Tornadoes · United States · Georgia · 2014
EF0 tornado, Piedmont to Weldons Crossing, Georgia, November 23, 2014
From Piedmont to Weldons Crossing, this EF0 tornado ran 1.4 miles across Lamar County on November 23, 2014, touching down at 4:40 PM EST and reaching 70 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $10,000 of property damage.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 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.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 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
- EF0
- Date
- November 23, 2014
- Touchdown
- 4:40 PM EST (21:40 UTC)
- Lifted
- 4:44 PM EST (21:44 UTC)
- On the ground
- 4 minutes
- Path length
- 1.4 miles (2.3 km)
- Path width
- 70 yards (64 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- County
- Lamar County
- Touchdown point
- 33.075, -84.206
- Lift-off point
- 33.087, -84.186
- Record number
- 1411231540-01
The damage survey
11 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS FFC, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 100 mph.
- very little damage as it crossed the highway
Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
What the Weather Service recorded
Moderate instability and strong shear associated with a deepening upper-level trough and surface low produced scattered thunderstorms across portions of Central Georgia. Several severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and several tornadoes occurred in the afternoon and early evening hours along and behind a warm front lifting north across the state.
A NWS storm survey team found that the tornado that touched down in Upson County crossed into Lamar County southwest of Barnesville. The tornado, EF-0 in strength with maximum wind speeds of 85 MPH, tracked northeast nearly 2.5 miles mile before lifting along the Little Potato Creek north of Perdue Road. Numerous hardwood and softwood trees were uprooted or snapped along the path of the tornado. [11/23/14: Tornado #5, County #2-2, EF2, Upson-Lamar, 2014:022].
A NWS storm survey team found that an EF-0 tornado, with maximum wind speeds of 82 MPH, touched down in Lamar County south of Milner near old Milner Road and Cannafax Road. The tornado tracked northeast for almost 1.5 miles before lifting near Deerfield Trace. The tornado caused mainly damage to trees with numerous hardwood and softwood trees snapped and uprooted. A metal building on Old Milner Road had roof and wall panels blown off. [11/23/14: Tornado #7, County #1-1, EF0, Lamar, 2014:024].
A NWS storm survey team found that an EF-1 tornado, with maximum wind speeds of 100 MPH, touched down in Lamar County near the intersection of State Highway 36 and High Falls Park Road. The tornado tracked northeast nearly 4.5 miles before crossing into Butts County along Bucksnort Road just west of Interstate Highway 75. The tornado caused mainly damage to trees with numerous hardwood and softwood trees snapped or uprooted. [11/23/14: Tornado #8, County #1-3, EF1, Lamar-Butts-Newton, 2014:025].
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 Atlanta, GA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Nov 23, 2:37 PM EST, 2 hours 3 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Nov 23, 2:37 PM EST, 2 hours 3 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 237 PM EST SUN NOV 23 2014 .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... SFC OBSERVATIONS SHOW EAST WINDS ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA INDICATING THE WEDGE IS STILL IN PLACE. DESPITE THE MORE STABLE AIRMASS IN PLACE WITH THE WEDGE...THUNDERSTORMS HAVE STILL BEEN ABLE TO MAKE IT INTO NORTH GEORGIA. ALTHOUGH SOME AREAS ARE SEEING A BREAK IN THE PRECIPITATION ACROSS CENTRAL GA...ANOTHER ROUND IS ALREADY MOVING INTO WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA THAT WILL BRING ADDITIONAL PRECIP. THIS NEXT ROUND WILL SHIFT EAST ACROSS THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT AS THE UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE LIFTS ACROSS THE TN VALLEY. THIS WILL RESULT IN POPS DECREASING OVERNIGHT. HI-RES MODELS ARE SIMILAR IN THAT THEY DO NOT CLEAR OUT ALL THE POPS OVERNIGHT AND THUS HAVE CONTINUED THE MENTION OF PRECIP ACROSS EASTERN AND PORTIONS OF CENTRAL GEORGIA. BETTER INSTABILITY IS BEGINNING TO CREEP ITS WAY NORTHWARD WITH 500 J/KG JUST SOUTH OF THE CWA ACCORDING TO SPC MESOANALYSIS. IN ADDITION....THERE IS A GOOD AMOUNT OF LL WIND SHEAR WITH 40KTS ACROSS THE SE PART OF THE CWA /CSG TO MCN TO LGR AREA/. WITH ENOUGH CAPE COMBINED WITH THE HIGHER SHEAR VALUES...THE SE PART OF THE CWA IS MOST LIKELY TO SEE SEVERE WEATHER. THE THREAT OF TORNADOES REMAINS AND A TORNADO WATCH WAS ISSUED FOR A PORTION OF THE AREA. STILL THE POTENTIAL TO SEE SOME STRONG TO SEVERE WEATHER NORTH AND EAST OF THE WATCH...WATCH AREA IS JUST MOST LIKELY AT THIS TIME. WITH SOUTHWEST FLOW IN PLACE TONIGHT...WILL SEE WARMER LOW TEMPERATURES FOR MONDAY MORNING. THIS WILL BE THE LAST NIGHT OF THE WARMER TEMPS AS THEY DIP BACK DOWN INTO THE 30S AND 40S FOR TUESDAY MORNING...AFTER THE SFC FRONT MOVES THROUGH ON MONDAY. WILL START THE DAY TOMORROW WITH LOW CLOUDS ACROSS THE AREA BUT THIS SHOULD SCATTER OUT BY LATE MORNING. THIS WILL SLOW THE WARMING TREND MONDAY MORNING...BUT WITH THE CLOUDS SCATTERING AND THE CWA REMAINING IN SW FLOW...HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB INTO THE MID 60S TO UPPER 70S. FOR CENTRAL GEORGIA...THIS IS A FEW DEGREES WARMER THAN THE PREVIOUS FORECAST. 11 .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... MODELS IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH THE LONG TERM. THE NEXT SYSTEM TO AFFECT THE CWA WILL ARRIVE LATE TUESDAY AND INTO TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL BRING LIKELY POPS TO THE SOUTHEAST PART OF THE CWA WITH SLIGHT CHANCE POPS TO THE NORTHWEST. TEMPERATURES TUESDAY NIGHT SHOULD REMAIN WARM ENOUGH FOR THE PRECIP TO REMAIN IN THE FORM OF RAIN ACROSS NORTH GA...ALTHOUGH AT THOSE PEAKS ABOVE 3500 COULD SEE A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW...HOWEVER AT THIS TIME NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. THIS SYSTEM WILL EXIT WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE ECMWF IS SHOWING A FINGER OF MOISTURE SKIRTING THE EXTREME NORTHERN COUNTIES WEDNESDAY EVENING WHILE THE GFS IS KEEPING THE CWA DRY. AT THIS TIME WILL LEAVE OUT ANY PRECIP FOR EXTREME NORTH GA WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE REST OF THE LONG TERM WILL BE DRY WITH A WARMING TREND AS THE H5 FLOW TRENDS TOWARD A ZONAL FLOW. 17 && .HYDROLOGY... HAVE ALREADY SEEN UP TO AN INCH AND A HALF OF RAINFALL ACROSS NORTH GEORGIA AND ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAINFALL ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA. HAVE NOT HAD ANY FLOODING ISSUES SO FAR. WITH AN ADDITIONAL INCH EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA...COULD SEE LOCALIZED FLOODING AS A RESULT. && .AVIATION... 18Z UPDATE... RAIN CONTINUES TO SPREAD ACROSS THE NORTHERN TAF SITES. THERES A BREAK IN THE PRECIP AT MCN AND CSG BUT SHOULD SEE ADDITIONAL RA LATER. COULD SEE A SHORT BREAK AT NORTHERN TAF SITES TOO LATER THIS AFTERNOON. TSRA COVERAGE IS LIMITED BUT WITH CONVECTION MAKING IT FURTHER NORTH THAN EXPECTED...HAVE CONTINUED TEMPO IN THE ATL SITES. CIGS AND VSBYS WILL DECREASE OVERNIGHT...BUT HAVENT GONE QUITE AS LOW AS GUIDANCE IS SUGGESTING AT ATL. WIND SHIFT AT ATL IN THE 00-04Z TIMEFRAME. //ATL CONFIDENCE...18Z UPDATE... MEDIUM CONFIDENCE ON WIND DUE TO WIND SHIFT TIMING. LOW CONFIDENCE ON CIGS AND VSBYS. 11 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 54 70 41 57 / 90 20 10 10 ATLANTA 55 69 41 55 / 90 10 10 5 BLAIRSVILLE 50 64 36 52 / 90 30 10 5 CARTERSVILLE 52 67 37 54 / 70 10 10 5 COLUMBUS 60 74 44 57 / 90 20 10 10 GAINESVILLE 52 67 41 54 / 90 20 10 5 MACON 60 76 44 58 / 80 30 10 20 ROME 52 66 35 55 / 60 10 10 5 PEACHTREE CITY 53 69 38 56 / 90 10 10 10 VIDALIA 66 77 52 60 / 80 30 20 40 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 8 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: CHATTAHOOCHEE...CRISP...DOOLY...MACON...MARION... MUSCOGEE...PULASKI...SCHLEY...STEWART...SUMTER...WEBSTER... WILCOX. && SHORT TERM...11 LONG TERM....17 AVIATION...11
Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 23, 8:03 AM EST, 8 hours 37 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 803 AM EST SUN NOV 23 2014 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-241015- BALDWIN-BANKS-BARROW-BARTOW-BIBB-BLECKLEY-BUTTS-CARROLL-CATOOSA- CHATTAHOOCHEE-CHATTOOGA-CHEROKEE-CLARKE-CLAYTON-COBB-COWETA- CRAWFORD-CRISP-DADE-DAWSON-DE KALB-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- 803 AM EST SUN NOV 23 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER MUCH OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA TODAY AND TONIGHT. A WARM FRONT WILL PUSH NORTHWARD TODAY AS A STORM SYSTEM DEVELOPS IN THE NORTHWEST GULF. INSTABILITY WILL INCREASE OVER GEORGIA TODAY AS THIS FRONT PUSHES INTO THE AREA. A FEW STORMS MAY BE SEVERE MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. THE MOST FAVORED AREA FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL BE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM LAGRANGE TO FORSYTH TO WARRENTON. DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE...ALONG WITH AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN. DUE TO THE SATURATED GROUNDS...SOME MINOR FLOODING WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE DURING THE DAY ON TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER 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, Nov 23, 3:43 PM EST, 57 minutes before
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</html>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.
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), 12:00Z
9.7 hours before the tornado, 43 km from the path. November 23, 2014.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- 0 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 430 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 42 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 20 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 162 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 380 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 2.7 K/km
The surface observations
Thomaston (OPN), 15 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 Atlanta radar (KFFC), 47 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:38 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 trackEvery 2014 tornado in GeorgiaEvery tornado in Georgia since 1950Warnings in force in Georgia nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of November 23, 2014
9 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 23 | 11:35 AM CST | EF0 | Greene, AL | 2.0 | 150 | |||
| November 23 | 2:03 PM CST | EF1 | Stewart, AL to GA | 16.7 | 400 | $25,000 | ||
| November 23 | 3:27 PM EST | EF1 | Stewart, GA | 0.5 | 100 | $5,000 | ||
| November 23 | 3:37 PM EST | EF1 | Chattahoochee, GA | 21.1 | 75 | $33,000 | ||
| November 23 | 4:01 PM EST | EF0 | Talbot, GA | 3.2 | 50 | $5,000 | ||
| November 23 | 4:20 PM EST | EF0 | Upson, GA | 11.0 | 200 | $45,000 | ||
| November 23 | 4:40 PM EST | EF1 | Monroe, GA | 20.0 | 70 | $30,000 | ||
| November 23 | 4:49 PM EST | EF1 | Lamar, GA | 21.6 | 100 | $32,000 | ||
| November 23 | 5:10 PM EST | EF1 | Houston, GA | 6.4 | 50 | $55,000 |
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.