Tornadoes · United States · Georgia · 2003

F1 tornado, Scarboro, Georgia, July 1, 2003

Name: F1 tornado, Scarboro, Georgia, July 1, 2003
Start: 2003-07-02T00:05:00.000Z
Location: Scarboro, Georgia

This F1 tornado ran 4.5 miles across Jenkins County on July 1, 2003, touching down at 8:05 PM EDT and reaching 75 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2113 to 157 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3158 to 206 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5261 to 318 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating: F1
Date: July 1, 2003
Touchdown: 8:05 PM EDT (00:05 UTC)
Path length: 4.5 miles (7.2 km)
Path width: 75 yards (69 m)
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
County: Jenkins County
Touchdown point: 32.750, -81.830
Lift-off point: 32.800, -81.770
Record number: 1324

What the Weather Service recorded

Much of WFO Charleston's CWA was impacted by the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill as it tracked to the northeast across the extreme northern section of Georgia. The mini outbreak of tornadoes started around 8 p.m. on the night of July 1st and did not stop until after 115 a.m. on the morning of July 2nd. Fortunately, there were no deaths with the tornadoes. Screven County was hardest hit with three separate tornadoes and three areas of wind damage.

A tornado caused extensive damage to trees in the northeast part of the county.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

What forecasters said that day

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

NWS Charleston, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Jul 1, 6:20 PM EDT, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 1, 6:20 PM EDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 1, 12:05 PM EDT, 8 hours before

GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040-042>045-047>051-011745-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED RIVER FLOODING FOR DAY ONE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
1205 PM EDT TUE JUL 1 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS FROM SOUTH SANTEE
RIVER SOUTH CAROLINA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

.SEVERE WEATHER...THERE IS A CHANCE OF ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
AND TORNADOES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. THE
ATMOSPHERE IS QUITE UNSTABLE...ESPECIALLY OVER GEORGIA. THEREFORE
THE CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE SLIGHTLY HIGHER IN GEORGIA.

.RIVER FLOODING...A RIVER FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR TEH
OGEECHEE RIVER AT EDEN. RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR
THE SAVANNAH RIVER AT CLYO AND THE SANTEE RIVER AT JAMESTOWN. PLEASE
REFER TO THE LATEST RIVER FLOOD STATEMENT FOR MORE SPECIFIC
INFORMATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

.ISOLATED HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE AS THE REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM
BILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS TENNESSEE...NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHERN
VIRGINIA. THE HEAVY RAIN COULD CAUSE ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS FOR RIVERS
ALREADY NEAR OR ABOVE BANKFUL.

.RIVER FLOODING...RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS WILL CONTINUE FOR THE ABOVE
MENTIONED RIVERS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST
RIVER FLOOD STATEMENT FOR MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 1, 4:00 PM EDT, 4 hours 5 minutes before

GAZ099-114-012030-

BULLETIN
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
400 PM EDT TUE JUL 1 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT TATTNALL COUNTY AND CANDLER
COUNTY THROUGH 430 PM EDT...

AT 400 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CENTERED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM
2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF METTER TO 7 MILES EAST OF BAXLEY...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THIS CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL
AFFECT AREAS IN AND AROUND ALTAMAHA...ALINE...REIDSVILLE...COLLINS...
COBBTOWN...CANOE...FIVE POINTS AND SHAMROCK THROUGH 430 PM EDT.

HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER...EXCESSIVE CLOUD-TO-GROUND
LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS OF 45 TO 55 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED.

PM

Special weather statement, Jul 1, 4:14 PM EDT, 3 hours 51 minutes before

GAZ099-100-115-012045-

BULLETIN
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
414 PM EDT TUE JUL 1 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT EVANS COUNTY...CANDLER COUNTY AND
BULLOCH COUNTY THROUGH 445 PM EDT...

AT 414 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM CENTERED OVER UNDINE...OR ABOUT 5 MILES NORTHWEST
OF CLAXTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THIS STRONG THUNDERSTORM
WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND AROUND UNDINE...HAGAN...EXCELSIOR...
ADABELLE...PARISH...PULASKI...REGISTER AND WESTBROOKE THROUGH 445 PM
EDT.

HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER...EXCESSIVE CLOUD-TO-GROUND
LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS OF 45 TO 55 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED.

THIS STORM ALSO HAS SHOWN EVIDENCE OF ROTATION. ALL PERSONS NEAR
THIS STORMS SHOULD REMAIN EXTREMELY ALERT TO THE WEATHER SITUATION.
AND A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM.

PM

Local storm report, Jul 1, 5:09 PM EDT, 2 hours 56 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 1, 5:36 PM EDT, 2 hours 29 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 1, 6:49 PM EDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before

GAZ087-099-100-012330-

BULLETIN
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
649 PM EDT TUE JUL 1 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT CANDLER COUNTY...BULLOCH COUNTY
AND JENKINS COUNTY THROUGH 730 PM EDT...

AT 649 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM CENTERED OVER OLIFFTOWN...OR ABOUT 7 MILES
NORTHWEST OF METTER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THIS STRONG
THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND AROUND UNION...OLIFFTOWN...
AARON...FOUR POINTS...BUTTS...SCARBORO...MILLEN AND EMMALANE THROUGH
730 PM EDT.

GUSTY WINDS OF 45 TO 55 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED.  A TORNADO WATCH
REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM.

Special weather statement, Jul 1, 7:32 PM EDT, 33 minutes before

GAZ087-088-020015-

BULLETIN
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
732 PM EDT TUE JUL 1 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT JENKINS COUNTY AND SCREVEN COUNTY
THROUGH 815 PM EDT...

AT 732 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CENTERED 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF FOUR
POINTS...OR ABOUT 11 MILES SOUTH OF MILLEN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20
MPH. THIS CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND
AROUND FOUR POINTS...ROCKY FORD...EMMALANE...SCARBORO...PARKERS...
THOMASBORO...MILLEN AND WOODCLIFF THROUGH 815 PM EDT.

GUSTY WINDS OF 45 TO 55 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED.  A TORNADO WATCH IS IN
EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM.

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), 00:00Z

0.1 hours before the tornado, 169 km from the path. July 2, 2003.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 257 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -19 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 97 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 769 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 40 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 111 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 287 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.1
0-3 km lapse rate: 5.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Statesboro/Bulloch Co (TBR), 33 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)	Temp (°F)	Dew point (°F)	Wind	Gust (kt)	Pressure (mb)	Weather
00:00 UTC

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 72 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 00:04 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

This ground now

The live radar over the track Every 2003 tornado in Georgia Every tornado in Georgia since 1950 Warnings in force in Georgia now The forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of July 1, 2003

12 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
July 1	4:42 AM CDT	F1	Crenshaw, AL	3.0	600	$200,000
July 1	5:29 AM CDT	F0	Montgomery, AL	4.7	60	$40,000
July 1	2:50 PM EDT	F0	Coffee, GA	0.5	100
July 1	2:50 PM CDT	F0	Collin, TX	0.1	30
July 1	5:00 PM EDT	F1	Morgan, GA	3.0	75	$180,000
July 1	6:00 PM EDT	F0	Colquitt, GA	3.0	100	$70,000
July 1	10:47 PM EDT	F2	Bulloch, GA	7.0	100
July 1	11:03 PM EDT	F2	Screven, GA	6.0	500
July 1	11:10 PM EDT	F1	Bulloch, GA	3.0	100
July 1	12:02 AM EDT	F1	Hampton, SC	10.0	100
July 1	1:15 AM EDT	F1	Colleton, SC	1.0	100
July 1	1:26 AM EDT	F0	Laurens, SC	3.0	200	$1,000

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.