Georgia, 2001

Drought in Georgia, December 1 to 31, 2001

December 1 to 31, 2001 · NWS GSP · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Very little active weather during December signaled that the drought was still present - and becoming critically important to more and more people. Record low ground water supplies, lake levels, and stream flows were reported across all of Northeast Georgia.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 GSP wrote it up.

Very little active weather during December signaled that the drought was still present - and becoming critically important to more and more people. Record low ground water supplies, lake levels, and stream flows were reported across all of Northeast Georgia.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 30, 9:28 PM EST, 2 hours 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 30, 9:28 PM EST, 2 hours 32 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
928 PM EST FRI NOV 30 2001

02Z SFC ANALYSIS PLACES SLOWLY EASTWARD MOVING BNDRY STILL WEST
OF CLT WITH AXIS OF LWR 60S DWPTS & LOW CLDS ACRS MUCH OF THE CAROLINA
PIEDMONT. A QUICK PEEK AT INCOMING 00Z ETA LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT
A CONTINUED BUT GRADUAL MIXING OF DRIER AIR EASTWARD BEHIND BNDRY WILL
OCCUR ACRS MY EASTERN ZONES OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. THEREFORE...
GOING ZFP GENERALLY ON TRACK. WILL PROBABLY MAKE SOME TWEAKS TO
RDF AFTER CHECK OF 10 PM OBS.

FCSTID = 55
GSP   49  73  46  66 /   0   0   0   0
AND   47  73  46  66 /   0   0   0   0
CLT   50  72  46  65 /   0   0   0   0
HKY   46  68  42  61 /   0   0   0   0
AVL   42  67  40  60 /   0   0   0   0

.GSP...
GA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Elbert

When
December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Elbert forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.117, -82.840 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Franklin

When
December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Franklin forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.375, -83.229 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Habersham

When
December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Habersham forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.631, -83.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hart

When
December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Hart forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.351, -82.964 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Rabun

When
December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Rabun forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.882, -83.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Stephens

When
December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Stephens forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.554, -83.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Georgia in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, December 2001

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: 5275784, 5275785, 5275786, 5275818, 5275819, 5275820.