EF1 tornado in De Kalb County, Georgia

A ground and aerial survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia in cooperation with the Atlanta Police Department confirmed that the EF2 tornado, that tracked through the heart of downtown Atlanta in Fulton county, continued into extreme western DeKalb county as an EF1 tornado before lifting. The tornado tracked approximately one mile into DeKalb county, entering the county near the intersection of Moreland Avenue and Glenwood Avenue and lifting just west of Interstate 20 near the intersection of Josephine Avenue Southeast and Braeburn Street. Damage within DeKalb county was generally confined to spotty tree and roof damage. Within DeKalb county the tornado had a maximum path width of 100 yards.

A series of vigorous upper-level disturbances were racing through a fast zonal flow across the southern states. A supercell thunderstorm developed across north central Alabama and tracked southeast into northwest Georgia and eventually across downtown Atlanta, spawning an EF2 tornado that tracked right through the heart of downtown Atlanta. This was the first recorded incident of a tornado touchdown in downtown Atlanta. The tornado wreaked havoc on the downtown streets as it tracked from the Vine City neighborhood on the west, across the I-75/85 corridor, through the Cotton Mill Lofts, and into extreme western DeKalb county before weakening. One death was reported and dozens were injured as they were trapped in downtown buildings amidst debris. Damage was in the millions.