EF1 Tornado — Crawford, Georgia

2018-10-10 · near Hammett, Crawford, Georgia

Event narrative

A National Weather Service survey found that an EF1 tornado with maximum winds of 110 MPH and a maximum path width of 250 yards occurred in Crawford. The tornado touched down along Avera Road southwest of Roberta snapping a few small trees and branches near a residence just east of the Hammett Road intersection. The tornado moved northwest crossing Pope Road and Carroll Road snapping and uprooting several trees. The tornado then intensified as it continued moving northwest along Flint River Estates road where numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, including many hardwood trees. Several homes along the road were damaged by falling trees. A detached workshop at one of the homes was completely destroyed as an open overhead door allowed the EF1 strength winds into the building leading to its complete failure. The tornado continued on to the northwest snapping several trees as it crossed State Route 128 where another residence was damaged by falling trees. The tornado then crossed Hortman Road where a few small trees and large branches were downed before lifting as it approached Walker Chapel Road. [10/10/18: Tornado #2, County #1/1, EF-1, Crawford, 2018:013].

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Michael made landfall along the Florida panhandle at Mexico beach (just southeast of Panama City) on the afternoon of October 10, 2018 as a high-end Category 4 hurricane (max winds of 155 MPH). Michael then moved rapidly inland, causing widespread wind damage along its path as it swept northeast across south and central Georgia. Hurricane Michael was the first major hurricane, category 3 or higher, to directly impact Georgia since the 1890s. In southwest Georgia, wind gusts as high as 115 mph were recorded. Within the NWS Atlanta/Peachtree City county warning area, wind gusts of 40-60 MPH, with some gusts over 70 mph, across portions of central Georgia on the evening of October 10th into the morning of October 11th led to widespread tree damage and power outages with damage to numerous structures. Severe crop damage was also reported, especially to cotton and pecan crops, as well as devastating impacts to commercial timberland. In addition, a few brief tornadoes in the outer bands of Michael caused isolated damage in portions of the north and central Georgia while heavy rainfall led to localized flooding. Michael quickly exited the state as a tropical storm late on the morning of October 11th.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (32.6525, -84.0267)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 787585. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.