Georgia, 1997

Flooding in Georgia, December 24 to 28, 1997

December 24 to 28, 1997 · NWS FFC · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

Rainfall amounts of 3 to 4 inches on the 24th fell on already saturated ground in central Georgia. Other showers fell over the area into the 26th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 13 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$200,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS FFC wrote it up.

Rainfall amounts of 3 to 4 inches on the 24th fell on already saturated ground in central Georgia. Other showers fell over the area into the 26th. Street flooding was common with some roads damaged and others closed. Runoff caused flooding along the Flint. Ocmulgee, and Oconee rivers in central Georgia. Residents along rivers evacuated their homes in some areas as flood waters threatened. The rivers rose to their highest levels since the 1994 flood, although they were still approximately 10 feet lower than that event. Rivers continued above flood stage for several more days after the rains had ended. Monthly rainfall amounts totaled 8 to 10 inches across much of central Georgia.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Baldwin

When
December 24, 2:00 PM EST to December 28, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Baldwin forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
33.069, -83.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Bibb

When
December 24, 2:00 PM EST to December 28, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Bibb forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
32.807, -83.698 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Peach

When
December 24, 2:00 PM EST to December 28, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Peach forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
32.569, -83.827 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Taylor

When
December 24, 2:00 PM EST to December 28, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Taylor forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
32.556, -84.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Bleckley

When
December 24, 2:00 PM EST to December 28, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Bleckley forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
32.434, -83.328 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Laurens

When
December 24, 2:00 PM EST to December 28, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Laurens forecast zone
Property damage
$20,000
Coordinates
32.464, -82.922 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Pulaski

When
December 24, 2:00 PM EST to December 28, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Pulaski forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
32.232, -83.476 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Dodge

When
December 24, 2:00 PM EST to December 28, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Dodge forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
32.172, -83.168 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Crisp

When
December 24, 2:00 PM EST to December 28, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Crisp forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
31.923, -83.768 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Wilcox

When
December 24, 2:00 PM EST to December 28, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Wilcox forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
31.973, -83.432 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Telfair

When
December 24, 2:00 PM EST to December 28, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Telfair forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
31.930, -82.939 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Montgomery

When
December 24, 2:00 PM EST to December 28, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Montgomery forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
32.173, -82.535 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Wheeler

When
December 24, 2:00 PM EST to December 28, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Wheeler forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
32.117, -82.725 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Georgia in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, December 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5620135, 5620136, 5620137, 5620138, 5620139, 5620140, 5620141, 5620142, 5620143, 5620144, 5620145, 5620146, 5620147.