Small tornado hit DeKalb neighborhood, National Weather Service says

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The National Weather Service says preliminary evidence shows the windstorm that toppled trees and damaged homes in a DeKalb County neighborhood Tuesday night was likely a small tornado.

A meteorologist visited the Spring Lake community off Evans Mill Road Thursday afternoon to assess the damage and exclusively spoke with Channel 2′s Tom Regan.

“I looked at radar and based on what I’m seeing here, it looks like we had a brief, tornado touchdown. We had a lot line of severe thunderstorms coming through and this spun up in the line. Very brief, very weak, probably not on the ground for more than likely 30 seconds,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Nadler.

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The tornado may have been relatively weak, but it was frightening to many residents as it plowed through the neighborhood. Jaunita Huntley and her daughter took cover in the basement.

“So I ran to where the basement door is, and when she finally came down, it sounded like an explosion,” Huntley said. “And then the door came into the basement. It knocked the sofa and some other items in the family room and through the deck.”

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The tornado also downed dozens of trees and damaged several homes along Evans Mill Road in Stonecrest.

One resident spent the day cleaning up, still shaken up.

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“This tornado, when it came through, it touched down, devastated part of the neighborhood. Sounded like a train. I said we better run downstairs. Most of the neighbors said they need to run downstairs too. It happened so quick,” they said.

The National Weather Service confirmed two other tornado strikes, one in Coweta County, the other in Heard County.

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