High Wind in Georgia, March 20, 2001

Name: High Wind in Georgia, March 20, 2001
Start: 2001-03-20T07:00
End: 2001-03-20T15:00
Location: Georgia

March 20, 2001 · NWS GSP · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

Low pressure developed off the coast of the Carolinas and steadily strengthened as it crept up the coastline. As the storm strengthened, abundant moisture was wrapped around the storm and thrown back against the higher terrain of northern Georgia, resulting in locally heavy snow. A tightening pressure gradient over the region resulted in high winds.There were numerous trees and power lines downed during the height of the storm, when estimated winds of around 60 mph were blowing. A dock was torn from a pier on Lake Hartwell.Snowfall was confined to extreme Rabun and Habersham counties. Sky Valley led all northeast Georgia reporting locations with an accumulation of 10 inches. Most other accumulations were in the 2 to 5 inch range.

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 Mar 20, 3:00 AM EST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 3:00 AM EST, 4 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
300 AM EST TUE MAR 20 2001

MAJOR FEATURES OF THE NEXT 24HRS ARE THE INCREDIBLE WARM ADVECTION
IN LOW TO MID LEVELS AND THE STRONG FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE
UPPER JET DIVERGENCE AND MODERATE DIFFERENTIAL VORTICITY ADVECTION.
HEAVY SNOW IS STILL THE PRIMARY CONCERN IN THE HIGH COUNTRY.  HAVE
RESERVATIONS WITH REGARD TO DURATION.  STRONG DYNAMIC COOLING WHICH
CERTAINLY CONTRIBUTE TO EARLY HEAVY SNOW MIGHT NOT BE BE SUSTAINABLE
GIVEN THE MAGNITUDE OF THE WARM ADVECTION.  THIS WOULD PRECLUDE HIGH
SNOW AMOUNTS BELOW ABOUT 3000 FEET.  FURTHERMORE...THE PRECIP MIGHT
TURN TO RAIN BEFORE THE UPPER END OF POTENTIAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS CAN
BE REALIZED.  NONETHELESS...WILL UPGRADE ENTIRE WATCH AREA TO WINTER
STORM WARNING.  06Z GSO SOUNDING REMAINS QUITE WARM.  EVAPORATIVE
COOLING WILL SURELY BRING THICKNESS DOWN BUT IF WARM ADVECTION KICKS
IN BEFORE PRECIP ARRIVES...COULD SEE SIGNIFICANT WARM NOSE IN THE NW
PIEDMONT WHICH WOULD LEAD TO SLEET/FREEZING RAIN LATER TODAY RATHER
THAN SNOW.  STRONG EASTERLY FLOW AROUND 850MB ANYWHERE FROM 45  TO
75KTS...DEPENDING ON MODEL.  EXPECT TO SEE SOME OF THAT AT THE
SURFACE.  WILL ISSUE WIND ADVISORY FOR ALL ZONES NOT IN WINTER STORM
WARNING AND WILL GO WITH HIGH WIND WARNING COUPLED WITH STORM
WARNING.  AND FINALLY...POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS IS PRETTY GOOD
IN SOUTHERN ZONES AND WILL MENTION FROM ELBERT TO CHESTER COUNTIES.

PROLONGED RAIN EVENT MIGHT CAUSE SOME FLOODING BUT DO NOT ANTICIPATE
WIDESPREAD FLOOD THREAT.  RIVERS VERY LOW AND SHOULD BE ABLE TO
HANDLE 3-4 INCHES OF RAIN BUT THIS MUCH COULD CAUSE LOCAL PROBLEMS.
WILL LEAVE FLOOD WATCH ASSESSMENT TO DAY SHIFT.              DELGADO

.GSP...
GA...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR GAZ010-017.
     HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY AND TONIGHT GAZ010-017
     WIND ADVISORY TODAY AND TONIGHT GAZ018-026-028-029.
NC...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR TODAY/TONIGHT NCZ033>035-048>056-058>
     059-062>067.
     HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY/TONIGHT NCZ033-048>053-058>059-062>065.
     WIND ADVISORY TODAY/TONIGHT NCZ036-037-057-069>072-082.
SC...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY/TONIGHT SCZ001>003.
     HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY/TONIGHT SCZ001>003.
     WIND ADVISORY TODAY/TONIGHT SCZ004014-019.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 20, 4:06 AM EST, 2 hours 54 minutes before

GAZ018-026-028-029-NCZ036-037-057-068>072-082-SCZ004>014-019-201600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
406 AM EST TUE MAR 20 2001

...HEAVY RAINFALL TODAY AND EARLY TONIGHT SOUTH AND EAST OF THE
MOUNTAINS...

THE STRONG STORM SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES TODAY
WILL BRING A VARIETY OF WEATHER CONCERNS TO THE WESTERN CAROLINAS
AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA.  ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM TOCCOA
GEORGIA...TO GREENVILLE SOUTH CAROLINA...TO SHELBY AND STATESVILLE
NORTH CAROLINA...ONE OF THE PRIMARY CONCERNS WILL BE HEAVY RAINFALL.

BY EARLY TONIGHT...A NUMBER OF PLACES IN THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT
MAY HAVE RAINFALL OF 2 TO 3 INCHES...WITH SOME LOCALLY HEAVIER
AMOUNTS.  MUCH OF THIS RAINFALL WILL OCCUR OVER A LONG TIME
PERIOD...REDUCING THE THREAT OF FLOODING SOMEWHAT.  HOWEVER...SOME
THUNDERSTORMS COULD OCCUR IN THE PIEDMONT...WHICH COULD CAUSE
RAINFALL RATES TO APPROACH EXCESSIVE LEVELS.

SOME FLOOD PRONE AREAS...SUCH AS THE CHARLOTTE METRO AREA...PARTS OF
GREENVILLE AND SPARTANBURG...AND AREAS FROM GREENWOOD SOUTH
CAROLINA...TO UNION SOUTH CAROLINA...AND MONROE NORTH
CAROLINA...COULD HAVE URBAN FLOOD PROBLEMS BY THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT.

ALONG WITH THE GUSTY WINDS WHICH WILL OCCUR TODAY...THE HEAVY RAIN
COULD LOOSEN WEAKENED TREES...CAUSING THEM TO FALL ACROSS ROADWAYS.

IT IS POSSIBLE THAT FLOOD WATCHES OR WARNINGS CWOULD BECOME NECESSARY
LATER TODAY.

JONES

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Elbert

When: March 20, 7:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Elbert forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.117, -82.840 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Franklin

When: March 20, 7:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.375, -83.229 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Habersham

When: March 20, 7:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Habersham forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.631, -83.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hart

When: March 20, 7:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Hart forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.351, -82.964 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Rabun

When: March 20, 7:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Rabun forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.882, -83.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Stephens

When: March 20, 7:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Stephens forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.554, -83.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Georgia in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Georgia, March 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: 5237927, 5237928, 5237929, 5237930, 5237931, 5237932.