Multiple Tornadoes Strike Georgia/Alabama on Tuesday December 17th, 2019.

Overview

During the late morning and afternoon of December 17th, 2019, multiple tornadoes impacted counties in Georgia and Alabama. The strongest of these tornadoes was an EF-2 that struck portions of Irwin and Ben Hill counties near Fitzgerald and Mystic in southern Georgia. The storm that spawned this strong EF-2 tornado had previously generated 3 tornadoes in locations spanning from SE Alabama into Mystic Georgia. The animated image below begins just before it spawned the first tornado in Houston county in Alabama.


Region wide overview of the tornadoes that struck portions of the Tallahassee National Weather Service Forecast Area.	Animation of the tornadic supercell that spawned four tornadoes from Houston county Alabama into Irwin/Ben-Hill county Georgia.

Tornado
Photos & Video

Tornado Information

Tornado - Mystic/Fitzgerald Highway
Irwin/Ben Hill County, Georgia

Date	December 17, 2019
Time	11:35 AM EST
EF Rating (Max)	2
Est. Peak Winds	125 mph
Path Length	19.2 miles
Max Width	400 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0
Summary: A supercell thunderstorm moved across Irwin and Ben Hill counties during the midday hours on December 17th. A tornado touched down in central Irwin county and tracked nearly 20 miles before lifting east of Ashton in Ben Hill county. Despite significant damage to dozens of homes there were no injuries or fatalities associated with the storm.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - Northeast Colquitt
Miller County, Georgia

Date	December 17, 2019
Time	9:27 AM EST
EF Rating (Max)	1
Est. Peak Winds	110 mph
Path Length	6.57 miles
Max Width	200 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0
Summary: An EF1 tornado touched down along Phillipsburg Road north of Colquitt and moved northeastward across the northeast portions of the county before lifting just past Kelley Road. Damage to barns, farm equipment, and trees was noted and consistent with estimated winds near 110 mph.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - Chancey Mill Creek
Early County, Georgia

Date	December 17, 2019
Time	7:30 AM EST
EF Rating (Max)	0
Est. Peak Winds	80 mph
Path Length	0.39 miles
Max Width	50 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0
Summary: A brief EF0 tornado touched down near Rock Hill Road and Chancey Mill Road southwest of Blakely. A few trees were snapped and blown down in different directions, and a small dual-pol debris signature was noted on KEOX radar. Max winds were estimated around 80 mph.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - Decatur Road
Houston County, Alabama

Date	December 17, 2019
Time	7:52 AM EST
EF Rating (Max)	0
Est. Peak Winds	75 mph
Path Length	2 miles
Max Width	75 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0
Summary: A small EF-0 tornado briefly touched down just east of Highway 231 and crossed Decatur Rd near Madrid, AL. Damage was limited to only a few large limbs blown off softwood trees and some minor damage to a farm structure that was confined to a few roof panels.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - West Newton
Baker County, Georgia

Date	December 17, 2019
Time	10:00 AM EST
EF Rating (Max)	0
Est. Peak Winds	70 mph
Path Length	0.2 miles
Max Width	75 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0
Summary: A supercell thunderstorm moved across the central and eastern portions of Baker county during the late morning hours on December 17th. A brief tornado touched down in eastern Baker county west of the town of Newton. The track length was less than a quarter mile long, with the storm continuing eastward to cause thunderstorm wind damage in the town of Newton.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Photos & Video

Mystic, GA Tornado


Damage at Grace Christian Academy (photo by Walter Goff)	Home Damage in Mystic, GA (Emileigh Forrester, WALB)	Widespread tree damage and twisted metal. (Matthew Stu Reid)

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