PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
845 PM EDT SAT MAR 15 2008

…PRELIMINARY REPORT FOR MARCH 14TH CITY OF ATLANTA TORNADO…

A DAMAGE SURVEY TEAM FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS CONFIRMED THAT AN EF2 TORNADO TRACKED
THROUGH THE HEART OF THE CITY OF ATLANTA BETWEEN 938 AND 950 PM EST
ON FRIDAY, MARCH 14TH.

THE TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF SIMPSON AND
BURBANK STREETS IN THE VINE CITY NEIGHBORHOOD AT APPROXIMATELY 938
PM. THE TORNADO THEN TRACKED DUE EAST OVER THE CENTER OF THE
GEORGIA WORLD CONGRESS CENTER /ABOUT 100 YARDS NORTH OF THE GEORGIA
DOME WHERE AN SEC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT WAS TAKING PLACE/…ACROSS
THE CNN/OMNI HOTEL COMPLEX AND PHILLIPS ARENA /WHERE AN NBA
BASKETBALL GAME WAS UNDERWAY/…OVER THE EQUITABLE BANK
TOWER…ACROSS I-85/75 AT THE EDGEWOOD EXIT…AND THEN INTO THE
COTTON MILL LOFTS ACROSS FROM OAKLAND CEMETERY. FROM THIS
POINT…THE TORNADO WEAKENED BUT CAUSED SPOTTY TREE AND ROOF DAMAGE
INTO EXTREME WESTERN DEKALB COUNTY NEAR THE JUNCTION OF BRAEBURN AND
JOSEPHINE STREETS…WHERE IT LIFTED. THE TORNADO HAD A TOTAL PATH
LENGTH OF SIX MILES AND A MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH OF 200 YARDS AT ITS
MAXIMUM STRENGTH. MAXIMUM WIND SPEEDS WERE ESTIMATED NEAR 130
MPH…WHICH IS A HIGH END EF2 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. AS IT
MOVED ACROSS THE GWCC/CNN/OMNI COMPLEX…THE TORNADO WIDTH WAS ABOUT
100 YARDS WIDE AND PRODUCED HIGH EF1 WINDS OF ABOUT 100 MPH.

AT LEAST 50 HOMES WERE DAMAGED BY THE TORNADO…AS WERE SEVERAL
MULTI-STORY TOWERS AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS NEAR AND EAST OF THE
CENTENNIAL OLYMPIC PARK. WINDOWS WERE BLOWN OUT OF MANY OF THE
TOWERS…AT ALL HEIGHTS. DAMAGE IN RESIDENTIAL AND INDUSTRIAL AREAS
RANGED FROM ROOFING MATERIALS BLOWN FROM HOMES AND BUSINESSES TO
TREES FALLING ON STRUCTURES AND VEHICLES. THE COTTON MILL LOFTS
EXPERIENCED THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WITH THE ROOF BLOWN OFF AND
EXTERIOR WALLS OF THE TOP /FOURTH/ FLOOR BLOWN INWARD. TWO SECTIONS
OF THE FOURTH FLOOR COLLAPSED ALL THE WAY INTO BASEMENT OF THE
BUILDING…TRAPPING SEVERAL PEOPLE IN THE COMPLEX.

NO WEATHER-RELATED FATALITIES WERE REPORTED WITH THE TORNADO…BUT
NUMEROUS NON-LIFE-THREATING INJURIES OCCURRED.

THE NWS IS GRATEFUL TO THE ATLANTA POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR PROVIDING
AERIAL SURVEY SUPPORT AND TO THE ATLANTA/FULTON COUNTY EMA FOR THEIR
ASSISTANCE.

And, here’s the one for Saturday’s tornadoes:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT…CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
645 PM EDT SUN MAR 16 2008

…PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE TORNADOES OF SATURDAY MARCH 15TH…

A DAMAGE SURVEY TEAMS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS CONFIRMED TWO TORNADOES OCCURRED
SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

TORNADO #1
THE SURVEY TEAM CONCLUDED THAT AN EF3 TORNADO HIT POLK…FLOYD
…BARTOW COUNTIES. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT 1225 PM EDT
APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF ARAGON NEAR STATE HIGHWAY 101 AT
THE POLK-FLOYD COUNTY LINE. THE TORNADO THEN TRAVELED EAST 16 MILES
ACROSS EXTREME NORTHEAST POLK COUNTY AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST FLOYD
COUNTY AND SOUTHERN BARTOW COUNTY BEFORE LIFTING JUST SOUTHEAST OF
THE CARTERSVILLE AIRPORT ABOUT 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CARTERSVILLE AT
1245 PM EDT. MAXIMUM WIND SPEEDS WERE ESTIMATED NEAR 150 MPH. THE
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH WAS 1/2 MILE. EF3 LEVEL DAMAGE WAS NOTED AT 3
POINTS ALONG THE PATH AS WELL.

THE TORNADO PRODUCED 2 FATALITIES AND 3 INJURIES. ONE FATALITY AND
ONE CRITICAL INJURY OCCURRED BON LOOP ROAD IN FAR NORTHERN POLK
COUNTY WHEN A HOME WAS DESTROYED. ANOTHER FATALITY AND TWO INJURIES
OCCURRED ON OLD WAX RD IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST FLOYD COUNTY WHEN A HOME
WAS DESTROYED. THOUSANDS OF TREES WERE DOWNED. AT LEAST 20 HOMES
WERE DESTROYED AND HUNDREDS OF STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED. ONE HIGH
TENSION POWER LINE SUPPORT STRUCTURE WAS ALSO HEAVILY DAMAGED.

TORNADO #2
THE SURVEY TEAM CONCLUDED THAT AN EF2 TORNADO STRUCK JEFFERSON
COUNTY BEFORE MOVING INTO BURKE COUNTY. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT
615 PM EDT ABOUT 1 MILE NORTHWEST OF WRENS AND TRAVELED EAST 9 MILES
BEFORE CROSSING THE BURKE COUNTY LINE ABOUT 4 MILES EAST OF MATTHEWS
AT 625 PM EDT. THE TORNADO CONTINUED FOR A TOTAL PATH LENGTH OF 19
MILES…LIFTING NEAR THE APPLEWOOD COUNTRY CLUB ABOUT 13 MILES EAST
OF MATTHEWS IN BURKE COUNTY. MAXIMUM WIND SPEEDS WERE ESTIMATED NEAR
120 MPH. THE MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH WAS 1/4 MILE. SIGNIFICANT ROOF
DAMAGE TO HOMES WAS OBSERVED AND SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES WERE DESTROYED
IN MATTHEWS. NUMEROUS TREES WERE DOWNED IN WRENS…SOME OF WHICH
FELL ON HOMES AND STRUCTURES. NO SERIOUS INJURIES OR FATALITIES WERE
REPORTED.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MAY BE ADDED TO THIS REPORT AS NEW
INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE. A SURVEY TEAM WILL BE DISPATCHED TO
BUTTS COUNTY ON MONDAY TO INVESTIGATE DAMAGE FROM A POSSIBLE TORNADO.