The twister, with wind speeds of up to 90 mph, touched down at 6:55 p.m. on Friday, May 2, 2025, northwest of Gainesville. It cut a path 2.75 miles long and 150 yards wide.
According to the National Weather Service, the tornado was on the ground for nine minutes, ending at 7:04 p.m. southeast of Murrayville.
The brief tornado traveled mainly over water between coves and bluffs along Lake Lanier. Much of the damage was to trees that snapped or were uprooted.
The NWS says a “rogue mini-supercell” produced the tornado, which was captured on video by numerous eyewitnesses as it crossed over Lake Lanier. The tornado churned so quickly that the NWS did not issue a warning. Hall County Emergency Management, however, did activate tornado sirens after calls about the twister started pouring into E-911.
“There were several structures that received damage from trees falling, along with several docks that were reported to have been flipped over or damaged. No injuries were reported,” says Hall County Emergency Management & Homeland Security Director Zach Brackett.
Damage survey
The National Weather Service performed a damage survey of the area on Saturday. The assessment shows the tornado first caused damage near Thompson Bridge Road/Highway 60 and Lakewood Baptist Church, where it snapped at least 10-15 large trees.
The tornado then crossed over Thompson Bridge Road and impacted an apartment complex, downing trees along North Cliff Colony Drive. It then moved over Lake Lanier, where numerous people recorded it on video.
After crossing the lake, the tornado touched down near the west end of Basin Road, snapping and uprooting several more trees. It continued north, mostly over water and an uninhabited bluff, until it caused “significant damage” in the Bluffs area along Cochran Road and Willow Trace. Here, at least five to seven homes had large trees snapped or uprooted, but no structural damage was reported.
Based on the tree damage in the Bluffs area, NWS officials say they are confident that the peak wind speeds were around 90 mph.
