The March 25, 2021 tornado
EF4Heard, Coweta and Fayette counties, Georgia
An EF4 tornado on a 38.6-mile path. It was one of 20 tornadoes recorded in the U.S. that day, 5 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Watch how it happenedEF4 tornado · March 25, 2021
How it happened
Follow the tornado’s path, minute by minute.
The tornado
- Rating
- EF4
- Enhanced Fujita scale
- Path length
- 38.6 mi
- Width up to 1,850 yards
- Killed
- 0
- Along the whole path
- Injured
- 0
- Along the whole path
- Date and time
- Thursday, March 25, 2021
- 10:37 PM EST
The National Weather Service account
Written by the local Weather Service office after its damage survey.
A National Weather Service survey determined that an EF4 tornado with maximum wind speeds 170 MPH and a maximum path width of 1850 yards occurred in Coweta County. The Heard County tornado crossed into Coweta County along Bob Wilson Road and gained strength as it moved east-northeast crossing JD Walton Road and travelled up Smokey Road with trees falling on some homes. Wind speeds quickly increased to over 150 MPH, EF3 intensity, near Timberland Trail on the southwest side of Newnan. Many homes had major damage and one home had all but the back wall collapse. The family survived with no injuries by taking shelter in their bathtub. The tornado continued east-northeast crossing Smokey Road and Belk Road where it reached its maximum intensity of 170 MPH, EF4 intensity, as it entered the western city limits of Newnan. One home at the end of Fairview Drive had all exterior and interior walls removed. Four homes along Arlington Court north of Lagrange St were destroyed with one having all exterior and interior walls removed, but leaving a vehicle nearly untouched in what was the garage. |As the tornado moved east of Boone Drive, it directly struck Newnan High School and the surrounding athletics fields causing broken windows and doors and extensive roof and structural damage. A portion of the second-story brick wall near the front of the main campus building collapsed. One man died after he suffered a heart attack while trying to reach his daughter's home in a heavily damaged neighborhood after the storm had passed and first responders were unable to reach him due to the large amounts of debris in the area. The tornado weaken from this point onward continuing into the southern part of downtown Newnan, passing directly over the county Justice Center and adjacent administrative building which houses the 911 facility. Extensive roof and window damage along with some interior wind and water damage occurred at the facility. Numerous homes continued to receive damage from winds and falling trees as the tornado moved east-northeast crossing E Broad Street and Greison Trail with 120 to 135 MPH wind speeds. The tornado weakened further as it crossed I-85, causing only minor damage to trees and businesses on the southern end of the Ashley Park shopping center and a hospital. The tornado did re-intensify near the Windsong and White Oak neighborhoods around Shenandoah Boulevard and White Oak Drive east of the Newnan city limits, with max winds of 120 MPH. The tornado continued east-northeast weakening again but still producing damage to trees and power lines, some falling on homes as it crossed Sullivan Road and Lora Smith Road before passing over the Thomas Crossroads area. In neighborhoods south of Andrew Baily Road and north of Highway 34, several homes received damage from falling trees. The tornado continued weakening with more sporadic damage to several trees as it continued east-northeast crossing Fisher Road and Minix Road and moving into Fayette County. [3/25/21: Tornado #2, County #2/3, EF-4, Heard, Coweta, Fayette, 2021:007].
The storm system that day
A very moist and moderately unstable airmass over the region combined with strong shear and persistent southwesterly mid and upper flow produced numerous showers and thunderstorms across north and parts of central Georgia through the day on the 25th into the morning of the 26th. Numerous reports of flooding were received with several reports of severe thunderstorms and a few isolated tornadoes. Rainfall amounts of 2.5 to 6 inches were common over north Georgia, with 6 to 8 inches observed over the higher elevations of northeast Georgia.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
Counties on its path
Other notable tornadoes that day
- EF3, Calhoun County6 killed
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Path drawn as a straight line from the recorded start to end point.