Tornadoes · United States · Georgia · 2017

EF1 tornado, I-75 At Exit 22, Georgia, January 22, 2017

Name: EF1 tornado, I-75 At Exit 22, Georgia, January 22, 2017
Start: 2017-01-22T12:00:00.000Z
End: 2017-01-22T12:04:00.000Z
Location: I-75 At Exit 22, Georgia

This EF1 tornado ran 4.8 miles across Lowndes County on January 22, 2017, touching down at 7:00 AM EST and reaching 400 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $250,000 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: January 22, 2017
Touchdown: 7:00 AM EST (12:00 UTC)
Lifted: 7:04 AM EST (12:04 UTC)
On the ground: 4 minutes
Path length: 4.8 miles (7.8 km)
Path width: 400 yards (366 m)
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $250,000
County: Lowndes County
Touchdown point: 30.890, -83.389
Lift-off point: 30.916, -83.313
Record number: 1701220600-01

The damage survey

18 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS TAE, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF2. The highest wind the damage implies is 130 mph.

Several snapped and uprooted.
one tree debarked, twisting of trees in all directions many trees snapped and uprooted
Entire home blown 90 ft into street

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 multi-day severe weather event struck the southeast January 21-22, 2017 with three rounds of severe weather moving through the area. The first round of severe weather started during the mid-morning hours on Saturday, January 21, 2017 as a squall line pushed into southeast Alabama and the Florida panhandle. As it pushed eastward nine warnings were issued with a total of 18 damaging wind reports (trees and power lines downed) related to these storms. ||After a brief lull during Saturday evening as the aforementioned squall line washed out near the Gulf Coast, strong southerly flow returned late Saturday night as a warm front pushed northward across the Florida Big Bend and southern Georgia. Initially with this late Saturday night to early Sunday morning event, a strong supercell moved across southern Georgia producing a tornado that moved across Thomas and northern Brooks Counties. This was the first tornado across the area with this multi- day event. From the same supercell that produced the tornado in Thomas and northern Brooks Counties, another tornado developed that tracked across Brooks, Berrien and Cook Counties and this tornado resulted in 11 fatalities. This overnight into early Sunday morning event produced one more tornado, an EF-1 that struck Lowndes County. ||A final round of severe weather moved through Sunday afternoon as a warm front continued to push northward into southeast Alabama and southern Georgia while the main low and trailing cold front pushed eastward across the Florida panhandle and offshore regions. This afternoon round of supercells first produced a tornado in Henry County, AL. An hour and a half after the Henry County tornado, two more tornadoes developed, an EF-2 that struck Clay, Randolph and Calhoun Counties (Georgia) and an EF-1 tornado that hit Franklin County, FL. After this, a long tracked tornado (track length of more than 70 miles) moved across Albany (Dougherty County) and into Worth and Turner Counties, causing extensive damage and five fatalities. ||Overall this multi-day event resulted in seven tornadoes, 16 deaths and numerous injuries. Three days of damage surveys were conducted to rate the tornadoes on the Enhanced Fujita scale.

The tornado initially touched down just east of the Withlacoochee River in Lowndes County and tracked toward Interstate 75. On the west side of the interstate, a few trees were snapped along Shiloh Road. Additionally, billboards along the interstate were also damaged. After crossing Interstate 75, the tornado impacted a subdivision on both the west and east side of North Coleman Road. Damage in this area was primarily limited to minor roof damage. Multiple homes had shingles removed. Additionally several large pines were snapped in the area as well. Damage in this area was consistent with lower end EF-1 damage. As the tornado approached US-41, a large barn was destroyed and several large trees were also uprooted. Several other large trees were uprooted just east of US-41 on Kilarney Circle. Damage in these areas was consistent with an EF-1 tornado with winds around 100 MPH. The tornado snapped a few more pine trees when passing Val Del Road before lifting about 1 mile east of the road. Damage cost was estimated.

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 Tallahassee, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Jan 22, 6:21 AM EST, 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 22, 6:21 AM EST, 39 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
621 AM EST Sun Jan 22 2017

.AVIATION [Through 12Z Monday]...

Scattered showers and storms will develop this morning ahead of a
cold front and potential squall line to move from west to east
across the area this afternoon. Low pressure will develop across
the northern Gulf coast, deepen rapidly, and move northeast
towards northern Georgia this evening. Low level wind fields will
strengthen today with windy conditions by the afternoon gusts to
35 knots possible. Severe weather is possible through the day with
large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes possible. Cold front
should clear the area by this evening with breezy conditions
continuing overnight.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION [334 AM EST]...

.NEAR TERM [Through Today]...

A brief lull in the showers and thunderstorms is expected in the
predawn hours as the current MCS shifts northeastward. Attention
turns back west towards the upper trough which will move across
the ARKLATEX into MS/AL by late today. This will induce surface
cyclogenesis across southern MS with a surface low deepening
rapidly and moving northeast. Large scale ascent will increase
with showers and storms increasing in coverage and intensity this
morning in the warm sector and also along the westward moving cold
front progged to enter western fL panhandle and SE AL by midday.
All modes of severe weather is possible until the cold front moves
through. SPC has atleast an enhanced risk of severe weather
across all Tri-State counties today with a MODERATE RISK for
severe weather across SW GA and FL Big Bend counties. Again, all
modes of severe weather is possible including a strong tornado or
two.

Severe threat will decrease from west to east later this
afternoon as the cold front moves through and mid level dry air
advects in.

The surface wind field strengthens today as the aforementioned
surface low pressure deepens. Although models differ on placement
on stronger winds today, most agree that wind advisory criteria
will be met across portions of the Tri-State region this
afternoon. Therefore, have issued a wind advisory for this
afternoon.

.SHORT TERM [Tonight Through Tuesday]...

Wrap around moisture from the upper trough itself will keep slight
chances of rainfall in the forecast through Monday morning.
Nothing severe, just light showers as this feature moves away from
the area. Monday afternoon through Tuesday are dry with high
pressure building in. Highs in the 60s with lows in the 40s to
lower 50s.

.LONG TERM [Tuesday Night Through Sunday]...

Tranquil weather is anticipated through Wednesday at which time
another cold front will swing through Wednesday night and
Thursday. Colder air will accompany this system with highs Friday
and into the weekend in the 50s with lows in the 30s and
approaching freezing across SE AL and SW GA.

.MARINE...

A gale warning has been hoisted for all coastal water zones
beginning this afternoon through midday monday. Conditions will
continue to deteriorate as winds increase in response to
developing low pressure across the southeast united states.
Conditions appear to improve beginning Tuesday.

.FIRE WEATHER...

Other than high dispersions later this afternoon, no fire weather
concerns.

.HYDROLOGY...

Another round of precipitation is expected today. 1-2 inches of
rainfall is possible with locally higher amounts before rainfall
generally ends this evening. Where areas received heavy rainfall
last night, rivers are responding with the Choctawhatchee River at
Newton forecasted to reach flood stage today. Other area rivers
will need to be watched today and tonight.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...

Tallahassee   74  52  65  42  67 /  90  30  10   0   0
Panama City   71  56  63  47  63 /  90  30  10   0   0
Dothan        72  50  61  41  65 /  90  30  10   0   0
Albany        73  51  63  41  65 /  90  30  20   0   0
Valdosta      74  51  64  42  65 /  90  30  10   0   0
Cross City    75  55  65  43  66 /  80  50  10   0   0
Apalachicola  72  56  65  47  64 /  90  40  10   0   0

&&

.TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

FL...Wind Advisory from noon EST /11 AM CST/ today to 6 PM EST /5 PM
     CST/ this evening for Calhoun-Central Walton-Coastal Bay-
     Coastal Dixie-Coastal Franklin-Coastal Gulf-Coastal
     Jefferson-Coastal Taylor-Coastal Wakulla-Gadsden-Holmes-
     Inland Bay-Inland Dixie-Inland Franklin-Inland Gulf-Inland
     Jefferson-Inland Taylor-Inland Wakulla-Jackson-Lafayette-
     Leon-Liberty-Madison-North Walton-South Walton-Washington.

     High Rip Current Risk through late Monday night for Coastal Bay-
     Coastal Franklin-Coastal Gulf-South Walton.

     High Surf Advisory until 1 AM EST /midnight CST/ Tuesday for
     Coastal Bay-Coastal Gulf-South Walton.

GA...Wind Advisory from noon today to 6 PM EST this evening for Baker-
     Ben Hill-Berrien-Brooks-Calhoun-Clay-Colquitt-Cook-Decatur-
     Dougherty-Early-Grady-Irwin-Lanier-Lee-Lowndes-Miller-
     Mitchell-Quitman-Randolph-Seminole-Terrell-Thomas-Tift-
     Turner-Worth.

AL...Wind Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 5 PM CST this afternoon
     for Coffee-Dale-Geneva-Henry-Houston.

GM...Small Craft Advisory until 1 PM EST this afternoon for Apalachee
     Bay or Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee
     River Fl out to 20 Nm-Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River
     to Apalachicola Fl out to 20 Nm-Coastal waters from
     Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 NM-Coastal waters
     from Apalachicola to Destin FL out 20 NM-Waters from
     Suwannee River to Apalachicola FL from 20 to 60 NM-Waters
     from Apalachicola to Destin FL from 20 to 60 NM.

     Gale Warning from 1 PM this afternoon to 1 PM EST Monday for
     Apalachee Bay or Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to
     Ochlockonee River Fl out to 20 Nm-Coastal Waters From
     Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola Fl out to 20 Nm-Coastal
     waters from Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 NM-
     Coastal waters from Apalachicola to Destin FL out 20 NM-
     Waters from Suwannee River to Apalachicola FL from 20 to 60
     NM-Waters from Apalachicola to Destin FL from 20 to 60 NM.

&&

NEAR TERM...Scholl
SHORT TERM...Scholl
LONG TERM...Scholl
AVIATION...Scholl
MARINE...Scholl
FIRE WEATHER...Scholl
HYDROLOGY...Scholl

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 22, 4:38 AM EST, 2 hours 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
438 AM EST SUN JAN 22 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0428 AM     TSTM WND DMG     SYLVESTER               31.53N 83.84W
01/22/2017                   WORTH              GA   911 CALL CENTER

            TREES DOWN NORTH HENDERSON STREET IN SYLVESTER

&&

DVD

Local storm report, Jan 22, 4:40 AM EST, 2 hours 20 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
440 AM EST SUN JAN 22 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0258 AM     TORNADO          5 NNE THOMASVILLE       30.91N 83.96W
01/22/2017                   THOMAS             GA   911 CALL CENTER

            DAMAGE REPORTED IN THOMAS COUNTY WITH DUAL-POL TDS.

0332 AM     TORNADO          1 NW BARNEY             31.02N 83.53W
01/22/2017                   BROOKS             GA   911 CALL CENTER

            DAMAGE REPORTED IN BROOKS COUNTY WITH DUAL-POL TDS

&&

DVD

Local storm report, Jan 22, 4:45 AM EST, 2 hours 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
445 AM EST SUN JAN 22 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0345 AM     TORNADO          5 SE ADEL               31.08N 83.37W
01/22/2017                   COOK               GA   BROADCAST MEDIA

            DAMAGE REPORTED ON CAULIE HARRIS ROAD WITH DUAL POL TDS
            SIGNATURE

&&

DVD

Local storm report, Jan 22, 5:31 AM EST, 1 hour 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
531 AM EST SUN JAN 22 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0350 AM     TORNADO          2 NW NEW LOIS           31.11N 83.29W
01/22/2017                   BERRIEN            GA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            DAMAGE ALONG OLD LOIS ROAD. LIKELY CONTINUATION OF
            TORNADO FROM COOK COUNTY

&&

DVD

Local storm report, Jan 22, 6:15 AM EST, 45 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
615 AM EST SUN JAN 22 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0613 AM     TSTM WND DMG     2 WSW HINSON            30.64N 84.44W
01/22/2017                   GADSDEN            FL   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            MULTIPLE TREES DOWN ON SALEM ROAD

&&

DVD

Local storm report, Jan 22, 6:22 AM EST, 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
622 AM EST SUN JAN 22 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0615 AM     TSTM WND DMG     CONCORD                 30.66N 84.37W
01/22/2017                   GADSDEN            FL   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            POWER LINES DOWN ON FAIRBANKS FERRY ROAD

&&

DVD

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

0.0 hours before the tornado, 107 km from the path. January 22, 2017.

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: 1298 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -2 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 2230 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 635 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 61 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 296 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 441 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 2.9
Supercell composite: 15.6
0-3 km lapse rate: 6.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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

12.0 hours after it, 107 km from the path. January 23, 2017.

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

Mixed-layer CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -84211 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1490 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 101 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -125 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -99 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0
0-3 km lapse rate: 6.2 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Valdosta Regional (VLD), 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.

This ground now

The live radar over the track Every 2017 tornado in Georgia Every tornado in Georgia since 1950 Warnings in force in Georgia now The forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of January 22, 2017

20 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
January 22	2:56 AM EST	EF2	Thomas, GA	18.7	700		3	$270,000
January 22	3:29 AM EST	EF3	Brooks, GA	24.7	700	11	45	$2.5 million
January 22	4:25 AM EST	EF1	Liberty, GA	0.6	250
January 22	4:47 AM EST	EF1	Coffee, GA	3.1	1,200
January 22	5:52 AM EST	EF1	Appling, GA	11.1	1,900
January 22	12:36 PM CST	EF0	Tuscaloosa, AL	0.3	200
January 22	1:02 PM CST	EF1	Henry, AL	5.5	100			$100,000
January 22	1:06 PM CST	EF1	Bullock, AL	2.0	320
January 22	2:38 PM EST	EF2	Clay, GA	12.0	400		1	$650,000
January 22	1:46 PM CST	EF0	Lee, AL	4.8	200
January 22	2:50 PM EST	EF1	Franklin, FL	2.4	350
January 22	2:00 PM CST	EF1	Lee, AL	3.1	540
January 22	3:15 PM EST	EF3	Dougherty, GA	70.4	2,200	5	88	$310 million
January 22	3:52 PM EST	EF1	Crisp, GA	6.9	300			$20,000
January 22	4:00 PM EST	EF1	Crisp, GA	0.3	900			$10,000
January 22	4:15 PM EST	EF1	Bleckley, GA	2.2	100			$20,000
January 22	4:22 PM EST	EF0	Bleckley, GA	0.6	50			$10,000
January 22	4:47 PM EST	EF1	Atkinson, GA	3.1	1,200
January 22	6:26 PM EST	EF1	Camden, GA	16.6	120
January 22	6:29 PM EST	EF1	Camden, GA	1.6	120

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.