and north central Georgia. As the line moved east past Atlanta, it weakened considerably and no further severe weather was observed across east Georgia. The six tornadoes occurring on this date tied the record for the most tornadoes ever occurring during December within the Peachtree City, Georgia county warning area in December, namely six in 2005.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.2463, -85.3420)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 357512. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.