One year later: Remembering the devastating EF-4 tornado that changed Newnan forever

NEWNAN, Ga. — Friday night will mark one year since a devastating tornado traveled dozens of miles and left behind a trail of destruction across three counties.

The National Weather Service confirmed at least three tornadoes touched down in Georgia on March 25-26, 2021.

The worst was a tornado that damaged homes and businesses in Heard, Coweta and Fayette counties. The tornado hit the city of Newnan the hardest with its peak at EF-4 intensity.

Severe Weather Team 2 Chief Meteorologist Glenn Burns and Meteorologist Brad Nitz tracked the storm live on the air as the dangerous situation unfolded.

Nitz said the tornado that hit Newnan was only the 10th EF4/F4 tornado on record in Georgia since records began in 1950.

Channel 2 Action News will have live coverage looking back on the night and how the community is moving forward together.

RELATED STORIES

• Violent EF-4 tornado leaves at least 1 dead, “catastrophic” damage across Newnan
• Newnan tornado was 1 mile wide, had 170 mph maximum wind speed
• Newnan High School takes direct hit from powerful tornado
• RAW: Homes obliterated, high school heavily damaged in Coweta County

NEWNAN TORNADO TIMELINE AND PATH

Heard County, 11:37 p.m.: The tornado first formed near Redland Drive around Ga. 34 in Heard County. Minor damage to trees was reported in the area. The tornado continued on a east-NE path and gained intensity as it crossed into Franklin. The storm severely damaged a few homes and buildings in Franklin.

Coweta County, 11:54 p.m.: The tornado moved east-NE just south of Ga. 34 and crossed into Coweta County. The tornado reached EF-2 level intensity near the Mountain Creek and Woodland Farms neighborhoods. The winds increased to over 150 mph and caused major damage to many homes near Timberland Trail.

The tornado reached its maximum speeds and EF-4 level intensity as it crossed into Newnan city limits. The path width at this point was approximately 1850 yards or just over 1 mile. Four homes on Arlington Court were destroyed. Newnan High School took a direct hit next from the tornado along with the athletic fields and buildings.

The tornado began to weaken but continued to destroy parts of downtown Newnan. Several homes had tree damage near Broad Street and Grieson Trail. The tornado crossed over Interstate 85 and caused minor tree damage to Ashley Park and a cancer treatment hospital.

The tornado picked up intensity once again near Shenandoah Blvd and White Oak Drive. It weakened again but not before it caused trees to fall on homes near the Thomas Crossroads area. Homes south of Andrew Bailey Road also had tree damage.

[RELATED: Newnan man’s home rebuilt with help from community following violent EF4 tornado]

Fayette County, 12:30 a.m.: The tornado finally lifted back off the ground and weakened in Fayette County. A few trees were snapped and construction materials blew away near MacDuff Parkway where homes were being built.

Trees also fell on the railroad tracks near Senoia Road and along Ga. 74 in Kedron Hills neighborhood.

The tornado was on the ground for at least 39 miles, possibly as long as 75 miles. It hit peak winds of 170 mph with a width of 5,550 feet. The tornado stayed on the ground for 53 minutes.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 100

Newnan High School storm damage (Nelson Hicks)

BARRY MARTIN

One man lost his life that night in the tornado. Family said Barry Martin, 56, died of a heart attack, just one day before he was supposed to walk one of his daughters Jordan down the aisle at her wedding.

Family friends said Martin left his car and was trying to get to Jordan’s house, which had been hit by the tornado, when he suffered his heart attack.

However, emergency crews couldn’t make it to him in time because of the debris and power lines blocking the roads.

The father, grandfather, coach and business owner was active and loved in his community.

[RELATED: Father dies day before daughter’s wedding during Newnan tornado]

DAMAGE CLEANUP

One year later, the Newnan community is still picking up the pieces. Channel 2 attended a meeting of city officials on Tuesday night to determine what should be done with several properties damaged by the tornadoes.

The city said they have spent the last year trying to contact some owners to make the fixes to no avail. Now, they have voted to demolish some of those homes.

Community members said at least one of those buildings, an apartment building, is not safe.

“The city’s trying to help them get back to where those structures are contributing to the fabric of our community,” said Newnan City Manager Cleatus Phillips.

Information from the National Weather Service survey was used in this report.

Newnan tornado was 1-mile wide, had 140 mph winds

©2022 Cox Media Group