Tornadoes · United States · Georgia · 2021
EF1 tornado, Kolomoki Mounds State Park to Whitehouse, Georgia, June 19, 2021
From Kolomoki Mounds State Park to Whitehouse, this EF1 tornado ran 29.0 miles across Early, Clay and Randolph counties on June 19, 2021, touching down at 1:31 PM EDT and reaching 400 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $3,000 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
- June 19, 2021
- Touchdown
- 1:31 PM EDT (17:31 UTC)
- Lifted
- 2:44 PM EDT (18:44 UTC)
- On the ground
- 73 minutes
- Path length
- 29.0 miles (46.7 km)
- Path width
- 400 yards (366 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $3,000
- Counties
- Early, Clay and Randolph counties
- Touchdown point
- 31.430, -84.980
- Lift-off point
- 31.827, -84.822
- Record number
- 2106191131-01
The damage survey
12 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS TAE, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 100 mph.
- Tornado crossed US-84 at this location.
- Pump house destroyed/debris blown away
- Trees uprooted/damaged in mainly inaccessible areas near Zetto.
- Report of tornado crossing GA-266
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
Tropical Storm Claudette passed west of the tri-state area. However, some squalls associated with it resulted in a few trees being blown down. One supercell developed in rural southwest Georgia and produced a long track tornado. Fortunately, minimal damage occurred due to the rural area it affected.
A tornado touched down west of Blakely, GA and traversed mainly rural terrain across Early, Clay, and Randolph Counties. The tornado was observed at multiple locations by trained spotters and the public throughout its path. The storm snapped or uprooted numerous pine trees northwest of Blakely. Tree damage continued into Clay County but didn't affect any major roadways. The tornado crossed GA-266 near Coleman in Randolph County. Minor structural damage was noted to a few residences and pump houses near US-82 and Reid Station Road west of Cuthbert. Numerous trees were snapped in this area, some blocking US-82. Some further tree damage was reported north of the highway before the tornado lifted.
A tornado touched down west of Blakely, GA and traversed mainly rural terrain across Early, Clay, and Randolph Counties. The tornado was observed at multiple locations by trained spotters and the public throughout its path. The storm snapped or uprooted numerous pine trees northwest of Blakely. Tree damage continued into Clay County but didn't affect any major roadways. The tornado crossed GA-266 near Coleman in Randolph County. Minor structural damage was noted to a few residences and pump houses near US-82 and Reid Station Road west of Cuthbert. Numerous trees were snapped in this area, some blocking US-82. Some further tree damage was reported north of the highway before the tornado lifted.
A tornado touched down west of Blakely, GA and traversed mainly rural terrain across Early, Clay, and Randolph Counties. The tornado was observed at multiple locations by trained spotters and the public throughout its path. The storm snapped or uprooted numerous pine trees northwest of Blakely. Tree damage continued into Clay County but didn't affect any major roadways. The tornado crossed GA-266 near Coleman in Randolph County. Minor structural damage was noted to a few residences and pump houses near US-82 and Reid Station Road west of Cuthbert. Numerous trees were snapped in this area, some blocking US-82. Some further tree damage was reported north of the highway before the tornado lifted.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
24 minutes of warning. NWS TAE issued a tornado warning for this county at 17:07 UTC, 24 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 17:50 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 14:34 UTC and running to 00:00 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06:00 UTC | 18:17 UTC | Flash Flood Watch | TAE |
| 14:34 UTC | 00:00 UTC | Tornado Watch | TAE |
| 16:47 UTC | 17:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | TAE |
| 17:07 UTC | 17:50 UTC | Tornado Warning | TAE |
| 00:02 UTC | 13:00 UTC | Tornado Watch | TAE |
| 01:03 UTC | 01:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE |
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 Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 16:31 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
5.5 hours before the tornado, 148 km from the path. June 19, 2021.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1367 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -13 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 673 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 747 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 24 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 23 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 147 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 315 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 3.7
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.9 K/km
Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), 00:00Z
6.5 hours after it, 148 km from the path. June 20, 2021.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1506 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -6 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 2792 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 764 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 26 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 35 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 152 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 223 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.9
- Supercell composite
- 7.3
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.1 K/km
The surface observations
Blakely (BIJ), 26 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15:35 UTC | 75.2 | 71.6 | 110° 5 kt | 1016.9 | RA | |
| 15:55 UTC | 75.2 | 71.6 | 110° 4 kt | 1016.6 | -DZ | |
| 16:15 UTC | 75.2 | 71.6 | 0° 0 kt | 1016.6 | RA | |
| 16:35 UTC | 75.2 | 73.4 | 90° 3 kt | 1016.3 | -RA | |
| 16:55 UTC | 77 | 73.4 | 100° 4 kt | 1016.3 | ||
| 17:15 UTC | 77 | 73.4 | 70° 6 kt | 1015.9 | RA | |
| 17:35 UTC | 77 | 73.4 | 90° 7 kt | 1015.6 | TS | |
| 17:55 UTC | 77 | 73.4 | 110° 3 kt | 1015.6 | ||
| 18:15 UTC | 77 | 73.4 | 80° 3 kt | 1014.9 | RA | |
| 18:35 UTC | 77 | 73.4 | 90° 5 kt | 1014.6 | -VCTSRA | |
| 18:55 UTC | 78.8 | 77 | 0° 0 kt | 1013.9 | ||
| 19:15 UTC | 80.6 | 77 | 0° 0 kt | 1013.9 |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Ft Rucker radar (KEOX), 56 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 17:33 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17:33 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Sw Kolomoki Mounds Sp | Early, GA | DAMAGE TO HOUSES REPORTED NEAR WHITE CHANDLER RD. |
| 17:35 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Wsw Kolomoki Mounds S | Early, GA | DAMAGE REPORTED TO A BARN PUMP NEAR SAWYER RD. |
| 17:56 UTC | TORNADO | 3 W Harrisons Mill | Clay, GA | SPOTTER CONFIRMED TORNADO. |
| 18:40 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Sse Peterson Hill | Randolph, GA | TREES DOWN ALONG HWY 82 THAT COINCIDE WITH OBSERVED TDS. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2021 tornado in GeorgiaEvery tornado in Georgia since 1950Warnings in force in Georgia nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of June 19, 2021
11 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 19 | 2:31 AM CDT | EF0 | Harrison, MS | 1.2 | 75 | $50,000 | ||
| June 19 | 3:16 AM CDT | EF0 | Mobile, AL | 0.1 | 25 | 1 | ||
| June 19 | 5:08 AM CDT | EF0 | Jackson, MS | 0.5 | 25 | $15,000 | ||
| June 19 | 5:35 AM CDT | EF1 | Jackson, MS | 0.8 | 50 | $5,000 | ||
| June 19 | 7:31 AM CDT | EF2 | Escambia, AL | 22.0 | 650 | 20 | $3.2 million | |
| June 19 | 1:12 PM CDT | EF0 | Covington, AL | 0.6 | 25 | |||
| June 19 | 2:05 PM MDT | EF0 | Adams, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| June 19 | 2:17 PM MDT | EF0 | Adams, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| June 19 | 2:26 PM MDT | EF0 | Adams, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| June 19 | 2:34 PM MDT | EF0 | Adams, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| June 19 | 2:43 PM MDT | EF0 | Morgan, CO | 0.0 | 25 |
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.