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KCLX Radar Data - click to enlarge/loop Reflectivity (Upper Left) / Storm-Relative Velocity (Upper Right) / Base Velocity (Lower Left) / Mesocyclone (Bottom Right)

...TATTNALL COUNTY /COBBTOWN EF-3 TORNADO/...

OBSERVED DAMAGE IN AND AROUND THE COMMUNITY OF COBBTOWN IN NORTHERN
TATTNALL COUNTY GEORGIA INDICATED THAT AN EF-3 TORNADO OCCURRED. THE
TORNADO INITIALLY MOVED INTO NORTHWEST TATTNALL COUNTY FROM NEAR THE
BORDER WITH CANDLER...EMANUEL...AND TOOMBS COUNTIES. THIS WAS A
CONTINUATION OF A TORNADO IN FAR NORTHEASTERN TOOMBS COUNTY. THE
FIRST INDICATIONS OF SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE...CONSISTENT WITH AN EF-1
TORNADO...OCCURRED ALONG REPRESENTATIVE KENNEDY ROAD WHERE A MOBILE
HOME WAS PARTIALLY DESTROYED. A WELL DEFINED PATH OF DEBRIS WAS
NOTED TRAILING SOUTHEAST OF THIS AREA ACROSS OPEN FARM FIELDS.
SEVERAL HOMES WERE ALSO SEVERELY DAMAGED WITH ROOFS BLOWN OFF ALONG
HENRY MOXLEY ROAD ABOUT 1 MILE SOUTHEAST OF REPRESENTATIVE KENNEDY
ROAD.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN AS IT TURNED EAST TOWARD
COBBTOWN AND PEAKED AROUND 743 AM AS IT CROSSED NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF GEORGIA STATE HIGHWAYS 121 AND 57. HERE THE TORNADO
COMPLETELY LEVELED A BRICK CONVENIENCE STORE AND CAUSED CONSIDERABLE
DAMAGE TO TREE AND NEARBY STRUCTURES. TWO PEOPLE WORKING IN THE
STORE AT THE TIME OF THE TORNADO WERE INJURED BUT NOT KILLED. THE
DAMAGE PATTERN IN THIS AREA WAS CONSISTENT WITH AN EF-3 TORNADO WITH
WINDS ESTIMATED BETWEEN 140 AND 150 MPH. ALSO IN THIS SAME GENERAL
AREA...BUT JUST SOUTH OF THE TORNADO/S TRACK...THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF
A HIGH DOWNBURST. THESE WINDS...ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND 100 MPH...
WERE LIKELY CAUSED BY THE REAR FLANK DOWNDRAFT OF THE PASSING
SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO MOVE EAST ACROSS OPEN FARM FIELDS WHERE
EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE AND MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH AN
EF-1 AND EF-0 TORNADO WAS NOTED. THE TORNADO DISSIPATED ABOUT 1.5
MILES EAST OF COBBTOWN...HOWEVER OCCASIONAL BOUTS OF NON-TORNADIC
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WERE OBSERVED ACROSS PORTIONS NORTHEAST TATTNALL
COUNTY AND NORTHERN EVANS COUNTY NEAR UNDINE.

TATTNALL PORTION OF PATH

STRENGTH...... EF-3   *** 2 INJURED ***
PEAK WINDS.... 140-150 MPH
MAX WIDTH..... 200 YARDS
TRACK LENGTH.. 4.5 MILES STARTING AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE
TOOMBS...EMANUEL...AND CANDLER COUNTY LINES.

NOTE...THE TOTAL PATH LENGTH OF THIS TORNADO STARTING IN
NORTHEASTERN TOOMBS COUNTY IS 7 MILES.