The National Weather Service record for Muscogee County lists three tornado events that matter to roofs: an F1 on 13 March 1997, an EF-2 on 1 March 2007 and an EF-2 on 19 April 2009 that crossed from Phenix City. This guide sets out what each did and how a homeowner can use the record after a storm.
Key takeaways
- The F1 of 13 March 1997 first touched down on Martin Luther King Boulevard, where a business was partially deroofed, and it damaged the gymnasium roof at Hardaway High School.
- The EF-2 of 1 March 2007 crossed the north Columbus metro, with its heaviest damage in the 6200 block of Brookstone Boulevard, just north of US 80.
- The EF-2 of 19 April 2009 started in Phenix City, crossed the Chattahoochee River and lifted in the City of Columbus.
- These are the sourced events. This guide does not estimate a return period or a risk for any address.
- A dated record made after any named event is the homeowner's best evidence, and the record of the event is only the starting point.
What happened on 13 March 1997?
An F1 tornado first touched down on Martin Luther King Boulevard, partly deroofing a business, and it damaged the gymnasium roof at Hardaway High School.
The record in the FACTS sheet, drawn from the National Weather Service's Birmingham office, names the first touchdown point and two sets of damage. A business on Martin Luther King Boulevard was partly deroofed, and the gymnasium roof of Hardaway High School was damaged.
For a homeowner the value of that record is the pattern. A roof that was partly removed by wind of that strength shows its damage at the edges and at the decking, and a roofer checks those first.
- Date and rating: 13 March 1997, F1
- First touchdown: Martin Luther King Boulevard
- Damage recorded: a business partly deroofed and a gymnasium roof
What happened on 1 March 2007?
An EF-2 crossed the north Columbus metro, with its heaviest damage in the 6200 block of Brookstone Boulevard, just north of US 80.
The 2007 event crossed the north of the metro, and the heaviest damage recorded is in the 6200 block of Brookstone Boulevard, just north of US 80. The FACTS sheet does not list each roof, so the record is a guide to where the storm was strongest.
A roof in the north metro that is checked after a named storm should be examined for the damage a strong wind leaves behind: lifted covering, displaced decking and bent flashing.
- Date and rating: 1 March 2007, EF-2
- Heaviest damage: 6200 block of Brookstone Boulevard
- Use: check the north-metro roofs for lifted and displaced material
What happened on 19 April 2009?
An EF-2 started in Phenix City, crossed the Chattahoochee River and lifted in the City of Columbus.
The 2009 event is the one that crossed the state line. The National Weather Service record in the FACTS sheet says it began in Phenix City, crossed the river and lifted in the City of Columbus. A homeowner on either side of the river can be in its path, and the record should be checked against the address.
Because the path crosses the state line, a claim on the Alabama side is a different matter from one on the Georgia side, and the insurer should be asked which regulator applies.
- Date and rating: 19 April 2009, EF-2
- Start: Phenix City, Alabama
- End: the City of Columbus, Georgia
How should a homeowner use the record?
Match the address to the path, date the first look, and keep the record with the photographs and the roofer's findings. The event record does not prove damage; the inspection does.
Use the record to ask the right questions. Does the address sit in or near a documented path? Was the storm date in the record the one the homeowner saw? If so, the roofer checks the roof for the damage that event would leave, and records what is found.
The event record is not a finding about the roof. An inspection on the day is the only test of what the storm did to a particular house, and the record of that inspection is what an insurer will ask for.
- Match the address to the documented path
- Check the roof for the damage that event would leave
- Keep the inspection record as the proof
What does the record not say?
It does not say which roofs were damaged, how many, or what any address should expect in future. It is a record of three past events.
The FACTS sheet records three events and their paths, and it does not itemise individual roofs. This guide does not estimate the chance of another event, and it does not state a return period. Past events are a reason to look after a named storm, not a forecast.
Where a detail is missing, the roofer should say so rather than fill it in.
- It is a record of three events, not a forecast
- It does not list individual roofs
- Missing detail is named, not invented
What is the difference between a rating and a path?
The rating says how strong the tornado was, and the path says where it went. A roof's damage depends on both, plus its construction and its exposure.
An F1 or an EF-2 rating is a measure of the wind at its strongest point along the path. The path is the ground the tornado crossed, which can be a few hundred metres wide. A roof at the edge of the path can see less damage than one at its centre, and a roof on the path can see damage at its edges and at its decking.
A homeowner who reads the record should look at both the rating and the place. The record is most useful when it is matched to the address on the path, and the roofer checks the roof for the kind of damage that rating and place would leave.
- Rating: the strength of the wind
- Path: the ground the tornado crossed
- Address: where the roof sits against the path
Why does an old event still matter to a roof?
Because damage from a past storm can still be under the covering, in the decking or in the framing, and it can fail under a later storm or a later sale.
A roof that was damaged by an earlier storm may look sound from the ground for years. Decking that was cracked and not replaced can soften, and flashing that was bent and not reset can open at the next storm. A buyer, an insurer or a roofer may need to know the history, which is why a dated note of any storm repair belongs in the roof file.
The record of the event is the starting point for that note. The roof's own history is the rest of it.
- Hidden decking damage can soften over time
- Bent flashing can open at a later storm
- A dated note of storm repairs belongs in the file
How should a storm record be written for a claim?
With the event named by its date and rating, the address matched to the path, the findings of the inspection, and the source of each date, kept apart from the roofer's opinions.
A claim record is clearer when it separates three things: the event, with its date and rating and the source it came from; the address, with a note of its position against the path; and the findings, with photographs and measurements. The roofer's opinion of what caused each finding is written as an opinion and is not mixed with the facts.
Where the storm date is uncertain, the record says so. An honest uncertainty is better than a date presented as certain, and it is easier to check.
- The event, with its date, rating and source
- The address and its position against the path
- The findings kept apart from the opinions
What questions should a homeowner ask the record?
Whether the address sits on the path, whether the storm date matches the homeowner's own note, and what kind of damage the event would leave on a roof like theirs.
A homeowner who reads the record can ask three questions. Does the address sit on or near a documented path? Does the date in the record match what the homeowner saw? What kind of damage would that event leave on a roof of this type? The answers point the first inspection at the right parts of the roof.
The answers are a guide, not a finding. The inspection on the roof decides what happened.
- Does the address sit on the path?
- Does the date match the homeowner's note?
- What damage would the event leave on this roof?
What the homeowner should carry forward
The event, the date, the source, the address and the findings. Five facts make the history usable for any later repair, claim or sale.
A homeowner who keeps the history should carry five facts forward: the event and its date, the source of that date, the address and where it sits against the path, the findings of the first inspection, and the repairs made since. Those five facts are what a later roofer, buyer or insurer will need, and they fit on a single page.
Review the page when a new event is recorded in the area, and add any new record with its source. A history kept up to date is worth more than one written once and forgotten.
- The event, its date and its source
- The address and its place against the path
- The findings and the repairs made since
Frequently asked questions
Did the tornado hit my street?
The FACTS sheet gives the paths in general terms. Check the address with a roofer and with the National Weather Service record for the date.
Is there a tornado season?
The FACTS sheet does not give a seasonal pattern for Columbus, so this guide does not state one.
Does a past event mean my roof is damaged?
No. The event is a reason to inspect. The inspection decides.
Where do I get the official record?
The National Weather Service's Birmingham office publishes the Columbus records, at weather.gov/bmx.
Sources
This guide is general information for Muscogee County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.