Saturday’s Paulding County Tornado was rated by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City Georgia as a high end EF-1 tornado with maximum winds 105-110 mph.
The tornado was on the ground for 11.64 miles and it was 200 yards at its widest point. The tornado first touched down at 11:41pm and lifted at 11:53pm Saturday; it was on the ground for 12 minutes.
The worst damage was located in the Winndale Road area near US-278 and GA-61, as trees fell on numerous homes and powerlines.
[ [MORE: Confirmed EF-1 Tornado causes extensive damage in Paulding County] ]
In the midst of the damage, a local iconic landmark was toppled by the storm.
The “Big Mike: Muffler Man with Wrench” statue took a tumble during yesterday’s tornadic storm in Dallas, Georgia.
“Big Mike” stood 20 feet tall at the corner of Highway 278 and GA 61 (Nathan Dean Road and Jimmy Campbell Pkwy). He and the nearby “Dallas Crossing” marquis sign collapsed during the storm.
Below is additional information from the National Weather Service’s Public Information Statement.
NOUS42 KFFC 170050
PNSFFC
GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-
089>098-102>113-171300-
Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Peachtree City GA
850 PM EDT Sun Mar 16 2025
...NWS Damage Survey for 03/15/2025 Tornado Event...
..Paulding County Georgia Tornado...
Rating: EF1
Estimated Peak Wind: 110 mph
Path Length /statute/: 11.64 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 200 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: 03/15/2025
Start Time: 11:41 PM EDT
Start Location: 3 N New Georgia / Paulding County / GA
Start Lat/Lon: 33.8582 / -84.8734
End Date: 03/15/2025
End Time: 11:53 PM EDT
End Location: 1 S Cross Roads / Paulding County / GA
End Lat/Lon: 33.9922 / -84.7564
Survey Summary:
An EF1 tornado with maximum winds of 105 to 110 mph touched down
in central Paulding County on March 15, 2025 at 11:41 PM EST. The
tornado spun up within a strong line of thunderstorms moving
rapidly towards the northeast. The tornado initially touched down
to the southwest of Sudie, GA near Pace Creek Lake, where
multiple large pine trees were downed and an outbuilding was
destroyed. The tornado then tracked northeast where it produced
the initial EF1 rated damage near the intersection of Scoggins
Rd. and Cole Lake Rd. This included numerous large pine trees
downed and power line damage. 2 large pine trees fell on two
homes in the Paces Lake neighborhood. From there the tornado
continued on a northeast track through a mostly forested area
before intersecting Villa Rica HWY near Old Villa Rica Rd. The
tornado paralleled Villa Rica HWY for around 1.5 miles until it
reached the intersection with HWY 278. Damage was most intense
during this phase of the tornado with peak winds estimated in the
105 to 110 range. This included damage to a gas station, numerous
uprooted and topped trees, downed power lines and damage to the
roof of a Kroger grocery store near the intersection of HWY
278 and Villa Rica HWY. After crossing Merchants Dr. the tornado
weakened into the EF0 range as if tracked northeast near Ray
Mountain and into New Hope, GA. Additional EF1 damage was found
just north of New Hope near the intersection of Mount Tabor
Church Rd. and Parkway Ct. Here multiple large trees were
uprooted, a shed was destroyed and several homes were damaged by
falling trees. The tornado then continued towards the northeast
where it caused minor tree and shingle damage in the Reserve
neighborhood. It lifted near the intersection of White Spruce Ln.
and Wood Point Way around 11:53 PM EST. The total number of
structures damaged by the tornado was estimated at 15 by Paulding
Co. EMA.
&&
EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the
following categories:
EF0.....65 to 85 mph
EF1.....86 to 110 mph
EF2.....111 to 135 mph
EF3.....136 to 165 mph
EF4.....166 to 200 mph
EF5.....>200 mph
NOTE:
The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to
change pending final review of the event and publication in
NWS Storm Data.