Tornadoes · United States · Georgia · 2025
EF0 tornado, Plowshare to Clem, Georgia, March 31, 2025
From Plowshare to Clem, this EF0 tornado ran 5.3 miles across Carroll County on March 31, 2025, touching down at 12:10 PM EDT and reaching 300 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.
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
- March 31, 2025
- Touchdown
- 12:10 PM EDT (16:10 UTC)
- Lifted
- 12:16 PM EDT (16:16 UTC)
- On the ground
- 6 minutes
- Path length
- 5.3 miles (8.5 km)
- Path width
- 300 yards (274 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Carroll County
- Touchdown point
- 33.516, -85.085
- Lift-off point
- 33.528, -84.995
- Record number
- 2503311010-01
The damage survey
10 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS FFC, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF0. The highest wind the damage implies is 75 mph.
- Multiple trees down (some on homes) along Cypress Circle.
- Large branch down on a house.
- Large tree down across 2 mobile homes.
- Inflow winds from RFD caused this damage.
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 cold-front initiated a line of thunderstorms across north and central GA through the afternoon hours of the 31st. Storms brought damaging winds along the I20 corridor and south as well as six quick spin-up tornadoes. The strongest being an EF1 between McDonough and Stockbridge crossing Hwy 75. There were also a couple reports of quarter size hail southeast of Macon.
The tornado touched down just west of Hwy 27 South near Oak Grove Road and|tracked east-northeast bringing down trees along a path to just|east of Clem. Specific damage, mainly trees down (some on homes)|occurred along Whooping Creek Road, Whooping Creek Church Road,|Laurel Lane and Cypress Circle. Note, like the other tornadoes from|this event around the area, this tornado was likely not on the|ground the entire time with strongest winds occurring on the|south and east side of the circulation as the storm moved across|the area. Other damage was noted around the southern part of the|county where 50 to 60 mph winds in broader area occurred in|association with the line of severe storms.
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 14:14 UTC and running to 17:00 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14:14 UTC | 17:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | FFC |
| 16:03 UTC | 16:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm 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 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 12:38 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
4.2 hours before the tornado, 53 km from the path. March 31, 2025.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 511 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -43 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 611 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 542 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 28 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 168 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 113 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.4
- Supercell composite
- 4.4
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.3 K/km
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), 00:00Z
7.8 hours after it, 53 km from the path. April 1, 2025.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 154 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -34 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 978 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 851 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 73 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 28 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 106 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 57 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 2.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.1 K/km
The surface observations
Carrollton (CTJ), 16 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14:15 UTC | 65.7 | 64.4 | 190° 4 kt | 1012.9 | ||
| 14:35 UTC | 66.4 | 64.6 | 200° 5 kt | 1012.9 | ||
| 14:55 UTC | 67 | 64.6 | 190° 6 kt | 1012.5 | ||
| 15:15 UTC | 67.3 | 64.6 | 190° 4 kt | 1012.5 | ||
| 15:35 UTC | 67 | 64.6 | 180° 3 kt | 1012.9 | ||
| 15:55 UTC | 66.7 | 64.6 | 170° 3 kt | 1012.9 | VCTS | |
| 16:15 UTC | 64 | 62 | 240° 5 kt | 1015.2 | +VCTSRA | |
| 16:35 UTC | 60.3 | 59 | 280° 3 kt | 1015.2 | +TSRA | |
| 16:55 UTC | 60 | 59 | 0° 0 kt | 1015.2 | +TSRA | |
| 17:15 UTC | 59.5 | 59 | 0° 0 kt | 1013.9 | VCTSRA | |
| 17:35 UTC | 60 | 59.5 | 0° 0 kt | 1013.5 | -RA | |
| 17:55 UTC | 60 | 60 | 190° 4 kt | 1013.5 | -DZ |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 47 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 16:12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16:02 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 N Blackjack Mountain | Carroll, GA | Tree down at the intersection of Highway 5 and Daniel Road. |
| 16:02 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Nne Blackjack Mountai | Carroll, GA | Tree down at the intersection of Highway 5 and Reavesville Road. |
| 16:03 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 W Clem | Carroll, GA | Trees and powerlines downed on Whooping Creek Rd. |
| 16:04 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wnw Tyus | Carroll, GA | Tree down at the intersection of Highway 5 and Old Columbus Road. |
| 16:14 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 E Clem | Carroll, GA | Several trees down on homes along Cypress Circle. |
| 16:14 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 E Lowell | Carroll, GA | Tree down at the intersection of Highway 5 and Ephesus Church Road. |
| 16:14 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Nnw Lowell | Carroll, GA | Several trees down on mobile homes along Memory Springs Drive. |
| 16:16 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wsw Clem | Carroll, GA | Tree down at the intersection of Whooping Creek Church Road and Whooping Creek Road. Several trees down further north along Whooping Creek Road. |
| 16:31 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Ese Douglasville | Douglas, GA | One tree down along Timber Ridge Drive. |
| 16:31 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 E Newnan | Coweta, GA | Tree down in CVS parking lot at intersection of Lower Fayetteville and Newnan Crossing Blvd. |
| 16:32 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 E Newnan | Coweta, GA | 4 trees down along Lower Fayetteville Rd near Shenandoah Blvd. |
| 16:32 UTC | TORNADO | 3 E Newnan | Coweta, GA | NWS Storm Survey confirmed EF0 tornado with max winds of 75 mph. Nearly a 5 mile path and up to 250 yards wide. Numerous trees downed. |
| 16:33 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Ese Fairplay | Douglas, GA | One tree down at the intersection of GA Highway 166 and GA Highway 5. |
| 16:33 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Sw Thomas Crossroads | Coweta, GA | Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from 4 SW Thomas Crossroads. Off duty NWS employee reported four trees on powerlines along Lower Fayetteville Road, near the intersection with Shenandoah Blvd. |
| 16:33 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Sw Thomas Crossroads | Coweta, GA | Off duty NWS employee reported a down tree on a powerline along Lower Fayetteville Road, near the intersection with Shenandoah Blvd. |
| 16:38 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wnw Sweetwater Creek | Douglas, GA | Tree and powerline down along Olde Oak Drive. |
| 16:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 S Peachtree City | Fayette, GA | Amateur Radio operator relayed report of a tree down at Kelly Drive and Hip Pocket Road, resulting in downed power lines. |
| 16:47 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Ese Senoia | Coweta, GA | Tree down across Chestlehurst Road. |
| 16:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Sw Fayetteville | Fayette, GA | Public relayed a report of a down tree on a home in Paces Crossing neighborhood. |
| 16:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Nnw Kenwood | Fayette, GA | Tree down at the intersection of Highway 279 and Dix Lee On Drive. |
| 16:54 UTC | TORNADO | 1 S Fayetteville | Fayette, GA | A brief EF-0 tornado moved through Fayetteville along Williamsburg Way just east of Glynn St/GA-85. The tornado downed a few trees and tree limbs causing no apparent damage to structures. Maximum winds were 70 mph. |
| 16:55 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wnw Jw Smith Reservoi | Fayette, GA | Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from 2 WNW Jw Smith Reservoir. 2 to 3 trees downed along South Jeff Davis Drive. |
| 16:57 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Sse Fayetteville | Fayette, GA | A few trees downed near the intersection of Highway 92 and Hilo Road. A few trees were also snapped. |
| 16:59 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Sw Morrow | Clayton, GA | Report of a large tree down on a home near the intersection of Pine St and Johnson Rd. north of Jonesboro, GA. |
| 17:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wnw Jw Smith Reservoi | Fayette, GA | 2 to 3 trees downed along South Jeff Davis Drive. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2025 tornado in GeorgiaEvery tornado in Georgia since 1950Warnings in force in Georgia nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of March 31, 2025
14 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 31 | 4:22 AM CDT | EF2 | Saint Landry Parish, LA | 1.8 | 250 | $30,000 | ||
| March 31 | 5:37 AM CDT | EF1 | Simpson, MS | 3.3 | 340 | $300,000 | ||
| March 31 | 6:01 AM CDT | EF0 | Lowndes, MS | 0.7 | 60 | $5,000 | ||
| March 31 | 6:07 AM CDT | EF1 | Lowndes, MS | 5.8 | 300 | $200,000 | ||
| March 31 | 6:30 AM CDT | EF2 | Marion, MS | 7.3 | 300 | $2.3 million | ||
| March 31 | 6:54 AM CDT | EF0 | Livingston Parish, LA | 3.2 | 25 | |||
| March 31 | 12:32 PM EDT | EF0 | Coweta, GA | 5.0 | 250 | |||
| March 31 | 12:54 PM EDT | EF0 | Fayette, GA | 0.2 | 100 | |||
| March 31 | 1:08 PM EDT | EF1 | Henry, GA | 6.5 | 100 | |||
| March 31 | 12:22 PM CDT | EF0 | Dale, AL | 0.7 | 50 | $25,000 | ||
| March 31 | 12:31 PM CDT | EF1 | Houston, AL | 3.1 | 200 | 5 | $500,000 | |
| March 31 | 2:11 PM EDT | EF0 | Peach, GA | 6.9 | 100 | |||
| March 31 | 2:13 PM EDT | EF0 | Houston, GA | 3.6 | 100 | |||
| March 31 | 3:46 PM EDT | EF0 | Leon, FL | 1.9 | 100 |
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.