Power Outage in Valdosta, GA

A power pole fell onto a home in southwest Lowndes county.

Trees and power lines were blown down across Lowndes county.

A tree was blown down onto a power line on Clay Road.

A power line was blown down on Tucker Road.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down around the county.

Several trees and power lines were blown down near Hahira.

Trees and power lines were blown down in the Valdosta area.

There were several reports of trees and power lines down in Lowndes county.

A tree was blown down onto power lines just north of Valdosta State University.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down along Highway 125 in the Bemiss area between Bemiss Knights Academy Road and Studstill Road. Some trees were blown onto houses. This was associated with a downburst.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Several thousand lost power.

A tree was blown down on a power line at 3826 Old Clyattville Road.

A few trees and power lines were blown down near Moore Road and Lakeland Highway.

The 1100 block of West Gordon Street had large pine trees broken at the top and blown onto the power lines. At 1104 West Gordon, a brick fa��ade wall came down. Damage was estimated.

A tree was blown down onto a power line.

Power lines were blown down on Val Tech Road in front of Wiregrass Technical College.

Power lines were blown down on I-75 just south of Exit 22.

A tree was blown down onto power lines near Bemiss and New Bethel Road.

A tree was blown down on a power line at 106 Pine Circle.

A tree and a power line were blown down in Valdosta.

Trees were blown down on Inner Perimeter Road at East Park Ave. A couple of traffic lights and power lines were also downed.

A power line was blown down at 401 Francis Drive in Lake Park.

A tree was blown down onto a power line near the 1600 block of North Patterson Street.

Trees and power lines were blown down.

Trees and power lines were blown down.

Trees and power lines were blown down.

A tree was down on a house and power lines were down on 5 houses in the Pinecliff Drive area of Valdosta.

Power lines were blown down on Grassy Pond Road.

A power line was blown down at the 2300 block of Indian Ford Road.

A power line was blown down onto Bernice Drive.

Several trees and power lines were blown down in North Valdosta near the Country Club.

Power lines were blown down along North Perimeter Road.

A tree was blown down onto a power pole near Copeland Mills Road and Madison Highway.

There were approximately 60 reports of trees and power lines down in Valdosta and extending into southern Lowndes county. Damage was estimated.

There were approximately 60 reports of trees and power lines down in Valdosta and extending into southern Lowndes county. Damage was estimated.

There were several reports of trees and power lines down within the city limits of Valdosta.

Two trees and two power lines were blown down. One tree landed on a house.

A power line was blown down near Toombs and West Hill Street.

Power lines were blown down on the east side of Valdosta.

A power line was blown down on the north side of Valdosta.

A power line was blown down near E College Street.

Several trees and power lines were blown down in Valdosta.

The tornado first developed just north of Langdales Pond and Old Clyattville Road on the south side of the city of Valdosta. Some of the most severe damage was near the beginning of the track as the tornado impacted Langdale Forest Products along Old Clyattville Road. Several large metal buildings were severely damaged or destroyed and the damage to those buildings was assigned the EF2 rating that is the maximum for this tornado. Some vehicles parked near those buildings were tossed around 70 yards across the street. Two rail cars nearby were also tipped over. The remainder of the track consisted of EF0 or EF1 damage as the tornado moved east and eventually dissipated near south Patterson Street and Dampier Street. That damage in the remainder of the track was a mixture of damage to buildings, trees, and power lines. Monetary damage was estimated.||This was the first tornado to directly affect the city of Valdosta since an F1-rated tornado on November 1, 1997.

A tree was blown down onto a power line at the intersection of Shiloh Road and Morven Road.

A tree was blown down on a power line on Skipper Bridge Road east of Staten Road. This report was relayed via Twitter from WALB-TV.

Ten trees were blown down along with several power lines near Bemiss Road. A structure fire also occurred. Monetary damage was estimated.

A few trees and power lines were blown down just east of the Valdosta airport.

Several trees and power lines were blown down and part of the roof of a mobile home was blown across a street. Monetary damage was estimated.

Power lines were blown down near Ben Hill Road at Grover Hicks Road.

Several trees were blown down from Parker Road to Highway 122 East along with power lines down on Clyattstone Road and Valdel Road.

Dispatch reported 7 locations with trees down in the city of Valdosta, and power lines were also down.

Several trees and power lines were blown down in the Twin Lakes area.

Several trees and power lines were blown down in Valdosta.

Two trees were blown down along with power lines at Bent Tree Drive and White Water Road near Clyattville.

A few power lines were blown down and one tree fell on a vehicle near Valdosta, but no injuries were reported. Monetary damage was estimated.

An isolated thunderstorm developed over portions of Valdosta and produced a severe downburst. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in a swath through the city and to the northeast, including some trees on houses. The damage appeared to start south of the Valdosta State University campus and spread northeastward.

An isolated thunderstorm developed over portions of Valdosta and produced a severe downburst. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in a swath through the city and to the northeast, including some trees on houses. The damage appeared to start south of the Valdosta State University campus and spread northeastward.

County dispatch reported a couple of power lines blown down on the northeast side of Valdosta. Monetary damage was estimated.

The Lowndes county 911 dispatch reported a tree down on a power line along Inner Perimeter Road. Monetary damage was estimated.

Several trees and power lines were blown down in the area with four mobile homes and one house sustaining some damage. Monetary damage was estimated.

Several trees and power lines were blown down around Valdosta. Monetary damage was estimated.

An NWS Storm Survey confirmed that an EF2 tornado occurred in Lowndes county, then moved into Lanier county where it strengthened into an EF3 with maximum winds around 140 mph. The path width was estimated to be around 390 yards wide with a path length in Lowndes county of slightly over 4 miles long. In Lowndes county, the tornado likely initially developed along Cat Creek Road. Several reports were received of funnels from this location while the event was ongoing. There was a house near Cat Creek Road that had uprooted trees on the property with one or two impacting the house. Trees were generally blown down to the northeast, although a street sign was bent to the ground facing to the northwest. A few trees were also blown down along a tree line across the road. At that point, the tornado entered a more heavily forested area with no access roads. However, an aerial flyover by emergency management confirmed sporadic tree damage and a continuous damage path in that area. After the tornado cleared this forested area, the damage path began to widen and the tornado damage increased in intensity. Along Arapaho Trail, about a half mile south of Highway 122, the first instance of EF2 damage occurred as a mobile home was completely destroyed with debris blown downstream, mainly into fencing on the property. Also in this location, a shed was completely destroyed, a camper was flipped, part of the roof of a house was removed, and a silo was destroyed with the debris found resting on the opposite side of the house from where it started. Debris from locations along Arapaho Trail were found well downstream, in some cases at least one third of a mile. Along the next cross street - Peters Road - mostly EF1 damage was observed with snapped and uprooted trees and some broken windows in houses. The survey team found a tree sitting on the ground with a root ball at the end, but could not locate the hole or source of the tree within at least several hundred yards. Along Peters Road gouges were observed in the ground as some debris began to impact the ground. As the tornado crossed Bemiss Road (Highway 125) near Walkers Crossing, the damage path began to reach its widest phase. The maximum width of the tornado was estimated to be around 390 yards or 0.22 miles based on the damage survey. Additional EF2 damage was observed on both sides of the road with wooden power poles snapped, hardwood trees snapped or uprooted, and several homes damaged. A second abandoned home was pushed six feet off the concrete foundation. Maximum winds along this part of Bemiss Road were estimated to be around 125 mph based on damage. Also near these homes, there were deep gouges in the ground, including this one that was close to 1 foot deep and 6 feet long. Large debris also continued to be found along the damage path, including strips of metal that were twisted around damaged trees. The tornado then continued east-northeast, crossing Highway 122 near Barber Road into Lanier county. The Lowndes county emergency manager estimated property damage for Lowndes county at around $250,000 with an additional $100,000 in crop damage from fallen pecan trees.

Twenty-five to thirty trees were blown down around the county with power outages in the city of Valdosta. Minor roof damage to the roof of a restaurant on Ashley Street also occurred. The monetary damage figure provided is a rough estimate.

Power lines and trees knocked down by thunderstorm winds just south of Valdosta.

Some trees and power lines were down near Valdosta State University.

Numerous trees and power lines were down across Lake Park.

Numerous trees and power lines were down across the center of the city.

Numerous trees and power lines were down across the center of the city.

Several trees and power lines were down across the county. A billboard sign was blown down in Valdosta.

Rainfall from Fay ranged from eight to 14 inches. Numerous trees and power lines were down throughout the county. A few businesses suffered wind damage in Valdosta. There were several power outages reported, with more than 2,000 customers affected. Many roads were impassable due to fallen trees and flood waters. Several pecan trees were uprooted by the high winds.

Several trees and a power line were down near Clyattville.

Numerous trees and power lines were down across much of the county.

Straight line winds snapped power poles and trees. There were trees on top of several homes and across county and secondary roads. Uprooted trees knocked holes in the roof of the United Methodist Church in Clyattville. A roof was lifted off a home on Johnson Road.

Numerous trees and power lines down throughout the city. Some vehicles were damaged by fallen trees. Reported by the Valdosta Police Department.

A SKYWARN storm spotter reported downed trees and power lines on the north and east portions of Valdosta.

The Valdosta Fire Department reported downed trees and power lines on St Augustine Road. A tree fell on a house on Oakdale Drive.

The Lowndes County EMA reported several power lines down and scattered power outages.

A tree fell on a house in north Valdosta. A few trees and power lines were down. Reported by the Valdosta Police Department.

A few downed trees and power lines reported by the Lowndes County EMA.

Several downed trees and power lines at Lake Park and Indianola. Reported by the Lowndes County EMA.

Several downed trees and power lines reported by Lowndes County 911.

Numerous downed trees and power lines. Power was disrupted along the Inner Perimeter Road corridor for several hours. Reported by the Lowndes County EMA.

A Lowndes County 911 operator reported numerous downed trees and power lines.

Some trees down on power lines. Reported by the Lowndes County Sheriff.

Numerous trees and power lines down with scattered power outages. Reported by Lowndes County 911.

The Lowndes County EMA reported numerous downed trees and power lines blocked several roads in and around Valdosta. A mobile home tipped over in high winds while transported on Perimeter Road and blocked traffic for several hours. A few small businesses suffered minor roof damage. A fallen tree crushed a pickup truck on Jerry Jones Road. Scattered power outages affected over 1,000 customers. Georgia Power crews from Tifton as well as the Valdosta fire, police, public works and Lowndes County Sheriff were called to remove fallen debris and redirect traffic.

The Lowndes County EMA reported trees and power lines down on GA 94 near the Lowndes-Echols county line.

A large oak tree fell onto a second-story apartment building causing minor damage. Thunderstorm windsripped roofs off two office supply buildings causing an estimated $50,000 damage. The Lowndes CountyEM received numerous reports of downed trees, limbs and power lines blocking several roadways andcausing scattered power outages countywide. Two power transformers caught fire in Valdosta withmore than 200 residents without electricity. Georgia Power crews were dispatched from Tifton to assistwith the repairs.

Early in the morning of January 3rd, portions of north Florida and south Georgia had a mix of wintry precipitation. The precipitation was primarily freezing rain mixed with some sleet around Cross City and Mayo, Florida with ice accumulations estimated at a quarter to a half inch. In the areas around Tallahassee, Florida, and Valdosta, Georgia, the precipitation was initially freezing rain and sleet, but changed to snow. The heaviest accumulations of snow were in south Georgia where amounts ranged from 0.50 to 2 inches. Snow accumulations in north Florida were mostly less than half an inch, with only 0.1 inches measured officially in Tallahassee. For this region it was the first winter storm since December 1989. ||Impacts were significant across the area. The ice accumulations in the Suwannee River Valley were enough to cause numerous power outages, especially in Lafayette county. Due to recent cold temperatures, ice also accumulated on numerous bridges and overpasses, resulting in a large section of I-10 being closed from Leon county eastward into the Suwannee Valley. In Georgia, all bridges and overpasses in the city of Valdosta were closed due to icy conditions. Around 105 accidents were reported in Lowndes county during the event, which is the most local officials could ever remember occurring in the county during one day.

Scattered afternoon thunderstorms developed in an environment of high instability favorable for microbursts. A cluster of storms developed across the Florida peninsula and moved northwestward into southern Georgia with several trees and power lines blowing down.

A squall line developed in southern Georgia and became severe as it moved eastward near the Valdosta area and surrounding counties. Several trees and power lines were blown down, including a couple on I-75.

An upper level shortwave moving east across the Gulf coast states encountered an unstable airmass with fairly high delta thetae values favorable for downbursts. Several areas of tree and power line damage occurred.

Thunderstorm winds on the 25th downed trees and power lines around Lakeland and north of Valdosta. One home was damaged from a fallen tree.

Severe thunderstorms produced damage to trees, power lines, and several structures across portions of southwest and south central Georgia.