A tornado reportedly touched down in Cobb County and northwest Atlanta Nov. 30, triggering warnings in Buckhead, Brookhaven, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs. Authorities in those areas say they had no immediate reports of major damage.
A tornado in Buckhead was later confirmed by the National Weather Service, which rated its damage as on the low end of its “EF-Scale.”
Tornado warning sirens sounded following a report around 1:40 p.m. of a funnel touchdown and damage near the Six Flags amusement park in Cobb County. Shortly afterward, the National Weather Service and various meteorologists reported apparent debris in the air around Cobb’s Vinings area and the Riverside area of Buckhead. Radar images then showed a possible tornado passing over the areas of Buckhead and Brookhaven, though it was not clear whether any funnel touched the ground.
The Atlanta Police Department said they had reports of a tornado touchdown in northwest Atlanta, but no specific reports from Buckhead. DeKalb County government and the cities of Brookhaven, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs said they had no immediate reports of tornado touchdowns or major damage beyond some fallen trees and downed power lines.
Brian Moote, a comedian and radio host, tweeted a short video, which he said was shot by a friend, appearing to show small debris swirling in the air, but no funnel cloud, in the Buckhead Forest area between Roswell Road and Mathieson Drive.
The Lovett School, which meteorologists said was near the reported tornado, saw no damage, according to school spokesperson Courtney Fowler.
“We did get a significant amount of rain, but there has been no damage to the campus (nor did we see any funnel or high winds),” said Fowler in an email. Everyone on campus took shelter and stayed safe, she said.
The DeKalb and Fulton school systems delayed dismissals during the storm threat.