EARLY COUNTY, Ga. (WTXL) — Meteorologists with the National Weather Service now believe a tornado of at least EF-2 intensity caused damage in Early County Monday afternoon.
Tuesday, the National Weather Service began conducting a storm survey in Early County, Ga. after tornado damage was reported in the area.
The preliminary damage assessment from the NWS indicates that a tornado of at least EF-2 intensity touched down near Damascus. Along Highway 45, the tornado snapped a few trees and damaged the roof of a couple of houses.
The tornado crossed the highway, moving northeast and reached peak intensity as it homes along Killbrew Rd.
Two homes and a detached garage along Killbrew Rd. were destroyed down to their foundations, which were not anchored.
One home was constructed of concrete block which collapsed. The other home was constructed of wood with a concrete block foundation. The five injuries noted came from these two houses.
A truck was tossed from the detached garage onto the homes. Several trees were uprooted and snapped, with other cars sustaining heavy damage.
A large tree was uprooted behind the homes and thrown about 100 yards into the front yard.
Two instances were noted of small metal pole projectiles lodged into trees.
Another house nearby sustained heavy wind damage to the roof and had portions of the exterior walls fail. A propane gas tank was dislodged and moved at that location as well.
Powerlines were knocked down and most trees were snapped or uprooted along this section of the path.
After the tornado crossed Killbrew Rd., it headed northeast and appeared to weaken. Trees snapped and uprooted were observed along the rest of the track along Po Boy Lane, Pullen Rd., Ga. Highway 200, Big Pond Rd., County Road 3, Billy Newberry Rd., County Road 119, Patmos Milford Hwy., and Julia Jones Rd.
Damage sustained in these areas were mostly tree damage along with a couple of instances of minor roof damage.
The tornado lifted in Baker County after crossing Julia Jones Rd.
The storm survey information is also available on the NWS website, available by clicking here.
The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:
- EF-0: Weak, 65 to 85 mph winds
- EF-1: Weak, 86 to 110 mph winds
- EF-2: Strong, 111 to 135 mph winds
- EF-3: Strong,136 to 165 mph winds
- EF-4: Violent, 166 to 200 mph winds
- EF-5: Violent, >200 mph winds
