Severe Storms Sweep Southwestern Georgia and Southeast Alabama
Fast-moving thunderstorms packing 60 mph wind gusts and tornado warnings swept through 15 Georgia counties and four Alabama counties on the night of June 18.
BLAKELY, GEORGIA — Severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings struck southwestern Georgia and southeastern Alabama on the evening of June 18. The National Weather Service offices in Tallahassee, Florida, and Peachtree City, Georgia, issued multiple alerts as fast-moving storm systems threatened communities across the region.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning Covers Multiple Counties
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning at 9:42 p.m. EDT on June 18, effective until 11:00 p.m. EDT. The warning covered a broad stretch of counties in both states, including southern Dale County, Henry County, Geneva County, and Houston County in southeastern Alabama, along with Clay County, southern Randolph County, western Calhoun County, and Early County in southwestern Georgia.
At 9:42 p.m. EDT, radar showed severe thunderstorms lined up along a corridor extending from 6 miles northwest of Abbeville to near Midland City to 8 miles east of Florala. The storms were tracking eastward at 45 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
The primary hazard associated with the storms was wind gusts up to 60 mph, with forecasters warning that residents should expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees. Communities in the warning zone included Daleville, Abbeville, Cottonwood, Fort Gaines, Blakely, Geneva, Headland, Dothan, Hartford, Taylor, Midland City, Kinsey, Ashford, Slocomb, Samson, Cowarts, Edison, and Newton.
Tornado Warning Issued Near Eatonton
Earlier in the evening, the National Weather Service in Peachtree City issued a Tornado Warning at 9:02 p.m. EDT, valid until 9:15 p.m. EDT, for an area near Eatonton in central Georgia. Radar detected rotation in a severe thunderstorm located near Resseaus Crossroads, approximately 8 miles south of Eatonton, moving northeast at 40 mph.
The warning identified flying debris, damage to mobile homes, roofs, windows, and vehicles, and tree damage as likely impacts. Locations cited in the warning included Eatonton, Resseaus Crossroads, Plant Harlee Branch, and Warfield.
A second tornado warning was issued by NWS Tallahassee at 9:09 p.m. EDT for portions of southwestern Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, but that warning was allowed to expire at 9:15 p.m. EDT after the triggering storm weakened below severe limits. The National Weather Service noted the storm “no longer appears capable of producing a tornado.”
Tornado Watch Covers 15 Central Georgia Counties
Tornado Watch 354, issued by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, remained in effect until 11:00 p.m. EDT on June 18 for 15 counties across central and east-central Georgia. The watch covered Baldwin, Bleckley, Crisp, Dodge, Dooly, Houston, Laurens, Pulaski, Putnam, Twiggs, Wilcox, and Wilkinson counties in central Georgia, along with Hancock, Johnson, and Washington counties in east-central Georgia.
Cities included within the watch area were Abbeville, Cochran, Cordele, Dublin, Eastman, Eatonton, Hawkinsville, Jeffersonville, Milledgeville, Sandersville, Sparta, Toomsboro, Vienna, Warner Robins, and Wrightsville. A separate Tornado Watch issued by NWS Tallahassee also remained active until 11:00 p.m. EDT for the Florida Panhandle and southwestern Georgia.
Residents in affected areas were urged to seek shelter immediately and stay away from windows during the watches and warnings. The National Weather Service advises that tornado watches mean conditions are favorable for tornado development, while warnings indicate a tornado has been detected by radar or reported by spotters.
