Tornadoes · United States · Georgia · 2017
EF1 tornado, Barker Spg to Salem, Georgia, April 3, 2017
From Barker Spg to Salem, this EF1 tornado ran 6.7 miles across Upson County on April 3, 2017, touching down at 12:44 PM EDT and reaching 150 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $20,000 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 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado
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
- EF1
- Date
- April 3, 2017
- Touchdown
- 12:44 PM EDT (16:44 UTC)
- Lifted
- 12:52 PM EDT (16:52 UTC)
- On the ground
- 8 minutes
- Path length
- 6.7 miles (10.7 km)
- Path width
- 150 yards (137 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $20,000
- County
- Upson County
- Touchdown point
- 32.843, -84.248
- Lift-off point
- 32.872, -84.139
- Record number
- 1704031044-01
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 106 mph.
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
A strong short wave and associated surface low swept through the southern and eastern U.S. and combined with moderate instability and strong shear resulted in widespread severe weather, including numerous tornadoes, across north and central Georgia from late morning through the afternoon.
A National Weather Service survey team found that an EF-0 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 70 MPH and a maximum path width of 75 yards occurred in south-central Upson County. The tornado briefly touched down south of Thomaston along John B Gordon road snapping a few trees then moved northeast crossing US Highway 19 following along New Harmony Church Road were several trees were snapped or uprooted. Minor roof damage was noted to some homes along Samuel Atwater Road. The tornado ended along New Harmony Church Road before crossing Wolf Creek. No injuries were reported. [04/03/17: Tornado #11 County #1/1, EF-0, Upson, 2017:043].
A National Weather Service survey team found that an EF-1 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 90 MPH and a maximum path width of 150 yards occurred in eastern Upson County. This tornado developed out of the same storm that produced a short-track tornado south of Thomaston 6 minutes earlier. The tornado touched down west of Birdsong Road snapping a few trees and continued east along Waymanville Road where numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. The tornado path turned more northeasterly and crossed Kendall Drive uprooting several trees before crossing Logtown Road at the intersection with Traylor drive where several trees were snapped or uprooted and minor damage to a church occurred. The tornado continued northeast crossing Kendall Road several times as it traveled essentially parallel to it, snapping a few trees along the way. The tornado crossed Pleasant Grove Road snapping and uprooting a few trees before lifting in a wooded area east of that location before crossing into Monroe County. No injuries were reported. [04/03/17: Tornado #12, County #1/1, EF-1, Upson, 2017:044].
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
18 minutes of warning. NWS FFC issued a tornado warning for this county at 16:26 UTC, 18 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 17:00 UTC.
The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 14:50 UTC and running to 18:29 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14:50 UTC | 18:29 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | FFC |
| 16:12 UTC | 16:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC |
| 16:26 UTC | 17:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | FFC |
Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.
The forecast that day
The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Enhanced Risk, with a 0.02 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 16:21 UTC.
SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.
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
4.7 hours before the tornado, 64 km from the path. April 3, 2017.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 26 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -350 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 106 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 987 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 59 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 31 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 317 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 392 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.6 K/km
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), 00:00Z
7.3 hours after it, 64 km from the path. April 4, 2017.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -78098 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 55 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 885 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 63 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 40 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 380 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 349 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.7 K/km
The radar
The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 66 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 16:46 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.
What was reported nearby
Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15:44 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Greenville | Meriwether, GA | 2 TREES DOWN ON HOMES |
| 15:54 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nnw Upatoi | Muscogee, GA | SEVERAL TREES WERE REPORTED DOWN NEAR THE 8000 BLOCK OF FULTON ROAD. A POWER LINE WAS ALSO DOWN IN THE ROAD ON COUNTY LINE ROAD. |
| 16:18 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Nne Talbotton | Talbot, GA | THIS WAS AN EF0 TORNADO WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 2.2 MILES AND A MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH OF 75 YARDS. THE ESTIMATED PEAK WIND WAS 70 MPH. THIS TORNADO SNAPPED NUMEROUS TREES AND TOSSED SEVERAL TRAMPOLINES. |
| 16:25 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Griffin | Spalding, GA | MULTIPLE TREES AND POWERLINES REPORTED DOWN NEAR INTERSECTION OF POPULAR STREET AND 13TH STREET IN GRIFFIN |
| 16:25 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Zebulon | Pike, GA | TREES AND POWERLINES WERE REPORTED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF PATTON RD AND SUNSET STRIP. BARN ROOF METAL WRAPPED AROUND TREES WERE ALSO REPORTED. |
| 16:26 UTC | TORNADO | 1 W Ypsilanti | Talbot, GA | THIS WAS AN EF1 TORNADO WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 4.6 MILES AND A MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH OF 200 YARDS. THE ESTIMATED PEAK WIND WAS 105 MPH. THIS TORNADO SNAPPED AND UPROOTED NUMEROUS TREES AND DESTROYED A 100 YEAR OLD BARN. |
| 16:30 UTC | TORNADO | 1 E Esmond | Spalding, GA | MULTIPLE TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN AND PERSON TRAPPED IN VEHICLE ON WEST ELLIS ROAD |
| 16:30 UTC | TORNADO | 1 W Griffin | Spalding, GA | MULTIPLE TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN... SEVERAL HOUSES DAMAGED WITH PEOPLE TRAPPED INSUDE NEAR INTERSECTION OF POPULAR STREET AND 13TH STREET IN GRIFFIN |
| 16:32 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Sse Experiment | Spalding, GA | TREES AND POWER LINES WERE REPORTED DOWN NEAR 133 SOUTH 17 STREET. |
| 16:32 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nnw East Griffin | Spalding, GA | TREES WERE REPORTED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF KENNEDY ROAD AND N 2ND STREET. |
| 16:32 UTC | TORNADO | 1 E Griffin | Spalding, GA | TREES WERE REPORTED DOWN ON A HOUSE NEAR 1109 EAST WALL STREET. |
| 16:32 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Nnw Griffin | Spalding, GA | A TREES WERE REPORTED DOWN ON A HOUSE WITH A PERSON TRAPPED INSIDE NEAR 546 NORTH 9TH STREET. INJURIES UNKNOWN. |
| 16:32 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Ssw Experiment | Spalding, GA | NUMEROUS TREES WERE REPORTED DOWN AND ALSO ON STRUCTURES NEAR 600 BLOCK OF MELROSE AVE. MULTIPLE TREES WERE ALSO REPORTED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTIONS OF HILLWOOD AVE AND 19TH STREET AND N EXPRESSWAY AND ELLIS RD. |
| 16:32 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Wsw Griffin | Spalding, GA | A TREE WAS REPORTED DOWN ON A HOUSE WITH A PERSON RESCUED FROM HOUSE. INJURIES UNKNOWN. |
| 16:32 UTC | TORNADO | Griffin | Spalding, GA | POWER LINES WERE REPORTED DOWN AND A TREE FELL BLOCKING THE ENTIRE ROAD NEAR 417 EAST COLLEGE STREET. |
| 16:32 UTC | TORNADO | Griffin | Spalding, GA | TREES AND POWER LINES WERE REPORTED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF EAST TINSLEY STREET AND NORTH 5TH STREET. |
| 16:35 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Sw Experiment | Spalding, GA | THIS WAS AN EF0 TORNADO WITH A PATH LENGTH OF .6 MILES AND A MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH OF 150 YARDS. THE ESTIMATED PEAK WIND SPEED WAS 85 MPH. THE TORNADO SNAPPED AND UPROOTED NUMEROUS TREES. DOWNED TREES FROM THIS TORNADO ALSO |
| 16:36 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Ene Big Lazer Creek W | Upson, GA | MULTIPLE TREES WERE DOWN NEAR THE CROSSING OF POBIDDY ROAD AND THE FLINT RIVER. |
| 16:36 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Sse Lincoln Park | Upson, GA | THIS WAS AN EF0 TORNADO WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 1.7 MILES AND A MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH OF 75 YARDS. THE ESTIMATED PEAK WIND WAS 70 MPH. THIS TORNADO SNAPPED NUMEROUS TREES AND CAUSED MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO SEVERAL HOMES ALONG SA |
| 16:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Sse Redbone Crossroad | Upson, GA | A HOMEOWNER REPORTED TREES DOWN AND DAMAGE TO THE HOME NEAR 3278 WAYMANVILLE ROAD... WITH APPROXIMATED WIND SPEEDS BETWEEN 50-60 MPH. |
| 16:44 UTC | TORNADO | Redbone Crossroads | Upson, GA | THIS WAS AN EF1 TORNADO THAT HAD A PATH LENGTH OF 6.9 MILES AND A MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH OF 150 YARDS. THE ESTIMATED PEAK WIND WAS 90 MPH. THIS TORNADO CAUSED MINOR DAMAGE TO A CHURCH AND SNAPPED AND UPROOTED NUMEROUS TREES. |
| 16:49 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | The Rock | Upson, GA | SEVERAL TREES REPORTED DOWN ALONG THE ROCK ROAD |
| 16:49 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Sse Locust Grove | Henry, GA | EM REPORTS 40-50 TREES DOWN AND MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO HOMES BETWEEN BONAVENTURE PLACE AND JALEY PKWY. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| 16:51 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 S Yatesville | Upson, GA | MULTIPLE TREES DOWN ALONG PLEASANT GROVE ROAD SOUTH OF YATESVILLE |
| 16:51 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Ssw Blacksville | Henry, GA | TREES SNAPPED AND UPROOTED. |
| 16:52 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Ene Steeles Mill | Henry, GA | THIS WAS AN EF0 TORNADO WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 1.8 MILES WITH A MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH OF 250 YARDS. THE ESTIMATED PEAK WIND WAS 85 MPH. THIS TORNADO CAUSED MINOR SHINGLE DAMAGE TO A HOME OFF JAYLEY PARKWAY AND CAUSED A TREE |
| 16:54 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Culloden | Monroe, GA | TREES REPORTED DOWN ON HOMES ON NORWOOD STREET AND COLLEGE STREET |
| 16:56 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Sw Redbone | Lamar, GA | TREES WERE REPORTED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF WILLIS ROAD AND HIGHWAY 341. |
| 17:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 E Culloden | Monroe, GA | HIGHWAY 74 EAST OF CULLODEN... SEVERAL PIECES OF A TIN ROOF FOLDED BACK. DAMAGE TO THE SLIDING DOOR OF A GARAGE SHOP. |
| 17:06 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Wnw Smarr | Monroe, GA | THIS WAS A HIGH END EF1 TORNADO WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 8.3 MILES AND A MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH OF 300 YARDS. THE ESTIMATED PEAK WIND WAS 110 MPH. THIS TORNADO DAMAGED 30 HOMES. NINE OF THESE HOMES HAD MAJOR DAMAGE AND ONE WAS |
| 17:11 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Se Culloden | Monroe, GA | A LARGE TREE WAS REPORTED ACROSS HIGHWAY 341 NORTH AT THE CRAWFORD COUNTY AND MONROE COUNTY LINE. |
| 17:12 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 E Star Mills | Monroe, GA | TREES FELL ON CARS ALONG I-75 SOUTH OF FORSYTH. INJURIES REPORTED BUT NUMBER IS CURRENTLY UNKNOWN |
| 17:12 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Nne Smarr | Monroe, GA | TREES REPORTED DOWN ON HOME NEAR MUSIC ROW. |
| 17:16 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Ne Smarr | Monroe, GA | AS MANY AS 30 HOMES WITH DAMAGE IN MONROE COUNTY..9 MAJOR AND 1 DESTROYED. 1 FAMILY WAS TRAPPED BUT NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED |
| 17:19 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nnw Whitewater State | Macon, GA | POWER LINES AND A TREE WAS REPORTED DOWN NEAR 410 NORTH RANDOLPH STREET. |
| 17:22 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 N Taylors Mill | Crawford, GA | MULTIPLE TREES AND POWER LINES WERE REPORTED DOWN ALONG TAYLORS MILL ROAD. |
| 17:40 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Se Hillsboro | Jones, GA | THIS WAS AN EF0 TORNADO WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 3 MILES AND A MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH OF 100 YARDS. THE ESTIMATED PEAK WIND WAS 70 MPH. THIS TORNADO UPROOTED A TREE THAT CAUSED MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO A HOME. IT ALSO UPROOTE |
| 17:42 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Nw Round Oak | Jones, GA | A TREE WAS REPORTED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 11 AND ROUND OAK JULIETTE ROAD. |
| 17:42 UTC | TORNADO | Echo Glen | Houston, GA | TREES WERE REPORTED DOWN ON SCARSBOROUGH ROAD AS WELL AS NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF DUNBAR ROAD AND CARL VINSON PARKWAY. A TREE WAS ALSO REPORTED DOWN ON AN APARTMENT UNIT ON CARL VINSON PARKWAY. |
| 17:44 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Meadowdale | Houston, GA | A TREE WAS REPORTED DOWN ON MACY AVE NEAR HIGHWAY 127. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2017 tornado in GeorgiaEvery tornado in Georgia since 1950Warnings in force in Georgia nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of April 3, 2017
39 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 3 | 4:02 AM CDT | EF1 | Saint Tammany Parish, LA | 2.5 | 75 | |||
| April 3 | 4:12 AM CDT | EF1 | Saint Tammany Parish, LA | 7.3 | 100 | |||
| April 3 | 8:54 AM CDT | EF0 | Crenshaw, AL | 0.1 | 25 | $2,000 | ||
| April 3 | 10:58 AM EDT | EF1 | Carroll, GA | 2.4 | 300 | $50,000 | ||
| April 3 | 11:28 AM EDT | EF1 | Fulton, GA | 4.1 | 150 | $100,000 | ||
| April 3 | 11:42 AM EDT | EF1 | Muscogee, GA | 3.3 | 175 | $100,000 | ||
| April 3 | 12:10 PM EDT | EF0 | Stewart, GA | 1.6 | 150 | $100,000 | ||
| April 3 | 12:16 PM EDT | EF0 | Stewart, GA | 1.4 | 100 | $20,000 | ||
| April 3 | 12:17 PM EDT | EF1 | Lumpkin, GA | 4.6 | 350 | $75,000 | ||
| April 3 | 12:18 PM EDT | EF0 | Talbot, GA | 2.2 | 75 | $25,000 | ||
| April 3 | 12:26 PM EDT | EF1 | Talbot, GA | 3.6 | 200 | $50,000 | ||
| April 3 | 12:29 PM EDT | EF0 | Webster, GA | 3.9 | 150 | $15,000 | ||
| April 3 | 12:35 PM EDT | EF0 | Spalding, GA | 0.6 | 150 | $50,000 | ||
| April 3 | 12:36 PM EDT | EF0 | Upson, GA | 1.7 | 75 | $30,000 | ||
| April 3 | 12:46 PM EDT | EF1 | Schley, GA | 5.5 | 200 | $500,000 | ||
| April 3 | 12:52 PM EDT | EF0 | Henry, GA | 1.8 | 250 | $50,000 | ||
| April 3 | 1:06 PM EDT | EF1 | Monroe, GA | 8.1 | 300 | $300,000 | ||
| April 3 | 1:30 PM EDT | EF1 | Peach, GA | 9.2 | 600 | $175,000 | ||
| April 3 | 1:40 PM EDT | EF0 | Jones, GA | 2.9 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| April 3 | 1:51 PM EDT | EF0 | Pickens, SC | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| April 3 | 1:56 PM EDT | EF1 | Twiggs, GA | 5.8 | 440 | $30,000 | ||
| April 3 | 2:03 PM EDT | EF2 | Wilkinson, GA | 3.3 | 200 | $100,000 | ||
| April 3 | 2:06 PM EDT | EF1 | Twiggs, GA | 7.9 | 350 | $170,000 | ||
| April 3 | 2:10 PM EDT | EF0 | Worth, GA | 0.0 | 10 | |||
| April 3 | 2:13 PM EDT | EF0 | Greenville, SC | 2.8 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| April 3 | 2:16 PM EDT | EF0 | Wilkinson, GA | 4.1 | 90 | $25,000 | ||
| April 3 | 2:21 PM EDT | EF0 | Hancock, GA | 3.3 | 200 | $20,000 | ||
| April 3 | 2:26 PM EDT | EF0 | Wilkinson, GA | 6.6 | 150 | $30,000 | ||
| April 3 | 2:28 PM EDT | EF0 | Wilkinson, GA | 0.2 | 100 | $30,000 | ||
| April 3 | 2:36 PM EDT | EF1 | Washington, GA | 5.7 | 250 | $30,000 | ||
| April 3 | 2:49 PM EDT | EF0 | Laurens, SC | 0.7 | 75 | $20,000 | ||
| April 3 | 2:56 PM EDT | EF0 | Washington, GA | 0.4 | 150 | $10,000 | ||
| April 3 | 3:00 PM EDT | EF1 | Washington, GA | 7.5 | 300 | $75,000 | ||
| April 3 | 3:21 PM EDT | EF1 | Union, SC | 0.7 | 150 | 1 | $50,000 | |
| April 3 | 3:30 PM EDT | EF0 | Union, SC | 0.0 | 50 | |||
| April 3 | 4:08 PM EDT | EF0 | Aiken, SC | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| April 3 | 4:14 PM EDT | EF1 | Aiken, SC | 0.9 | 100 | |||
| April 3 | 4:43 PM EDT | EF0 | Hampton, SC | 0.3 | 240 | |||
| April 3 | 5:11 PM EDT | EF2 | Calhoun, SC | 6.7 | 600 |
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.