COVINGTON, Ga. — EF-2 and EF-1 tornadoes rolled through south Newton at about the same time last week and left more than 100 homes and buildings damaged or destroyed, officials say.

No injuries were reported after at least 15 buildings suffered major damage out of the 100 affected structures in Newton County, said Wendy Patterson of the Newton County Emergency Management Agency.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service issued a report showing two tornadoes Jan. 12 traveled on the ground through roughly the same 2.5-mile-wide area of south Newton County near Jackson Lake at about 5 p.m.

"As a result, the damage area from both in some cases is nearly 2.5 miles across with swaths of more severe damage where the circulation of the actual tornado can be tracked," the report stated.  

"Combined with the severe winds and inflow winds, significant damage was noted all across this region of northern Butts, southern Newton and western Jasper counties and much of the Jackson Lake area."

Patterson said damages to Newton County residences in and near the Stewart community and Jackson Lake ranged from total destruction to removal of some shingles.

"It is difficult to assess the monetary amount at this time because of various factors," she said Wednesday.

The stronger of the two tornadoes was classified as an EF-2 tornado and had peak wind speeds of 130 mph. It apparently was one that caused major damage in Spalding County beginning about 4:30 p.m. before traveling northeast for 32 miles — leaving two people dead and 10 injured. 

The storm's path was eight-tenths of a mile at its widest point. After it crossed into southern Newton County it caused "severe" damage along Parker, Ray and Malcom roads, Quarry Court, Pebble Ridge Drive, Hunters Trace, Campbell Road and Georgia Hwy. 212, the report stated.  

It entered Jasper County near Frank's Restaurant on Hwy. 212 and caused major damage to Bear Creek Marina — where it destroyed several campers before continuing northeast. 

It moved back into Newton and crossed Henderson Mill Road, "snapping and uprooting trees"; and crossed County Line Trail and Georgia Hwy. 11 "before weakening and lifting as it approached Margery Lake" south of Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center about 5:01 p.m., the report stated.  

The second tornado originated southwest of Fincherville in Butts County about 4:50 p.m. Radar data, aerial surveys and ground surveys showed the tornado that traveled through Griffin had enough wind circulation to "regenerate" a tornado after crossing out of Henry County, the NWS reported.

"This tornado was part of a larger mesocyclone which can be traced west all the way back to the Selma, Alabama, tornado which spawned numerous tornadoes during its life cycle."

The path was about a quarter of a mile wide at its maximum point and reached 95 mph — classifying it as an EF-1.

"The storm continued northeast crossing Keys Ferry Road where much of the wind damage became intertwined with the long track tornado to the south of it," the report stated.  

Damage was noted near Parker Road and Hwy. 36, Hwy. 162 and Hwy. 36, and along Hwy. 36 just south of the Yellow River Bridge, it stated.  

The tornado paralleled Hwy. 36 and snapped and uprooted trees from Malcom Road and Hwy. 36, through Stewart Church Road and Heatherstone Way. At the intersection of highways 212 and 36 it destroyed a barn, continued to snap and uproot trees, severely damaged the roof of a car wash.

"Severe tree damage and damage to a greenhouse and a few homes were noted along Stewart Church Road," the report stated. Aerial surveys confirmed the tornado "did not last long after crossing Hwy. 212" and lifted into the sky as it approached the Alcovy River after traveling almost 10 miles.    

"It should be noted that the damage from this tornado is very close to and possibly butting up against the damage area defined by the long track tornado which crossed through the Jackson Lake area," the report stated.  

President Joe Biden declared Newton and six other counties major disaster areas Tuesday, Jan. 17.

The declaration made federal funding available to those affected by the storms and includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover property losses that were uninsured, and other programs to help recovery, numerous Atlanta-are media outlets reported.

Power outages for up to four days were reported in parts of southern Newton County.

Electric crews from Snapping Shoals EMC and 11 other electric membership cooperatives worked from Jan. 12 to Monday, Jan. 16, to repair damage and restore power to thousands in Newton County — finally restoring electric service to the hard-hit Stewart community after a major transmission line was damaged.