000 NOUS42 KTAE 200032 PNSTAE FLZ017-GAZ125-GAZ158-200600 PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 732 PM EST THU FEB 19 2009 ...STORM SURVEY CONDUCTED IN THOMAS COUNTY GEORGIA TODAY FINDS STRONG EF-2 TORNADO... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE CONDUCTED A STORM SURVEY IN THOMAS COUNTY TO DETERMINE THE INTENSITY OF A TORNADO THAT TRACKED ACROSS THE COUNTY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. BASED ON REPORTS FROM A HELICOPTER OVERFLIGHT AND GROUND-BASED SURVEYS...IT APPEARS THAT ONE LONG TRACK TORNADO AFFECTED THOMAS COUNTY WITH A SECONDARY SPIN UP ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTY. INITIAL TOUCHDOWN OF THE TORNADO APPEARS TO BE IN GRADY COUNTY NEAR GEORGIA STATE ROAD 93 IN THE VICINITY LEWIS ROAD. WHILE THIS AREA OF DAMAGE WAS NOT SURVEYED TODAY...IT WILL BE ON FRIDAY. REPORTS OF THIS TOUCHDOWN WAS RELAYED BY THE GRADY COUNTY EMA OFFICE. THIS TORNADO CONTINUED RAPIDLY EASTWARD AND CROSSED INTO THOMAS COUNTY ALONG LOWER CAIRO ROAD. ALONG LOWER CAIRO ROAD...DAMAGE WAS EXTENSIVE TO A PINE FOREST PLANTATION. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT OVER 95 PERCENT OF THE PINE TREES IN THE PATH OF THE TORNADO WERE SNAPPED. THREE HOMES WERE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE TORNADO PATH AND RECEIVED MINOR TO MODERATE DAMAGE...WITH ONE HOUSE LOSING PART OF ITS ROOF. A BARN AND TWO GARAGES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. WITHIN THIS AREA OF THOMAS COUNTY...THE PATH WIDTH OF THE TORNADO WAS ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 300 AND 400 YARDS WIDE WITH A MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF 125 MPH...WHICH CORRESPONDS TO A RATING OF EF-2. THE TORNADO CONTINUED EASTWARD AND BEGAN MAKING ONLY INTERMITTENT CONTACT WITH THE GROUND AS IT APPROACHED U.S. HIGHWAY 319 IN THE VICINITY OF CINDY ROAD. DAMAGE IN THE SURROUNDING SUBDIVISIONS WAS LARGELY LIMITED TO TREES SNAPPING OR UPROOTING AND LANDING ON HOMES. IN THIS AREA THE PATH WIDTH WAS ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND 200 YARDS WITH A MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF 90 MPH...MAKING THE TORNADO ON THIS PORTION OF THE TRACK AN EF-1. THE TORNADO CROSSED U.S. 319 MOVING EAST NEAR METCALF ROAD AND MOVED TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST GEORGIA STATE HOSPITAL LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF PINE TREE BLVD. THE TORNADO SNAPPED MANY PINE TREES ALONG THE PATH THROUGH THIS AREA AND EVEN REMOVED TWO AIR CONDITIONING UNITS FROM THE ROOF OF ONE OF THE BUILDINGS WITHIN THE HOSPITAL COMPLEX. PATH WIDTH OF THE TORNADO AT THIS POINT IS ESTIMATED TO BE NEAR 200 YARDS WITH A MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF 105 MPH...WHICH IS STILL WITHIN THE EF-1 CATEGORY. THE TORNADO BEGAN TO WEAKEN WHILE CONTINUING EASTWARD TOWARD U.S. 19 SOUTH OF THE GLEN ARVEN COUNTRY CLUB. THE TORNADO CROSSED U.S. 19 JUST SOUTH OF SUNSET DRIVE BEFORE LIFTING. DAMAGE IN THIS AREA WAS LIMITED TO POWER LINES AND A FEW TREES. PATH WIDTH DECREASED TO A MAXIMUM OF 75 YARDS AND THE INTENSITY WAS ONLY 70 MPH...WHICH CORRESPONDS TO AN EF-0 RATING. A BRIEF TOUCHDOWN OF THE SAME TORNADO OCCURRED ALONG COUNTY FARM ROAD AT THE THOMAS COUNTY LANDFILL. A STORAGE BUILDING WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED WITH DEBRIS BEING BLOWN SEVERAL HUNDRED YARDS FROM THE BUILDING SITE. INTENSITY IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE BEEN AROUND 100 MPH...WHICH IS AN EF-1 RATING. NO FURTHER AREAS OF DAMAGE WERE REPORTED ALONG THE TRACK OF THIS MESOCYCLONE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL MILES. THE NEXT TORNADO PRODUCED BY THIS MESOCYCLONE WAS TO THE NORTH OF U.S. HIGHWAY 84 NEAR THE TOWN OF BOSTON. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ALONG FIVE FORKS ROAD ABOUT 2 MILES NORTH OF HIGHWAY 84. THE TORNADO MOVED EASTWARD CAUSING MAJOR DAMAGE TO A WIDE SWATH OF PINE TREES AND DESTROYING ONE BARN. TWO HOMES ALONG FIVE FORKS ROAD WERE DAMAGED...MAINLY BY FALLING TREES. ONE HOME ALONG SALEM ROAD...WHERE THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE OCCURRED...RECEIVED MODERATE DAMAGE TO THE ROOF AND EXTERIOR PATIO DOOR. THE TORNADO THEN LIFTED JUST AFTER PASSING GEORGIA STATE ROAD 33. THE PATH WIDTH ALONG THIS PORTION OF THE PATH IS AROUND 300 YARDS. SEVERAL TREES NEAR THE CENTER OF THE TORNADO VORTEX WERE DEBARKED...INDICATING EVEN STRONGER WIND SPEEDS THAN THOSE SEEN NEAR LOWER CAIRO ROAD. AS A RESULT...MAXIMUM WIND SPEEDS ARE ESTIMATED NEAR 135 MPH. THIS CORRESPONDS TO A HIGH END EF-2 RATING. PENDING ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE SURVEY DATA...THIS PORTION OF THE TORNADO TRACK COULD BE UPGRADED TO A HIGHER INTENSITY ON FRIDAY. WHILE THE DAMAGE PATH OF THE TORNADO WAS NOT COMPLETELY CONTINUOUS ACROSS THOMAS COUNTY...AREAL SURVEY CONFIRMS AN INTERMITTENT PATH LENGTH OF THIS TORNADIC SUPERCELL APPROACHED 20 MILES ACROSS EASTERN GRADY AND THOMAS COUNTY. ACCORDING TO THOMAS COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...9 MOBILE HOMES WERE CONSIDERED DESTROYED. 20 SINGLE FAMILY HOMES WERE CONSIDERED DESTROYED. A TOTAL OF 160 STRUCTURES WERE AFFECTED BY THIS TORNADO IN SOME DEGREE. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND ITS APPRECIATION TO THE THOMAS COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY FOR ASSISTING IN THIS STORM SURVEY. $$ GODSEY/MROCZKA