Drone footage courtesy of the City of Cedartown
The National Weather Service provided more information on Tuesday about the stormy weather that left behind damage on March 25.
It wasn’t a tornado, but instead a violent downburst that wrecked homes, knocked down trees and cut utilities for residents in at least two areas of Polk County last Thursday.
The NWS posted the following information about the downburst:
Damage surveys and close examination of radar data confirm that a signifacant downburst occurred near Cedartown GA beginning at approximately 12:32 PM on Thursday March 25, 2021 resulting in widespread wind damage on the East and Southeast side of town.
The center of the downburst was located in a heavily wooded area east of Main Street and south of HWY 278. Numerous downed trees south of HWY 27 along Tuck Street are snapped or blown down and facing south away from the downburst area. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted along East Point Road north of HWY 278 and are facing north or northwest away from the center of the downburst.
Forward momentum of the storm and strong winds continued east and southeast of HWY 27, snapping and uprooting trees along Lees Chapel Road, Friendly Baptist Road, and Coaling Road in a east or northeast direction. Numerous homes in the area sustained wind damage to their roofs due to downed trees and or shingle damage from the strong winds. A second smaller downburst occurred north of this area, to the west of Cedartown High School and north of East Avenue.
Trees were uprooted facing east-northeast throughout the school property and several air conditioning systems were moved on the roof of the admin building.
In addition, numerous trees were uprooted or snapped in the Northview Cemetery facing southeast away from the second downburst location. A detailed examination of radar data confirms a MARC (Mid Altitude Radial Convergence) signature present at the time of the storm, which is indicative of storms capable of producing a strong downburst.
Along with that information, the NWS added in their report that wind speeds in the storm reached 105 mph, the same as a high-level EF-1 tornado.
A downburst is like a tornado in its impact and damage, but different in its makeup. Instead of winds circulating in a vortex and spinning across the ground on a track, downbursts are essentially localized from a point source and pushes damaging winds downward and out in all directions from a point of contact on the ground.
Essentially, think of what happens when you turn the hose to a jet setting and keep it pointed at one spot. The water sprays from all directions much in the same way a downburst pushes winds out in all directions.
Polk County Public Safety Director Randy Lacey said that at least a half million dollars in damage to local homes and property is estimated at this time, more than 50 homes were damaged, and three were completely destroyed in last week’s storms.
Red Cross is helping out with assistance of those reisdents whose homes were destroyed, along with the Salvation Army and group of volunteers from around the area who aided in cleanup efforts.
