(Cleveland)- The storm that did damage in White County this past Saturday was not a tornado, according to the National Weather Service.
Information provided to White County Public Safety Director David Murphy from Dave Nadler, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service indicated that the damage was the result of severe thunderstorm winds of 60-70 miles per hour that translated down to the ground as the storm tracked east across the area.
Nadler said in an email, after reviewing and plotting the damage as well as reviewing radar data, there was no conclusive evidence that the damage was caused by a tornado. The damage that occurred included several trees either snapped or uprooted along with some structural (roof) damage at two chicken houses just south of Hwy. 115 before Duncan Bridge Road.
Nadler did note that with the radar scan it was challenging to determine, in detail, what the winds were doing near the base of the storm when it hit because the lowest tilt/scan for the Peachtree City radar is around 9,000 feet off the ground in southern White County.
Residential, agriculture and business interests were affected by the storm. White County Emergency Management Agency Director David Murphy says the county’s damage assessment team reviewed five structures with minor damage. No injuries were reported.
Multiple local and state agencies responded to the storm and cleanup. Those agencies include the White County Sheriff’s Office, 911, EMA, and Public Works, Cleveland City Fire and Police, the Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Transportation, GEMA, Habersham EMC, and Georgia Power.
