Name: Damaging Winds in Georgia, December 17, 2001
Start: 2001-12-17T19:26
End: 2001-12-17T20:22
Location: Georgia

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 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 Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 17, 3:25 PM EST, 4 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 17, 3:25 PM EST, 4 hours 1 minute before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
325 PM EST MON DEC 17 2001

SHORT WAVE WITH COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH TONIGHT. A GOOD SHOT OF
MOISTURE MAINLY AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. MODELS KEEP ATMOSPHERE
FAIRLY STABLE. H5 TEMPS ARE WARMER THAN PREVIOUS RUNS WITH TEMPS
ONLY -11/-12. SO WILL NOT INCLUDE MENTION OF THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT
THIS PACKAGE. WITH SOUTHERLY FLOW AHEAD OF FRONT AND DECENT MIXING
OVERNIGHT...WILL GO ABOVE MOS LOW TEMPERATURES TONIGHT. MID 50S
INSTEAD OF NEAR 50. PREFER LIKELY POPS FOR SHOWERS UNTIL CLOSE TO
MIDNIGHT. ATMOSPHERE DRIES OUT BEHIND FRONT FOR TUESDAY.
TEMPERATURES STILL IN THE MID 60S FOR HIGHS AS COLDER AIR LAGS.
COLDER AIR BY WEDNESDAY. ANOTHER WEAKER SHORT WAVE THURSDAY TO
REINFORCE COOL AIR. MODELS INDICATE THIS COLD FRONT WILL BE A DRY
ONE.

EXTENDED FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY.
HIGH PRESSURE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WITH MORE SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES.
UPPER LOW CUTS OFF SUNDAY AND MONDAY EAST OF THE GREAT LAKES AS
PATTERN CHANGES FROM RIDGE IN EAST TO TROUGH. SHOWERS LATE SUNDAY
AND ANOTHER COLD FRONT MONDAY.

FCSTID = 7
CAE   56  65  38  64 /  70   0   0   0
AGS   54  65  37  65 /  70   0   0   0
SSC   56  65  38  64 /  70   0   0   0
OGB   56  66  39  66 /  70   0   0   0

.CAE...
GA...NONE.
SC...NONE.

TTH

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 119 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:23 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia

When: December 17, 7:26 PM EST
Where: Columbia County, Appling
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 33.550, -82.317

Sheriff reported trees down on Ray Owning road in Appling.

Thunderstorm Wind, Richmond

When: December 17, 8:10 PM EST
Where: Richmond County, Ft Gordon
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 33.383, -82.133

SKYWARN spotter reported powerlines and large branches down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia

When: December 17, 8:22 PM EST
Where: Columbia County, Martinez
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 33.517, -82.083

SKYWARN spotter reported powerlines and large branches down.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Georgia in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5274955, 5274956, 5274957.