"It blew my shutters off, and knocked down this big oak." North Wilkes homeowner Ann Dove describes the Fay-spawned tornado that struck just before sundown Tuesday to Assistant EMA Director Jerry Hackney. Tropical depression Faye brought much-needed rain to parched Wilkes County fields, but left only after flinging a nasty pair of funnel clouds Tuesday night that cut a swath of light to moderate damage across the county.

Wilkes Deputy EMA Director Jerry Hackney said that deputies, first responders, and GSP troopers were fanned out across the county from west of Rayle through north Wilkes and on to Elbert County tracking the small but intense storm from the last trailing arm of what was once Tropical Storm Fay.

"I could definitely hear it roar," Hackney said, "especially when I got a little too close." Police and fire observers followed the storm and kept up real-time reporting as the two funnel clouds dropped down, allowing the National Weather Service to broadcast the most accurate and specific warnings possible. "But everybody needs a NOAA weather alert radio," he said. "Otherwise, you're just guessing."

Georgia State Patrol Trooper Brent Marxsen said he watched two distinct funnel clouds and tracked them through the Jackson's Crossroads area, as the radio crackled with other sightings of the tornados as they moved across the landscape, occasionally touching down.

Hackney said that damage seemed limited to branches and trees, fences, and minor damage to the Lem Dove home on the Elberton Highway north of Tignall.

Ann Dove reported that the shutters of her brick home were blown off, and some roof shingles were lost. A large old oak tree in the front yard was badly damaged, "and it knocked over all the tomatoes in my garden," she said. "We were lucky."

Wilkes County cattle ranchers and farmers have welcomed a few days of off-and-on rain as Tropical Storm Fay wandered through the southeast, bringing rain, storms, and tornado warnings to northeast Georgia.

The National Weather Service said the remnants of Fay deluged Georgia Monday and Tuesday and triggered thunderstorms bringing 2 to 4 inches of rain to the Wilkes County area and up to 8 inches in northeast Georgia.

State climatologist David Stooksbury said the rain will improve stream flows, pastures, and slightly raise the levels of the state's major reservoirs such as Clarks Hill Lake, and Lakes Lanier, and Hartwell. "This is definitely what we need," he said. "It will not end the drought. It will make a dent."

As feeder bands of stormy weather passed through the area, tornado warnings were also raised Monday night in extreme northern Wilkes County, then a second warning for the Aonia-Metasville area, as radar picked up rotating thunderstorms. Wilkes County deputies patrolled the areas in question, but found only heavy rain and some wind. There were no reports that night of a tornado touching down or damage to property.