EF-0 tornado spins across DeKalb County leaving teen trapped in home
This graphic shows stats from a tornado that touched down in DeKalb County on March 15, 2026. (FOX 5 Storm Team)
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A tornado packing 75 mph winds touched down in DeKalb County during severe weather this week, trapping a teen inside his home and narrowly missing another resident in bed, the National Weather Service confirmed on Tuesday.
DeKalb County Tornado Path and Destruction
What we know:
An EF-0 dropped near the Snapfinger community in the woods west of Tarragon Drive around 6:10 a.m.
As it moved, the cyclone uprooted a tree and slammed it into a home on Tarragon Drive, leaving a teenager trapped in the 2nd-floor bedroom, according to the NWS.
Destruction continued as the twister kept spinning, crossing Highway 155 and Highway 212, snapping trees near the intersection of Highway 212 and Framingham Drive.
It then traveled into the Valley Oaks neighborhood, where it continued snapping and uprooting trees, including launching two onto homes along Gracehill Road and Oak Run Drive.
Officials said both homeowners were home when the trees crashed down, and one of them was in bed when the tree narrowly missed hitting them.
As it spun, the twister snapped trees along Salem Road near the intersection of Panola Road before it downed one along Miles E Fowler Parkway, causing roof damage to a home on Salem Springs Place.
The cyclone started to lift across Salem Road near the intersection of Hunters Pace Drive.
"Damage along the entirety of the path of this tornado was intermittent, suggesting that the tornado was consistently regenerating along the path," officials explained.
The tornado traveled about 2.7 miles before dissipating and was 137 yards wide.
Surveyors confirmed the twister led to sporadic tree and roof damage.
The backstory:
The brief touchdown was part of a larger system of severe weather that moved through North Georgia on Monday. The storm line triggered numerous tornado watches and warnings across the region.
RELATED: Damage reported in metro Atlanta after thunderstorms roll through
The Source: Information in this article comes from the National Weather Service.