A surface low drifted into Great Lakes region with a cold front and line of convection nearing the forecast area by the early morning hours. Very strong shear dominated throughout the event with instability rather meager.
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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.
The episode as NWS CAE wrote it up.
A surface low drifted into Great Lakes region with a cold front and line of convection nearing the forecast area by the early morning hours. Very strong shear dominated throughout the event with instability rather meager. The line of convection moved across the area from the west between 11z and 18-19z, bringing multiple reports of straight line wind damage but with the shear profile in place, two EF-0 tornadoes were confirmed in Burke county Georgia. No injuries were reported with these tornadoes with tree damage being the primary indicator for each tornado.
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 Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 16, 3:05 AM EST, 2 hours 27 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Columbia SC
405 AM EDT Sun Mar 16 2025
.SYNOPSIS...
A strong cold front will move through the region today with
showers, thunderstorms, and gusty winds. Severe thunderstorms
will be possible. The front will move east of the area and drier
air will spread across the region for the first half of the
new work week. A pair of weak cold fronts pass through on
Thursday and Saturday with limited moisture.
&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
Key Message(s):
- Strong cold front moving through the region today will bring
showers and thunderstorms, some which will be strong to severe
with the threat for damaging winds and a few tornadoes.
- Localized flash flooding possible, but lower threat.
- Lake Wind Advisory now in effect until 8 PM this evening.
Complex weather scenario over the next 12 to 18 hours. A deep
and highly amplified upper trough stretches from the Canadian
border to the Deep South. Surface low pressure is positioned to
the north over the Ohio Valley. As the system moves east today,
a strong cold front will move through the area, bringing gusty
gradient winds, along with a line of showers and strong to
severe thunderstorms. SPC maintains a Slight Risk (2/5) of
severe weather across the CSRA and SC Midlands today.
Getting more into the details, rain chances increase from west to
east particularly after 08z in the CSRA as the line of showers
and storms approaches. Temperatures across the area have
remained elevated in the mid and upper 60s much of the night,
due in part to moisture influx and warm advection ahead of the
front. This has caused widespread stratus across the area, and a
strengthening low level jet of 60-65 kts is also helping to
keep the boundary layer mixed. All in all, we will maintain
these temperatures before additional warming occurs through
today ahead of the cold front. Highs this afternoon in the mid
to upper 70s. Lows for the day will likely not occur until
tonight after the front has passed through.
CAM solutions and the latest WoFs run continue to depict the line of
storms pushing into the CSRA and the western Midlands between 8-11z,
the Central Midlands between 10-13z, and the eastern Midlands
between 12-15z. A Tornado Watch is now in effect for the CSRA
through 14z. A subsequent watch is also possible later this morning
as the convection moves through, depending on trends and how well
the line is holding together.
Thinking regarding impacts hasn't changed too much. The synoptic
setup features strong upper level diffluence with strong winds of
70+ kts at H5 and 60+ kts at H85 ahead of the trough. Deep moisture
will work its way onshore with PWATs increasing to 1.6"+,
particularly across the CSRA and Southeast Midlands. Some evidence
of this can already be seen with surface dewpoints in the low to mid
60s, and a few models suggesting these values could start to
approach the upper 60s. Strong shear is expected with forecast 0-1
km SRH upwards of 400 m2/s2 and long curved hodos. As is typical
this time of year, instability is expected to be the limiting factor
to some extent. That said, the HRRR is showing 200-300 J/kg of
SBCAPE this morning, while the HREF mean shows a corridor of 500+
J/kg SBCAPE developing a few hours later. As such, there is a
slightly increased tornado threat for the eastern Midlands late this
morning as the line moves through, since there will be more
instability to feed off of. This is further supported by HREF mean
STP values of 1.5-3. Putting it all together, we expect the main
threat to be for damaging wind gusts, but enough other factors lend
toward an isolated tornado threat. Given any pockets of higher
instability, there will be a low-end risk for hail, and with
long/skinny/saturated forecast soundings and the potential for
training storms, an isolated flash flood threat as well. QPF
expected in the 0.5" to 1" range with locally higher amounts in a
few storms, perhaps up to 1.5".
The front actually moves through late in the afternoon and early
evening with drier air spreading east after 21z. A few lingering
showers possible early in the evening but in general, decreasing
cloudiness. A little lower on the list, but gusty gradient winds
persist through the period outside of convection. Guidance supports
wind gusts of 30-35 mph with a few higher gusts possible. A Lake Wind
Advisory is now in effect until 8 PM this evening. Cool night
expected with diminishing winds and lows in the upper 40s to
low 50s as the new airmass settles in and skies gradually clear.
&&
.SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/...
Key Message(s):
- Near to slightly below normal temperatures on Monday followed
by a warming trend Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Patchy frost possible Monday night, especially in normally
cold and sheltered locations.
Dry and cooler conditions are expected on Monday as the upper
trough passes overhead. The trough should be approaching the FA
at the start of the short term. CAMs suggest that there may be
enough lift with the passing trough to produce a few showers in
the eastern Midlands, but with PWATs at or under a half inch,
confidence is low so opted to keep a dry forecast. Skies begin
the day partly to mostly sunny with clearing in the afternoon as
the trough moves east and gusty northwesterly winds develop.
Temperatures will be near to slightly below seasonal values with
forecast highs in the lower to mid 60s. Clear skies, diminishing
winds, and CAA Monday night will allow temperatures to fall
into the mid to upper 30s. Dewpoints will be at or below
freezing for much of the FA suggesting that patchy frost may
develop towards daybreak Tuesday, especially in typically cold
and sheltered locations.
Upper ridge and surface high pressure move in Tuesday into
Wednesday resulting in a warming trend ahead of the next trough.
Tuesday is sunny and dry while there will be more clouds around
on Wednesday. Cloudiness continues to increase Wednesday night
as PWATs rise ahead of a weak cold front. A few showers may move
into the western FA towards daybreak Thursday.
&&
.LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
Key Message(s):
- Low end rain chances and near normal temperatures expected.
The aforementioned trough and weak cold front pass through on
Thursday with a chance of showers. PWATs increase to around an
inch but the overall chance of rain is low to moderate (30 to 40
percent) with the frontal passage. The biggest impact of the
front will be on temperatures, which should return to near
normal values for Thursday and Friday. The progressive upper
pattern continues with brief ridging on Friday before another
trough swings through on Saturday. Another weak front associated
with this trough passes through on Saturday with another low end
chance for showers.
&&
.AVIATION /08Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... MVFR CIGS in stratus
expected through sunrise then lower restrictions with a line of
convection moving through the area.
An approaching cold front and associated line of showers and
thunderstorms will move through the terminals through this
morning. Ahead of the front, southeast winds will remain
elevated around 10-15 kts with gusts of 25-30 kts. Additionally,
VWP indicates a low level jet at around 1k ft MSL of about 60
kts. MVFR CIGS have already developed in response to deep
moisture advection into the region.
Radar and satellite imagery over Georgia are in good agreement
with hi-res guidance as a line of convection approaches from the
west. Expect IFR CIGS/LIFR VSBYS in TSRA with possible wind
gusts of 40+ kts. Timing of the main impacts looks to be 10-14z
AGS/DNL, 11-15z CAE/CUB and 13-17z OGB. As the convective line
moves past the terminals, gusty winds will continue but
directions shift southwesterly with some lingering showers and
MVFR cigs before VFR conditions return by early afternoon.
Conditions continue to improve this evening into tonight, with
clearing skies and SW winds diminishing to less than 10 kts.
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...VFR expected through the middle of next
week.
&&
.CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SC...Lake Wind Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for SCZ016-018-
020>022-025>031-035-037-038-041-115-116-135>137.
GA...Lake Wind Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for GAZ040-
063>065-077.
&&The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 102 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:33 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Reported tree blocking the roadway near the intersection of Herndon Road and Dilane Plantation Road.
Sheriff Dispatch reported a tree down blocking both lanes at the intersection of Johnson Road and Ellison Bridge Road near Sardis.
A National Weather Service storm survey determined that one of two close proximity EF-0 tornadoes touched down east of Girard, GA with peak wind speeds of 80 mph. The northernmost tornado began near the intersection of Stoney Bluff Road and Thankful Church Road where it snapped several pine trees. The tornado then continued northeast into an inaccessible heavily wooded area, before snapping additional pine trees along River Road. Given a lack of access, this tornado is assumed to have dissipated just prior to reaching the Savannah River.
National Weather Service storm survey determined one of two close proximity tornadoes touched down east Girard. The southern most of these two tornadoes began along Royal Road just north of Stoney Bluff Road causing minor tree damage. Moving northeast, the tornado caused shingle damage to a residence followed by additional tree damage along Royal Road. Given a lack of access, this tornado is assumed to have dissipated just prior to reaching the Savannah River.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Georgia, 2025Warnings in Georgia, March 2025
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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1232508, 1232509, 1232492, 1232495.