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Clay County, GA

Date Time (LST) F/EF-Scale Length (Miles) Maximum Width (Yards) Fatalities Injuries Property Damage Source*
2/25/1939 1130 pm F2 12 200 2 8 $12,000 G

Moved ENE from 8m NW of Blakely to just west of Edison. One man was killed in a small home 1m S of Bluffton, as tenant homes were destroyed on three farms.

1/17/1943 400 pm F2 n/a n/a 0 0 n/a G

Moved NE, destroying barns and tenant homes on a plantation near Bluffton. The main house had a room torn off it. Minimal F2.

1/20/1963 500 pm F1 10 300 0 0 $500,000 G, SD, SPC

Skipped ENE from Fort Gaines, passing south of Dawson, north of Leesburg, and ending near Warwick. Fifty buildings were damaged and a grain elevator was destroyed. The worst damage was to farms in Clay County, the only area were a clearly defined funnel was seen. About 20 buildings were destroyed by the combined tornado and downburst winds south of Dawson. About 30 farms in that area reported wind damage.

1/13/1972 300 am F1 1.5 300 0 0 $25,000 SD, SPC
5/2/2004 1030 am F1 2 100 0 0 $450,000 SD, SPC

A tornado touched down and destroyed three homes and damaged two others. It also toppled several trees and power lines. The tornado moved moved northeast into Randolph County. Reported by the Clay County EMA and WALB-TV Albany.

3/1/2007 324 pm EF0 6.9 100 0 0 $250,000 SD, SPC

After crossing from Alabama across Lake Eufaula, the tornado damaged several homes along Lakeview Drive, Macedonia Road, and Pataula Heights Lane. The tornado then approached Pataula Shores Circle and crossed State Highway 39. It snapped or uprooted many pines in and around Mt Zion Church Road, Frontage Trail and Hatcher Road before crossing the Clay-Quitman county line.

4/7/2016 141 am EF1 3.45 250 0 0 $0 SD

This tornado initially touched down in extreme southern Randolph county before moving into Clay county and eventually Calhoun county. Damage in Clay county was limited to snapped trees. The Clay county portion of this track was rated EF1.

1/22/2017 238 pm EF2 2.81 400 0 1 $250,000 SD

The tornado touched down in Clay County and moved northeast through the northwest corner of Calhoun County and into southern Randolph County. It caused extensive tree damage with nearly every tree in its path snapped through the Clay and Calhoun portions of the track. In addition, it flipped a mobile home in Clay County, injuring one person who was inside. The tornado caused major roof damage in Clay and Calhoun counties removing the roofing structure from two homes. It also caused minor roofing damage to several homes in all three counties. This tornado was rated EF2 with max winds estimated at 125 mph. Damage cost was estimated.

4/5/2017 1059 am EF1 0.96 1140 0 0 $0 SD

The tornado touched down in extreme southeastern Barbour County in the White Oak community producing EF1 damage on White Oak Drive. The tornado then crossed Sandy Creek into Henry County's White Oak subdivision producing mostly EF1 damage across the entire width of the neighborhood between Sandy Creek and White Oak Creek. However, a double-wide manufactured home on Laurel Drive was shifted about 8 feet despite being strapped to the ground by 2 to 3 foot anchors which were completely pulled from the ground. This justified EF2 damage in this location with winds estimated at 115 mph. The tornado then crossed the Walter F. George Reservoir, also known as Lake Eufaula, into the state of Georgia with EF1 damage on the eastern shore of the lake along County Road 28. The tornado came ashore at the Quitman-Clay County line producing damage in both counties primarily in the form of uprooted trees. The trees damaged several homes. Debris from a lakeside porch was lofted and deposited on the opposite side of the home and strewn across an adjacent field. The tornado continued northeastward across rural Quitman County hitting the Self Family Farm on Self Road. The tornado did significant damage to the roof of a well constructed brick home, removing the majority of the roof. The walls of a brick outbuilding collapsed. There were also numerous trees snapped or uprooted adjacent to the home, two of which were debarked. This damage was consistent with EF2 winds of about 115 mph. Just northeast of the house, an irrigation pivot was toppled with the northern portion falling toward the southwest and the southern portion falling in the opposite direction. The tornado continued northeast across more rural areas causing EF1 damage to trees on County Road 82 before lifting shortly thereafter.

1/4/2019 610 am EF1 0.23 90 0 0 $10,000 SD

A brief tornado touched down just west of Zetto and impacted a single family residence . Part of the roof was ripped off from an attached carport as well as a garage on a shed blown in. Trees were uprooted and large branches were broken off on the residence . Brick and shingle damage was noted as well as other debris thrown about the yard and well behind the residence.

3/3/2019 545 pm EF0 7.45 75 0 0 $10,000 SD

The tornado touched down in Henry County Alabama in an area just south of Shorterville on Henry County Route 47 between Bennett Mill Creek and Route 188. There were several softwood trees uprooted in this area. The tornado proceeded northeast across the Chattahoochee River into Clay County Georgia. The damage in Clay County Georgia began on Route 39/ Washington Street near the intersection of Blakely and Blufton Highways . There were several softwood trees uprooted in this area, as well as some roofing material removed from the roadway. Additional softwood trees were uprooted at several points between the aforementioned intersection to a point just north of Route 37/ Edison Highway along Wesely Chapel Road. In addition, Center Line Irrigation was also downed near the previously mentioned location. Damage cost was estimated.

6/19/2021 1246 pm EF1 8.53 400 0 0 $0 SD

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.

*Sources

G - Grazulis, T. P., 1993: Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991.  A Chronology and Analysis of Events. Environmental Films, Tornado Project, St. Johsnbury, VT.
SD - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1950-2016: Storm Data. National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, NC.
SPC - Storm Prediction Center Database