The same storm system that unleashed a damaging hail storm across central Mississippi on Monday also produced 10 tornadoes across three other Southeast states.
The National Weather Service (NWS) reported Wednesday (March 20) that damage surveys revealed four tornadoes struck central and northern Alabama and Middle Tennessee with two tornadoes hitting central Georgia. All of the tornadoes ranged from EF-0s to EF-2s on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
Major damage in Marshall and DeKalb counties in Alabama was confirmed from two strong EF-2 tornadoes with winds from 120 and 125 mph. The NWS said the first tornado started in Marshall before tracking into Dekalb. The second tornado touched down in Dekalb County itself.
According to the DeKalb County Emergency Management Agency, 13 homes were a complete loss and 16 had serious damage with 29 families in the small community of Kilpatrick displaced.
Two other much weaker Alabama tornadoes were confirmed in northern Etowah (EF-1 with 95-105 mph winds) and Colbert (EF-0 with 85 mph winds) counties.
In Tennessee, the NWS said a long-tracked EF-1 tornado with winds of 105 mph tore an extensive damage path of up to 150 yards wide and 13.6 miles long across Humphreys, Houston and Dickson counties. Homes and outbuildings were damaged with sheet metal wrapped around trees. Debris from one home was blown over 100 yards to the northeast. Several barns were also destroyed.
Three other weaker EF-0 tornadoes with winds of 75 to 85 mph were confirmed in the Tennessee counties of Rutherford, Bedford and Maury.
Another long-tracked and strong tornado was confirmed across Meriwether and Pike counties in Georgia, south of Atlanta. This EF-2 tornado with winds up to 120 mph, tracked 13.35 miles on ground, while reaching up to 300 yards wide. Two outbuildings and one barn were destroyed. There were thousands of trees blown over or snapped along its path with a few trees falling on homes, the NWS said.
Further southeast near the South Carolina state line and just south of Augusta, the NWS said an EF-1 tornado touched down southwest of Waynesboro in Burke County, taking down trees, severely damaging field irrigation systems and destroying cattle barns and heavy equipment buildings at several locations.
Fortunately, no fatalities were reported as a result of these tornadoes. However, three people were injured in the tornado that hit Etowah County, Ala., when a mobile home was lifted and overturned.
The Southeast U.S. is in the midst of it primary severe weather season, which extends from March through early May. This period historically records the most tornadoes during the year with April as the peak and or most active month.
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