Power Outage in Covington, GA

Radar data, areal surveys and ground surveys confirm that a long track EF2 tornado occurred beginning a few miles east of Griffin GA through Butts, Newton and into Jasper counties. The tornado was part of a larger mesocyclone which can be traced west all the way back to the Selma Alabama tornado which spawned numerous tornadoes during its lifecycle. This particular tornado first touched down in an area around Crouch road and Wild Plum Road snapping and uprooting trees. The tornado struck a Rinai building causing damage to the roof, windows and outside walls. The tornado continued northeast snapping and uprooting trees quickly intensifying as it crossed hwy 19 becoming and EF2. Widespread tree damage was noted along S. McDonough Road and Walnut Grove Road north of Hwy 16. A well built home sustained significant roof and structure damage consistent with high end EF2 winds. The tornado continued northeast crossing High Falls Road, N. Walkers Mill Road, Yamacraw road snapping and uprooting trees consistent with EF1 damage. As the tornado continued northeast, it became the dominant circulation within the larger mesocyclone as the previous Griffin tornado began to occlude within the large circulation. The tornado crossed Jackson road and paralleled Jenkinsburg road before crossing I75 near Jenkinsburg Road. Snapped and uprooted trees were noted along both sides of I75 where the tornado crossed. As the storm became the dominant circulation within the mesocyclone, the wind field expanded and the damage became fairly consistent with high end EF1 to low EF2 thereafter. The tornado crossed Locust Road, Dean Patrick Road and England Chapel Road were numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. Some home damage was noted in the area as well, particularly as it approached Shiloah Road. Several homes were damaged along Plaza Dr and Smith Dr. The tornado continued NE crossing Hwy 23 striking a large warehouse. Severe roof and exterior wall damage was noted as debris was spread across the highway and to the NE of the hwy. As the tornado crossed the highway it struck a train on the tracks and overturned 3 rail cars just west Walter Moore Rd. The storm continued northeast crossing Wolf Creek Road snapping and uprooting trees near several homes consistent with EF1 wind damage. The tornado continued northeast crossing Rising Star Church road and Brown road snapping and uprooting trees. As the storm continued northeast beyond this point, the remnant circulation which last produced damage near Locust Grove regenerated a new tornado a little over a mile to the northwest along Fincherville Road. The two tornadoes would continue to the NE nearly parallel through the Jackson Lake area. This particular tornado continued northeast and would intensify to EF2 as it crossed Hwy 36 north of Keys Ferry Road and Haley Road. The fatality and critical injury directly associated with this tornado occurred along Haley Road when a tree fell onto a vehicle injuring the driver and fatally wounding a passenger. EF2 damage was noted East of hwy36 along Haley Road, Pocahontas St. Chickasaw lane and several neighborhoods along the lake. The tornado crossed into Southern Newton County causing severe damage along Parker Road, Ray Road, Malcom Rd, Quarry Ct, Pebble Ridge Dr, Hunters Trace, Campbell Rd and Hwy 212 as it entered Jasper County near the Franks Restaurant. EF1 to low end EF2 damage was intermittent along Yancy Rd, Dallas Tr, Gem Lane, Lee���s Cove, Alcovy N. Dr, Rainbow Dr and County Line Road. The Bear Creek Marian was destroyed and several campers were destroyed. The storm continued NE crossing Henderson Mill Road snapping and uprooting trees, County line Trail and Hwy 11 before weakening and lifting as it approached Margery Lake. A second fatality was resulted the following day when a lineman was knocked out of a bucket truck in Jasper County after being struck by a large tree branch while attempting to restore powerlines. The fatality, is considered indirect but will be tied to this particular tornado. Widespread wind damage can be seen via areal survey and ground survey throughout northern Butts, Southern Newton and Western Jasper counties and surveying this particular storm was a challenge to discern where the tornado actually ended and where the severe wind damage started. The path width is an approximation based on the most severe damage swaths which were surveyed however, strong inflow winds occurred for much of the lifecycle of this tornado making a very wide swath of damage along its 30+ mile long path.

The Newton County Emergency Manager reported trees and power lines blown down across the county from around the intersection of Hickory Hill Drive and Mt. Zion Road southeast across Covington to around the intersections of Johnson River Road and at East End Road and King Bostick Road at Moores Road.

The Newton County Emergency Manager reported trees and power lines blown down across the county from around the intersection of Hickory Hill Drive and Mt. Zion Road southeast across Covington to around the intersections of Johnson River Road and at East End Road and King Bostick Road at Moores Road.

The Newton County Emergency Manager reported trees and power lines blown down along Macedonia Road bear the intersection with Poplar Hill Road.

The Newton County 911 center reported a tree limb blown down onto a power line along Highway 142 near Newton Ridge.

The Newton County Emergency Manager reported numerous trees and power lines blown down from the Stewart Glen subdivision to around the intersection of Highway 36 and Fincher Road.

The Newton County 911 center reported a tree blown down onto power lines along Alcovy Trestle Road.

The Newton County 911 center reported trees and power lines blown down along Lower River Road near Stewart Road.

The Newton County Emergency Manager reported a large tree and power lines blown down on Geiger Street near the county Emergency Services Office.

Local news media reported hundreds of trees and many power lines blown down across the county. Nearly 50,000 customers were without electricity for varying periods of time. A wind gust of 41 mph was measured north of Covington. Radar estimated between 2 and 4 inches of rain fell across the county with 3.21 inches measured at both Rocky Plains and Alcovy. No injuries were reported.

The Newton County Emergency Manager reported a large tree knocked out power lines around the intersection of Mill Pond Road and Loyd Road southeast of Mansfield.

The Newton County 911 center reported trees blown down around County Road 213 and Alcovy Reserve Way and power lines blown down on Pine Street in Mansfield.

The Newton County 911 center reported trees blown down around County Road 213 and Alcovy Reserve Way and power lines blown down on Pine Street in Mansfield.

The Newton County 911 Center reported trees and power lines blown down around Christian Circle at Christian Drive, on Mills Drive, and around Salem Road at Russell Braden Road.

The Newton County 911 Center reported trees and power lines blown down around Christian Circle at Christian Drive, on Mills Drive, and around Salem Road at Russell Braden Road.

Numerous trees and powerlines down in Covington. Additional reports of trees down across Newton County.

The Newton County 911 Center reported a power pole down due to thunderstorm winds.

The Newton County 911 Center reported two trees and two power lines down in the southwest part of the county.

A significant winter storm impacted north and portions of central Georgia on Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th. For areas south of the Atlanta Metropolitan area and into central Georgia, the event began Wednesday morning the 12th. Rain mixed with and changed over to freezing rain through the morning hours, resulting in catastrophic ice accretions of a half to one inch of ice, with localized higher amounts, especially along the Interstate 20 corridor. Thousands of trees were downed and widespread power outages were reported, with some customers without power for days. The event ended as a round of light snow Wednesday evening.

A National Weather Service storm survey determined that an EF-2 tornado formed within a line of storms moving through Newton County. It first touched down along Dukes Road, southwest of Mansfield, where it snapped and uprooted a few trees. As the tornado moved east along Kellogg Street it increased in intensity, producing EF-1 damage to several homes along Kellogg Street and Savannah Street. The EF-2 damage occurred to an older home on the north side of Kellogg Street where the home was completely destroyed. A mobile home further east along Kellogg Street was also completely destroyed. One person was injured in the mobile home and was trapped within the debris. Numerous trees and power lines were snapped and downed along Kellogg Stret as well as further east along Sewell and Lloyd Roads. In all, eight homes sustained significant damage and a few buildings in downtown Mainsfield sustained minor damage. The tornado began to weaken as it headed northeast crossing CR-213 where a park sustaned damage to several outbuildings and several trees were uprooted. Minor tree damage was noted in the town of Newborn as the tornado moved through the north side of town. The tornado then crossed into Morgan County.|[04/19/13: Tornado #1, County #1-2, EF2, Newton-Morgan, 2013:008].

The public reported several trees and power lines down near Covington.

Reports from the public and the Newton County 911 Center indicated that between five and six dozen trees were down in the western part of the county near the Rockdale county line. A number of power lines were also down in this area as well. Many trees and power lines were down in other parts of the county as well. One mobile home sustained damage from a downed tree. Up to 15 roads were closed as a result of downed trees and power lines.

The Newton County Fire Department reported that four trees and one power line were down in the county. Additional power lines were brought down by the downed trees. A tree was down on a house and adjacent vehicle on Hale Drive, a tree was down on a power line on Emory Street and another was down on a power line on Cooper Road. A tree was also down on Newton Ridge Road in the southern part of the county. Power lines were down on Georgia Highway 142 near Fire Station No. 15.

The Newton County Fire Department reported that four trees and one power line were down in the county. Additional power lines were brought down by the downed trees. A tree was down on a house and adjacent vehicle on Hale Drive, a tree was down on a power line on Emory Street and another was down on a power line on Cooper Road. A tree was also down on Newton Ridge Road in the southern part of the county. Power lines were down on Georgia Highway 142 near Fire Station No. 15.

The maximum snowfall reported was 4.0 inches. Many trees and power lines were brought down from the weight of the heavy, wet snow. A number of residents were left without power, in some cases up to two days.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that the tornado, which began as an EF2 in northeast Clayton county and continued across northern Henry and southern Rockdale counties, continued into extreme western Newton county. The tornado weakened to an EF0 as it entered Henry county and continued as an EF0 across Henry, Rockdale and Newton counties. The tornado lifted near or just east of Georgia Highway 20 from 2.5 to 3.0 miles north of Oak Hill. Damage was confined to several trees and power lines in this area. No structural damage was reported. The tornado path was less than one mile within Newton county with a maximum path width of 100 yards.

The Newton Citizen of Rockdale reported that lightning struck a home on Williams Road near Georgia Highway 81. Extensive damage resulted to the attic. The four occupants were displaced from their home. Lightning also knocked out the power line to a home on Georgia Highway 142, but there was no fire reported that this site.

An amateur radio operator reported that numerous large trees were blown down around the Burt Adams Boy Scout Camp off Georgia Highway 36 about four miles south of Covington. Power was also out throughout the area. The Newton County 911 Center reported that a number of trees and power lines were down throughout the county, but the worst damage was also in the southern part of the county from just north of Stewart to the Boy Scout Camp south of Covington. The Newton Citizen reported that there was extensive damage to trees and at least a dozen homes around the county. The worst damage occurred on Flat Shoals Road where several homes sustained damage, with one home on the street sustaining extensive damage when a large tree fell on the home. At Little Springs Farm, extensive damage was reported with two vehicles destroyed, three others damaged, and damage to three homes and six barns on the property. At least 20,000 residents of the county were left without power during the storm.

The Rockdale Citizen of Conyers reported that thunderstorm winds blew down a tree onto a telephone pole knocking out power to about 50 residents for around three hours. Later, another large branch fell off an oak tree in the same general area knocking power out to about 800-1000 customers.

The Newton County 911 center reported widespread damage to trees countywide. Some power lines were blown down as well.

A National Weather Service damage survey and the Newton county Emergency Management Director determined that several trees and some power lines were down on Henderson Mill Road. The Rockdale Citizen newspaper reported that scattered trees and power lines were down across the county, but primarily in the areas from Covington south to High Point near Georgia Highway 142 and Georgia Highway 36. A tree fell on a mobile home in a mobile home park on Georgia Highway 142 near Covington and a large tree blocked a road to a Future Farmers of America camp just off Georgia Highway 36. Several electric meters were torn off homes. Around 10,000 people were without power during the height of the storm. Several hundred people were left without power well into the day Monday, particularly in the Covington area.

The Covington News reported that thunderstorm winds caused damage to at least two shops in downtown Covington. Several plate glass windows were shattered in a downtown clothing store, along with the front door and a large back window. At the downtown Deli, a large 98-year old neon sign outside the building was battered and left dangling above the restaurant by one cord. Several trees were blown down around the downtown area as well, leaving much of the area without power during the evening.

The Newton county 911 center and the Covington News reported that part of a roof was blown off the Starrsville United Methodist Church on Dixie Road. Rain ruined the carpet inside and the organ and electric piano also sustained damage. In Covington, a large sign was blown out at the Newton Federal Savings and Loan. Throughout the county, there were many reports of trees down and trees down on power lines.

A line of strong thunderstorms associated with a cold front swept through north Georgia during the late afternoon and evening. An isolated severe thunderstorm produced a few reports of downed trees and power lines across the eastern suburbs of the Atlanta metropolitan area.