Update: Confirmed tornadoes cause damage in North Florida, South Georgia

Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat
·2 min read

Friday morning update

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee confirmed three tornadoes touched down Wednesday night and Thursday in North Florida and South Georgia.

An EF0 tornado with peak winds of 85 mph touched down at 8:54 p.m. Wednesday just north of New River Primitive Campsite 8 in Tates Hell State Forest and snapped trees before lifting up two minutes later. At 9:36 p.m., a second tornado rated as an EF1 with peak winds of 90 mph touched down near a home off Smith Creek Road, causing damage to the roof and knocking down trees. It was on the ground for one minute.

Around 5:30 a.m. Thursday, a third tornado touched down southwest of Doerun in Colquitt County, damaging two homes and a cotton gin facility. The EF2 tornado had peak winds of 120 mph and was on the ground for about five minutes, the Weather Service said.

Thursday morning update

Reported tornadoes ripped down trees and damaged at least one home in North Florida on Wednesday night and heavily damaged a cotton mill in South Georgia early Thursday.

No injuries or deaths were reported.

Tornadoes were reported in Franklin, Liberty and Wakulla counties in Florida and Colquitt County in Georgia, according to the National Weather Service in Tallahassee. There were reports of uprooted trees from near Carrabelle to just north of Crawfordville, with damage to at least one home near Sopchoppy.

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The Mobley Gin Co., in Doerun, Georgia, took heavy damage from a suspected tornado in the early morning hours of Dec. 15, 2022. No injuries were reported
The Mobley Gin Co., in Doerun, Georgia, took heavy damage from a suspected tornado in the early morning hours of Dec. 15, 2022. No injuries were reported

In the small town of Doerun, Georgia, the Mobley Gin Company was reduced to a twisted wreck of metal. At least one nearby house also was damaged.

Norma Sue Jerge, who lives near the damaged Georgia cotton gin, commented on the Doerun Police Department Facebook post that she “said my prayers this morning.”

“I am so thankful for this day,” she said. “This gin (is) maybe a quarter mile from my house, and I have no damage to my house or other property except an oak tree that is now in half.”

Kelly Godsey, meteorologist with the Weather Service in Tallahassee, said survey crews will investigate the damage today and confirm whether it was caused by tornadoes.

The reported tornadoes were the product of a potent storm system that spawned numerous twisters over the past few days across the South, damaging and destroying homes and businesses and killing at least three people.

“So far, compared to the damage you’re hearing about back in New Orleans or ... Texas, nothing that we’ve heard in our region is near as intense as that,” Godsey said.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com and follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee weather: Confirmed tornadoes cause damage in North Florida