Tornado and Damaging Winds in Georgia, October 27, 2010

Name: Tornado and Damaging Winds in Georgia, October 27, 2010
Start: 2010-10-27T13:33
End: 2010-10-27T17:32
Location: Georgia

October 27, 2010 · NWS FFC · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

The intense upper-level low and associated deep surface cyclone were moving further north into Ontario. A cold front extended from the upper low southward into the lower Mississippi valley.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $457,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS FFC wrote it up.

The intense upper-level low and associated deep surface cyclone were moving further north into Ontario. A cold front extended from the upper low southward into the lower Mississippi valley. Unseasonably warm and moist air continued to stream north into the southeast U.S. in advance of this increasingly slow moving system. However, upper dynamics were beginning to weaken in comparison with those in place earlier in the week. Nonetheless, conditions still supported development of scattered strong to severe thunderstorms. The thunderstorms on the 27th, the third day of this large-scale synoptic system tended to be more single-cell and multi-cell in nature with less tendency toward QLCS development. However, several of the thunderstorms on the 27th exhibited at least moderate rotation and prompted tornado warnings. However, only one storm produced an EF0 tornado in Cherokee county during mid-afternoon, resulting in considerable damage to parts of the county just southeast of Holly Springs. This was the final day of convective activity across the southeast U.S. associated with this large synoptic-scale system as cooler, drier air spread into the southeast U.S. behind the front for the remainder of the month courtesy of a large Canadian high pressure system building eastward from the central U.S.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Atlanta, GA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 27, 12:25 PM EST, 1 hour 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 27, 12:25 PM EST, 1 hour 8 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 27, 5:02 AM EST, 8 hours 31 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
602 AM EDT WED OCT 27 2010

GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-
089>098-102>113-281015-
BALDWIN-BANKS-BARROW-BARTOW-BIBB-BLECKLEY-BUTTS-CARROLL-CATOOSA-
CHATTAHOOCHEE-CHATTOOGA-CHEROKEE-CLARKE-CLAYTON-COBB-COWETA-
CRAWFORD-CRISP-DADE-DAWSON-DEKALB-DODGE-DOOLY-DOUGLAS-EMANUEL-
FANNIN-FAYETTE-FLOYD-FORSYTH-GILMER-GLASCOCK-GORDON-GREENE-
GWINNETT-HALL-HANCOCK-HARALSON-HARRIS-HEARD-HENRY-HOUSTON-JACKSON-
JASPER-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-JONES-LAMAR-LAURENS-LUMPKIN-MACON-
MADISON-MARION-MERIWETHER-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-MORGAN-MURRAY-
MUSCOGEE-NEWTON-NORTH FULTON-OCONEE-OGLETHORPE-PAULDING-PEACH-
PICKENS-PIKE-POLK-PULASKI-PUTNAM-ROCKDALE-SCHLEY-SOUTH FULTON-
SPALDING-STEWART-SUMTER-TALBOT-TALIAFERRO-TAYLOR-TELFAIR-TOOMBS-
TOWNS-TREUTLEN-TROUP-TWIGGS-UNION-UPSON-WALKER-WALTON-WARREN-
WASHINGTON-WEBSTER-WHEELER-WHITE-WHITFIELD-WILCOX-WILKES-
WILKINSON-
602 AM EDT WED OCT 27 2010

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS
NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA.

.SYNOPSIS...
AN DEEP UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ROTATING OVER THE GREAT
LAKES STATES CONTINUES TO PUMP WARM GULF MOISTURE OVER THE
SOUTHEASTERN STATES.

.PRIMARY HAZARDS...
THE PRIMARY HAZARDS FROM ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DAMAGING
WINDS....HAIL...CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.
HEAVY RAIN WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. THE MOST LIKELY LOCATION FOR
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA.

.DISCUSSION...
AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ROTATING OVER THE GREAT LAKES
STATES CONTINUES TO PUMP WARM GULF MOISTURE OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN
STATES. THIS UPPER LEVEL LOW IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING NE
INTO CANADA WITH ITS ASSOCIATED SURFACE FRONT MOVING SLOWLY
SOUTHWARD THROUGH GEORGIA BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. WITH MODERATE
INSTABILITY...STRONG SHEAR...AND A MOIST ENVIRONMENT IN PLACE THIS
FRONT WILL HELP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED THURSDAY...OTHERWISE
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTERS ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED BUT SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED
TO SUBMIT REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH THE WEB BY GOING TO
WEATHER.GOV/ATLANTA.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 27, 12:15 PM EST, 1 hour 18 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Oct 27, 12:36 PM EST, 57 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Oct 27, 12:59 PM EST, 34 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Oct 27, 1:04 PM EST, 29 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Oct 27, 1:17 PM EST, 16 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Oct 27, 1:26 PM EST, 7 minutes before

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The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 106 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:33 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cherokee

When: October 27, 1:33 PM EST to 1:35 PM EST
Where: Cherokee County, 2 mi S of Ball Ground to 1 mi N of Holly Spgs
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 34.301, -84.380

The Cherokee County Emergency Management Director reported that two trees were down just south of Ball Ground, one of which had taken out a power line on Ball Ground Highway. The road had to be closed until the downed power line could be repaired. Another tree was down just north of Holly Springs. This tree also took out a power line and blocked a road.

Tornado, Cherokee

When: October 27, 2:36 PM EST to 2:38 PM EST
Where: Cherokee County, 2.51 mi SSE of Univeter to 1.94 mi SSW of Hickory Flat
Rating: EF0
Path length: 0.79 mi
Path width: 75 yd
Property damage: $425,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 34.149, -84.447

A damage survey conducted by the Cherokee County Emergency Management Director confirmed that a weak EF0 tornado had touched down approximately four miles east-southeast of Holly Springs. The tornado first touched down on Oak Meadow Drive in a well populated residential neighborhood, then tracked east-northeast approximately 3/4 mile before lifting near the intersection of Waters Road and East Cherokee Drive. The maximum path width was determined to be 75 yards wide with maximum wind gusts estimated to be 75 mph. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted along the path of the tornado. A number of trees fell on homes resulting in major damage to three homes and minor damage to another 10 homes. Three outbuildings and three vehicles were destroyed by the fallen trees.

Thunderstorm Wind, Oconee

When: October 27, 3:07 PM EST to 3:10 PM EST
Where: Oconee County, 6 mi SE of Watkinsville to 7 mi SE of Watkinsville
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 33.809, -83.326

The Oconee County Emergency Management Director reported damage to several trees and power lines in the far southeast part of Oconee County, approximately six to seven miles southeast of Watkinsville. One vehicle suffered damage from a fallen tree. The Emergency Management Director was suspicious that the damage appeared to be caused by a tornado as there was a path of damage and trees and power lines were twisted along the path of damage.

Thunderstorm Wind, Putnam

When: October 27, 5:30 PM EST to 5:32 PM EST
Where: Putnam County, 2 mi SE of Eatonton to 2 mi E of Eatonton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 33.300, -83.356

The public reported that at least a dozen trees were down on the east and southeast side of Eatonton. Several power lines were also down. Some roads were blocked. Widespread power outages were noted in the area.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Georgia in 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Georgia, 2010 Warnings in Georgia, October 2010

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 264950, 264951, 265041, 265046.