Tornadoes were responsible for damage in Stewart and Upson counties on Sunday, officials with the National Weather Service said Monday afternoon.
A statement from the weather service said the first confirmed tornado out of Sunday’s weather system originated in Alabama, crossed into Stewart County and headed northeastward. Officials said the damage survey crews had found as of Monday afternoon was indicative of an EF-1 tornado.
But the strongest confirmed tornado, an EF-2, was north of Thomaston in Upson County, the weather service said in the statement.
The Enhanced Fujita scale, or EF scale, rates tornadoes based on estimated wind speeds and related damage. An EF-0 tornado has wind speeds of 65 to 85 mph, while an EF-1 usually indicates speeds of 86 to 110 mph. A tornado with speeds of 111 to 135 mph can be given an EF-2 rating.
The highest rating is EF-5, reserved for tornadoes with winds greater than 200 mph.
Tornadoes weren’t the only cause of weather-related damage Sunday. Damage along and near Interstate 85 in Troup County, the weather service said, was the result of thunderstorm wind damage not associated with a tornado.
Officials said they expect to have a more complete investigation into the tornado paths and intensities on Tuesday.
Damage was also reported in at least 18 other counties, including Bibb, Butts, Jones, Monroe and Houston counties.
No serious injuries were reported in Sunday’s storms.
The storms dumped heavy rain across parts of metro Atlanta, including at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where the 2.18 inches recorded was the most rainfall ever on Nov. 23, breaking the old record for the date of 1.85 inches set in 1948.
Other rainfall totals Sunday included 2.21 inches in Peachtree City, 2.12 inches in Dallas, 1.8 inches near downtown Atlanta, 1.61 inches in Alpharetta and 1.43 inches in Marietta.
Storms make way for warmer temps, sunnier skies
The storms had mostly moved out of the state by early Monday, leaving unseasonably warm temperatures in their wake.
Predawn temperatures Monday were in the low 60s across metro Atlanta, about 20 degrees above normal. Channel 2 Action News chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said temps had reached 75 degrees by mid-afternoon, tying a record high set back in 1900.
Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton says cooler temperatures are forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, along with a slight chance of rain.
Minton said highs Tuesday will be in the mid-50s after morning lows in the low 40s. Wednesday’s high of 51 will follow a morning low of 40, she said.
Minton’s Thanksgiving Day forecast is for mostly sunny skies, with lows in the mid-30s and highs in the low 50s.
Mostly sunny skies are also forecast for Friday, along with lows in the low 30s and highs in the mid-50s.
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