EF1 tornado in Sumter County, Georgia

A NWS survey team found that a brief EF-1 tornado with maximum winds of 105 MPH and a path width of 100 yards touched down in southern Sumter County. The tornado destroyed 4 large grain silos, throwing debris over a quarter of a mile away into an adjacent field. A nearby metal building had 2 doors blown out, however the farm equipment inside was not damaged. The tornado snapped or uprooted 30-40 trees including some in a large pecan orchard. [04/19/15: Tornado #2, County #1-1, EF1, Sumter, 2015:006].

A strong short wave and moderate instability combined to produce widespread thunderstorms across north and central Georgia throughout the daytime on the 19th into the early morning hours of the 20th. Scattered severe thunderstorms with damaging winds occurred across the area. A warm front lifting north across central Georgia during the late morning and early afternoon provided sufficient wind shear to produce several short-lived tornadoes.