Tornadoes · United States · Georgia · 2017

EF0 tornado, Doles, Georgia, April 3, 2017

This EF0 tornado ran 0.0 miles across Worth County on April 3, 2017, touching down at 2:10 PM EDT and reaching 10 yards wide. It killed nobody.

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.

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. 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.

  7. 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
April 3, 2017
Touchdown
2:10 PM EDT (18:10 UTC)
Path length
0.0 miles (0.0 km)
Path width
10 yards (9 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Worth County
Touchdown point
31.720, -83.900
Lift-off point
31.720, -83.900
Record number
1704031210-01

What the Weather Service recorded

Severe weather during the first week of April resulted in a couple of tornadoes and several reports of hail and straight line wind damage across the tri-state area.

Video relayed by WALB-TV showed a weak tornado over farmland near Doles. No damage was reported.

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

The warnings

No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 14:51 UTC and running to 20:17 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
14:00 UTC18:48 UTCWind AdvisoryTAE
14:51 UTC20:17 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchTAE
17:22 UTC18:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAE
17:54 UTC19:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAE

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.

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), 12:00Z

6.2 hours before the tornado, 152 km from the path. April 3, 2017.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Tallahassee Rgnl, FL at 12:00Z on 2017-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1400 joules per kilogram, CIN -14, lifted condensation level 580 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
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.
HodographHodograph, Tallahassee Rgnl, FL at 12:00Z on 2017-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 136 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 41 knots.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
1400 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Surface CAPE
895 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
580 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
136 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
248 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.5
Supercell composite
9.3
0-3 km lapse rate
6.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Robins AFB radar (KJGX), 118 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 18:09 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)ReportWhereCountyRemark
17:17 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Wnw Northside HomesSumter, GATREE DOWN ON A HOUSE REPORTED ON MALLON ROAD
17:35 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Nw AlbanyDougherty, GATWO LARGE PINES DOWN.
17:36 UTCTSTM WND DMGBacontonMitchell, GAREPORTS OF TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN IN BACONTON
17:42 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 N AlbanyDougherty, GAPOWER POLE DOWN ON CAR ON NORTH HARDING ST.
17:42 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 N AlbanyDougherty, GAWIND DAMAGE TO ROOF OF BUILDING OFF OF TEMPLE AVENUE
17:42 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 N AlbanyDougherty, GATREE DOWN AT 1206 WHISPERING PINES ROAD
17:42 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Nnw AlbanyDougherty, GATREE DOWN ON 12TH AVENUE
17:42 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Sse OaklandLee, GATREE DOWN ON HOUSE OFF OF STUART
17:42 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Nnw AlbanyDougherty, GATREE DOWN ON A HOUSE ON DONCASTER DRIVE
17:42 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Nnw AlbanyDougherty, GATREE DOWN ON HOME ON DONCASTER
17:42 UTCTSTM WND DMGAlbanyDougherty, GASHED FLIPPED OVER IN ALBANY
17:48 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Se GillionvilleDougherty, GABOAT FLIPPED AT MARINE DEALER ON RADIUM SPRINGS ROAD.
17:52 UTCTSTM WND DMGPutneyDougherty, GATREES DOWN IN PUTNEY
18:00 UTCTSTM WND DMGWnw LesterMitchell, GATREE DOWN ON FRAZIER ROAD
18:05 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Ne East DoughertyWorth, GATREES DOWN IN THE WOODCREST AREA
18:05 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Nne East DoughertyWorth, GATREES DOWN ALONG MOSSY OAKS ROAD
18:06 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Wsw CordeleCrisp, GATREES REPORTED DOWN NEAR THE HIGHWAY 300/30 CONNECTOR
18:06 UTCTSTM WND DMGSylvesterWorth, GAREPORTS OF POWER LINES AND TREES DOWN ACROSS WORTH COUNTY. REPORTS OF TREES DOWN ON HOMES.
18:08 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 W Sylvester AirportWorth, GATREES DOWN ALONG FINDLEY ROAD
18:08 UTCTSTM WND DMG5 Wnw Sylvester AirportWorth, GATREES DOWN ALONG OLD SR50
18:09 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Wsw CordeleCrisp, GATREES WERE REPORTED DOWN AT HIGHWAY 300 AND THE 300 CONNECTOR.
18:10 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Wnw Sylvester AirportWorth, GATREES DOWN IN THE SILVER LAKE CIRCLE AREA
18:10 UTCTORNADO2 Nnw DolesWorth, GAVIDEO RELAYED BY WALB SHOWS WEAK TORNADO OVER FARMLAND NEAR DOLES. NO DAMAGE REPORTED.
18:15 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Sse CuffietownWorth, GATREES DOWN ON HIGHWAY 33N
18:15 UTCTSTM WND DMGGordyWorth, GATREES DOWN IN THE GORDY AREA
18:15 UTCTSTM WND DMGHobbyTurner, GAREPORTS OF NUMEROUS TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN IN TURNER COUNTY

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.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 34:02 AM CDTEF1Saint Tammany Parish, LA2.575
April 34:12 AM CDTEF1Saint Tammany Parish, LA7.3100
April 38:54 AM CDTEF0Crenshaw, AL0.125$2,000
April 310:58 AM EDTEF1Carroll, GA2.4300$50,000
April 311:28 AM EDTEF1Fulton, GA4.1150$100,000
April 311:42 AM EDTEF1Muscogee, GA3.3175$100,000
April 312:10 PM EDTEF0Stewart, GA1.6150$100,000
April 312:16 PM EDTEF0Stewart, GA1.4100$20,000
April 312:17 PM EDTEF1Lumpkin, GA4.6350$75,000
April 312:18 PM EDTEF0Talbot, GA2.275$25,000
April 312:26 PM EDTEF1Talbot, GA3.6200$50,000
April 312:29 PM EDTEF0Webster, GA3.9150$15,000
April 312:35 PM EDTEF0Spalding, GA0.6150$50,000
April 312:36 PM EDTEF0Upson, GA1.775$30,000
April 312:44 PM EDTEF1Upson, GA6.7150$20,000
April 312:46 PM EDTEF1Schley, GA5.5200$500,000
April 312:52 PM EDTEF0Henry, GA1.8250$50,000
April 31:06 PM EDTEF1Monroe, GA8.1300$300,000
April 31:30 PM EDTEF1Peach, GA9.2600$175,000
April 31:40 PM EDTEF0Jones, GA2.9100$50,000
April 31:51 PM EDTEF0Pickens, SC0.140
April 31:56 PM EDTEF1Twiggs, GA5.8440$30,000
April 32:03 PM EDTEF2Wilkinson, GA3.3200$100,000
April 32:06 PM EDTEF1Twiggs, GA7.9350$170,000
April 32:13 PM EDTEF0Greenville, SC2.850$50,000
April 32:16 PM EDTEF0Wilkinson, GA4.190$25,000
April 32:21 PM EDTEF0Hancock, GA3.3200$20,000
April 32:26 PM EDTEF0Wilkinson, GA6.6150$30,000
April 32:28 PM EDTEF0Wilkinson, GA0.2100$30,000
April 32:36 PM EDTEF1Washington, GA5.7250$30,000
April 32:49 PM EDTEF0Laurens, SC0.775$20,000
April 32:56 PM EDTEF0Washington, GA0.4150$10,000
April 33:00 PM EDTEF1Washington, GA7.5300$75,000
April 33:21 PM EDTEF1Union, SC0.71501$50,000
April 33:30 PM EDTEF0Union, SC0.050
April 34:08 PM EDTEF0Aiken, SC0.125
April 34:14 PM EDTEF1Aiken, SC0.9100
April 34:43 PM EDTEF0Hampton, SC0.3240
April 35:11 PM EDTEF2Calhoun, SC6.7600

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.