The Palm Sunday Outbreak of March 27, 1994: It was a devastating day across the South. Per the SPC, there were 29 tornadoes across 5 states: Texas, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. 7 were rated F3 and 2 were rated F4.
This summary will review the most deadly tornado of the outbreak (and the deadliest for 1994).
An F4 moved 50 miles through St. Clair, Calhoun and Cherokee Counties in Alabama and lifted just over the Georgia state line in Floyd County.
The max width was 880 yards. There were 150 injuries reported and 22 fatalities. Most of the fatalities occurred at the Goshen United Methodist Church in Cherokee County, AL. Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes shared the following from Tim Marshall, a member of the NWS survey team. He stated in the May-June 1994 issue of Stormtrack Magazine, “The steep gable roof (of the church) acted like a sail to catch the wind…the heavy timber roof lifted slightly and shifted, then the sanctuary walls and the roof fell in unison to the north. Church members were caught without warning. The walls had no intervening columns or lateral braces. As a result, falling masonry crushed persons in the southern half of the sanctuary. A long hallway next to the sanctuary could have provided safe haven, as it remained untouched.”
We also have a summary for the 2nd F4 of the day that traveled through parts of North GA. Read that here.
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