Tornadoes · United States · Georgia · 2020
EF0 tornado, Lindsey to Chalker, Georgia, April 13, 2020
From Lindsey to Chalker, this EF0 tornado ran 1.0 miles across Washington County on April 13, 2020, touching down at 4:12 AM EDT and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $50,000 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
- April 13, 2020
- Touchdown
- 4:12 AM EDT (08:12 UTC)
- Lifted
- 4:14 AM EDT (08:14 UTC)
- On the ground
- 2 minutes
- Path length
- 1.0 miles (1.6 km)
- Path width
- 100 yards (91 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $50,000
- County
- Washington County
- Touchdown point
- 33.199, -82.783
- Lift-off point
- 33.207, -82.768
- Record number
- 2004130212-01
What the Weather Service recorded
A powerful Spring storm system resulted in a Severe Weather / Tornado outbreak across much of the Southeast region, including north and central Georgia, beginning on Easter Sunday (April 12th) and lingering into the morning hours of April 13th. From the Storm Prediction Center (Day 1) convective outlook, just about the entire area was under an ENHANCED risk for severe weather with a MODERATE risk extending from the ArkLaMiss into western Georgia.||In addition, enhanced rainfall occurred over far north Georgia and in portions of central Georgia, with rainfall amounts ranging from 3 to 8 inches through the event. Significant flooding was in portions of the area with numerous reports of washouts and several reports of rescues.
This tornado was part of a dual circulation separated by only 5 miles. This was the southern most of those circulations and produced EF1 damage almost exclusively with|winds of 90 mph. This produced mainly tree damage in the form of uprooted softwoods and hardwoods. [04/13/20: Tornado #19, County #1/1, EF-1, Washington, 2020:025].
This tornado was the northern most part of a dual circulation separated by only 5 miles. Although it was a very short path of approximately one mile, this tornado was able to snap hundreds of mainly softwood type trees with the most extensive damage crossing Hamburg State Park Rd. [04/13/20: Tornado #20, County #1/1, EF-1, Washington, 2020:026].
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
9 minutes of warning. NWS FFC issued a tornado warning for this county at 08:03 UTC, 9 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 08:30 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 07:21 UTC and running to 09:39 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22:00 UTC | 14:00 UTC | Wind Advisory | FFC |
| 07:21 UTC | 09:39 UTC | Tornado Watch | FFC |
| 07:35 UTC | 08:15 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC |
| 08:03 UTC | 08:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | FFC |
| 08:05 UTC | 08:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | FFC |
| 08:09 UTC | 08:19 UTC | Tornado Warning | FFC |
| 08:10 UTC | 08:54 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC |
| 08:23 UTC | 08:31 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 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), 00:00Z
8.2 hours before the tornado, 161 km from the path. April 13, 2020.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 404 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -107 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 710 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 804 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 70 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 50 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 733 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 874 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.3
- Supercell composite
- 10.8
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.9 K/km
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), 12:00Z
3.8 hours after it, 161 km from the path. April 13, 2020.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -7869 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1650 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 78 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 57 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -220 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -124 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.1 K/km
The surface observations
Sandersville (OKZ), 27 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:15 UTC | 74.5 | 69.4 | 160° 12 kt | 21 | 1006.8 | |
| 06:35 UTC | 74.5 | 69.4 | 180° 11 kt | 17 | 1007.1 | VCTS |
| 06:55 UTC | 74.7 | 69.3 | 160° 11 kt | 18 | 1006.8 | TS |
| 07:15 UTC | 74.3 | 69.3 | 160° 8 kt | 1006.4 | -VCTSRA | |
| 07:35 UTC | 74.7 | 69 | 160° 13 kt | 23 | 1005.8 | TS |
| 07:55 UTC | 73 | 69.3 | 180° 13 kt | 20 | 1005.8 | VCTSRA BR |
| 08:15 UTC | 65 | 62.8 | 30° 5 kt | 43 | 1006.4 | +TSRA BR |
| 08:35 UTC | 64.8 | 62.4 | 230° 10 kt | 22 | 1007.5 | VCTSRA BR |
| 08:55 UTC | 64.2 | 62.8 | 190° 8 kt | 1008.1 | RA BR | |
| 09:15 UTC | 64 | 62.8 | 180° 7 kt | 1007.5 | VCTSRA | |
| 09:35 UTC | 63.3 | 61.7 | 170° 7 kt | 1006.8 | VCTSRA BR | |
| 09:55 UTC | 63 | 62 | 200° 7 kt | 1008.1 | -RA |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Robins AFB radar (KJGX), 80 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 08:11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07:21 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Ssw Eatonton | Putnam, GA | MULTIPLE TREES REPORTED DOWN ALONG OLD GLENWOOD SPRINGS RD. |
| 07:24 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Sse Rock Eagle 4-H Ce | Putnam, GA | *** 1 INJ *** AN EF1 TORNADO WITH MAXIMUM ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS OF 105 MPH TOUCHED DOWN IN THE OCONNE NATIONAL FOREST WEST OF EATONTON NEAR HWY 16. THE TORNADO TRACKED ENE, JUST NORTH OF THE EATONTON CITY LIMITS. THE TOR |
| 07:29 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 N Reynolds Plantation | Greene, GA | TREES DOWN ON MULTIPLE HOMES ALONG ROSE CREEK ROAD IN REYNOLDS PLANTATION SUBDIVISION. |
| 07:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 N Reynolds Plantation | Greene, GA | TREES DOWN ON MULTIPLE HOMES ALONG ROSE CREEK. |
| 07:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 N Reynolds Plantation | Greene, GA | TREES DOWN AND HOMES DAMAGED ALL ALONG CHEROKEE DRIVE IN THE CHEROKEE POINTE SUBDIVISION. |
| 07:38 UTC | TORNADO | 3 N Reynolds Plantation | Greene, GA | AN EF1 TORNADO WITH ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS SPEEDS OF 105 MPH TOUCHED DOWN IN SOUTHWESTERN GREENE COUNTY, WEST OF LAKE OCONEE. THE TORNADO APPROACHED THE LAKE NEAR THE CREEK CLUB REYNOLDS PLANTATION SUBDIVISION WHERE IT INT |
| 07:48 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Ese Veazey | Greene, GA | TREE DOWN AT THE INTERSECTION OF WHITE PLAINS RD AND SYRUP MILL CROSSING |
| 08:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 W Dearing | Mcduffie, GA | CALL CENTER REPORTED A FEW TREES DOWN IN THE AREA OF WIRE ROAD AND AUGUSTA ROAD. |
| 08:01 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Ssw Oconee | Washington, GA | THIS TORNADO BEGAN AT THE WILKINSON/WASHINGTON COUNTY LINE AND MOVED EAST FOR JUST OVER A MILE AND A HALF. THE TORNADO MAINLY CAUSED TREE DAMAGE BEFORE QUICKLY LIFTING AROUND HIGHWAY 272 SOUTH OF OCONEE. |
| 08:05 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Nw Warthen | Washington, GA | THIS TORNADO PRODUCED EF1 DAMAGE WITH WINDS ESTIMATED AROUND 90 MPH. THE TORNADO UPROOTED MULTIPLE TREES BOTH HARDWOODS AND SOFTWOODS. |
| 08:12 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wsw Cadley | Warren, GA | TREE DOWN ON THE 5000 BLOCK OF E CADLEY RD |
| 08:12 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 W Warrenton | Warren, GA | POWER LINES DOWN AT THE INTERSECTION OF W ELAM CHURCH RD AND JACK RAY RD |
| 08:12 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Sse Hamburg State Par | Washington, GA | THIS TORNADO WAS AN EF1 WITH 100MPH WINDS. THE TORNADO SNAPPED HUNDREDS OF MAINLY SOFTWOOD TREES WITH THE MOST EXTENSIVE DAMAGE CROSSING HAMBURG STATE PARK RD. |
| 08:14 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Nne Cadley | Warren, GA | TREE DOWN AT THE INTERSECTION OF HWY 80 AND INDIAN HILL RD |
| 08:18 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Ne Harrison | Washington, GA | THIS IS AN EF1 TORNADO THAT PRODUCED 95 TO 100MPH WINDS ALONG THE MAJORITY OF IT'S PATH. DOZENS OF HOMES WERE DAMAGED WITH A FEW DESTROYED BY FALLING TREES. THE TORNADO PICKED UP TWO VEHICLES ALONG HJ LANE AND DISPLACED |
| 08:20 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 S Avera | Jefferson, GA | TREE DOWN ON CLARKS MILL ROAD BETWEEN AVERA AND HIGHWAY 540 WEST. |
| 08:26 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Wsw Dearing | Mcduffie, GA | TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN REPORTED ALONG HOBBS MILL RD. TIME ESTMD BY RADAR. |
| 08:26 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Ssw Thomson | Mcduffie, GA | TREE IN ROADWAY ON WIRE ROAD AT MT. PLEASANT RD. TIME ESTMD BY RADAR. |
| 08:29 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Nw Bartow | Jefferson, GA | THIS WAS AN EF1 TORNADO THAT PRODUCED 95 TO 100 MPH WINDS ALONG THE MAJORITY OF ITS PATH. THE TORNADO MOVED IN FROM SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON COUNTY AND LIFTED SHORTLY AFTER IT CROSSED THE COUNTY LINE INTO JEFFERSON COUNTY. B |
| 08:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 W Dearing | Mcduffie, GA | CALL CENTER REPORTED A FEW TREES DOWN IN THE AREA OF WIRE ROAD AND AUGUSTA ROAD. |
| 08:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Bartow | Jefferson, GA | MULTIPLE TREES DOWN NEAR THE CITY OF BARTOW. |
| 08:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Ene Blythe | Richmond, GA | COUNTY DISPATCH REPORTED NUMEROUS TREES DOWN OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE COUNTY. |
| 08:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 8 Ne Thomson | Mcduffie, GA | COUNTY DISPATCH REPORTED NUMEROUS TREES DOWN OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE COUNTY. |
| 08:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Louisville | Jefferson, GA | MULTIPLE TREES DOWN NEAR THE CITY OF LOUISVILLE. |
| 08:48 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 8 Se Keysville | Burke, GA | TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED A DESTROYED SALON ON COURSEY RD. |
| 08:53 UTC | TORNADO | 6 Nne Vidette | Burke, GA | A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NORTHEAST OF VIDETTE IN BURKE COUNTY, GA NEAR HIGHWAY 80. THE TORNADO CONTINUED IN A GENERAL NORTHEASTERN DIRECTION, CROSSING QUAKER ROAD, US 25, AND DISSIPATED NEAR HIGHWAY 56 AND COLLINS ROAD. TH |
| 11:37 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Nnw Milledgeville | Baldwin, GA | STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO A HOUSE ON W MITCHELL ST BETWEEN N WILKINSON ST AND N WAYNE ST. |
| 11:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Nw Milledgeville | Baldwin, GA | NUMEROUS TREES REPORTED DOWN IN AND AROUND MILLEDGEVILLE, GA |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2020 tornado in GeorgiaEvery tornado in Georgia since 1950Warnings in force in Georgia nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of April 13, 2020
67 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 13 | 2:08 AM EDT | EF0 | Talbot, GA | 2.9 | 100 | $25,000 | ||
| April 13 | 2:19 AM EDT | EF3 | Upson, GA | 16.6 | 1,200 | $305,000 | ||
| April 13 | 2:36 AM EDT | EF0 | Fulton, GA | 2.8 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| April 13 | 2:40 AM EDT | EF3 | Monroe, GA | 5.3 | 300 | 1 | $10 million | |
| April 13 | 2:49 AM EDT | EF1 | Banks, GA | 14.3 | 200 | $130,000 | ||
| April 13 | 3:00 AM EDT | EF1 | Bibb, GA | 3.7 | 300 | $250,000 | ||
| April 13 | 3:07 AM EDT | EF1 | Stephens, GA | 8.7 | 500 | $20,000 | ||
| April 13 | 3:18 AM EDT | EF1 | Oconee, SC | 4.0 | 400 | |||
| April 13 | 3:18 AM EDT | EF1 | Putnam, GA | 12.9 | 300 | $100,000 | ||
| April 13 | 3:21 AM EDT | EF3 | Seneca tornado, SC | 16.7 | 1,000 | 1 | 5 | $100 million |
| April 13 | 3:38 AM EDT | EF1 | Greene, GA | 6.4 | 350 | $500,000 | ||
| April 13 | 3:41 AM EDT | EF2 | Pickens, SC | 8.0 | 200 | 8 | $300,000 | |
| April 13 | 3:44 AM EDT | EF0 | Pickens, SC | 7.4 | 70 | |||
| April 13 | 4:01 AM EDT | EF0 | Greenville, SC | 0.7 | 30 | $20,000 | ||
| April 13 | 4:01 AM EDT | EF0 | Washington, GA | 1.7 | 50 | $20,000 | ||
| April 13 | 4:05 AM EDT | EF0 | Washington, GA | 3.1 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| April 13 | 4:18 AM EDT | EF1 | Washington, GA | 14.2 | 220 | $270,000 | ||
| April 13 | 4:53 AM EDT | EF2 | Burke, GA | 16.5 | 700 | |||
| April 13 | 5:21 AM EDT | EF3 | Barnwell, SC | 37.9 | 800 | |||
| April 13 | 5:33 AM EDT | EF3 | Barnwell, SC | 8.5 | 50 | |||
| April 13 | 5:36 AM EDT | EF1 | Tift, GA | 3.6 | 100 | $200,000 | ||
| April 13 | 5:43 AM EDT | EF3 | Barnwell, SC | 35.7 | 770 | 2 | 7 | |
| April 13 | 5:49 AM EDT | EF3 | Barnwell, SC | 1.4 | 40 | |||
| April 13 | 5:50 AM EDT | EF3 | Barnwell, SC | 5.4 | 800 | |||
| April 13 | 5:53 AM EDT | EF1 | Richland, SC | 4.9 | 80 | |||
| April 13 | 4:58 AM CDT | EF1 | Screven, GA to SC | 5.9 | 200 | |||
| April 13 | 6:01 AM EDT | EF1 | Irwin, GA | 1.9 | 50 | |||
| April 13 | 6:04 AM EDT | EF0 | Allendale, SC | 5.8 | 300 | |||
| April 13 | 6:10 AM EDT | EF4 | Hampton County tornado, SC | 23.7 | 1,300 | 5 | 60 | |
| April 13 | 6:25 AM EDT | EF2 | Orangeburg, SC | 10.2 | 700 | |||
| April 13 | 6:32 AM EDT | EF1 | Alamance, NC | 4.5 | 440 | $500,000 | ||
| April 13 | 6:34 AM EDT | EF2 | Anson, NC | 0.2 | 75 | $600,000 | ||
| April 13 | 6:39 AM EDT | EF0 | Coffee, GA | 1.2 | 125 | |||
| April 13 | 6:39 AM EDT | EF1 | Colleton, SC | 1.4 | 50 | |||
| April 13 | 6:45 AM EDT | EF1 | Anson, NC | 8.8 | 200 | $3.0 million | ||
| April 13 | 6:46 AM EDT | EF1 | Colleton, SC | 3.1 | 100 | |||
| April 13 | 6:47 AM EDT | EF1 | Colleton, SC | 17.3 | 500 | |||
| April 13 | 7:10 AM EDT | EF1 | Dorchester, SC | 2.3 | 150 | |||
| April 13 | 7:25 AM EDT | EF1 | Wayne, GA | 4.8 | 440 | 8 | ||
| April 13 | 7:37 AM EDT | EF1 | Long, GA | 3.2 | 500 | |||
| April 13 | 7:38 AM EDT | EF3 | Berkeley, SC | 5.7 | 400 | 6 | ||
| April 13 | 7:47 AM EDT | EF0 | Long, GA | 0.4 | 100 | |||
| April 13 | 7:51 AM EDT | EF0 | Berkeley, SC | 0.9 | 200 | |||
| April 13 | 8:00 AM EDT | EF1 | Berkeley, SC | 2.5 | 400 | |||
| April 13 | 8:10 AM EDT | EF1 | Columbus, NC | 0.6 | 100 | $100,000 | ||
| April 13 | 8:11 AM EDT | EF1 | Liberty, GA | 8.9 | 250 | |||
| April 13 | 8:13 AM EDT | EF1 | Georgetown, SC | 4.8 | 40 | $100,000 | ||
| April 13 | 8:15 AM EDT | EF1 | Georgetown, SC | 11.0 | 50 | $75,000 | ||
| April 13 | 8:15 AM EDT | EF2 | Colleton, SC | 1.2 | 140 | |||
| April 13 | 8:28 AM EDT | EF1 | Charleston, SC | 1.3 | 120 | |||
| April 13 | 8:33 AM EDT | EF1 | Charleston, SC | 0.3 | 60 | |||
| April 13 | 8:36 AM EDT | EF2 | Georgetown, SC | 4.6 | 50 | $20,000 | ||
| April 13 | 9:09 AM EDT | EF1 | Pender, NC | 7.8 | 50 | $150,000 | ||
| April 13 | 9:13 AM EDT | EF1 | Pender, NC | 2.8 | 50 | $100,000 | ||
| April 13 | 9:19 AM EDT | EF1 | Pender, NC | 2.8 | 30 | $25,000 | ||
| April 13 | 9:24 AM EDT | EF0 | Pender, NC | 1.5 | 30 | $2,000 | ||
| April 13 | 9:32 AM EDT | EF0 | Brunswick, NC | 0.1 | 15 | $8,000 | ||
| April 13 | 9:36 AM EDT | EF0 | Brunswick, NC | 0.4 | 15 | $15,000 | ||
| April 13 | 9:36 AM EDT | EF1 | Onslow, NC | 5.5 | 640 | |||
| April 13 | 10:01 AM EDT | EF0 | Jones, NC | 0.7 | 75 |
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.