Georgia, 2001

Flooding in Georgia, March 3, 2001

March 3, 2001 · NWS FFC · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Heavy rain and thunderstorms persisted across the west central Georgia area throughout the afternoon and early evening forcing creeks and rivers out of their banks and flooding roads in many areas. 75 inches at Thomaston in Upson county for some of the heavier observed amounts.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
4

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.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms persisted across the west central Georgia area throughout the afternoon and early evening forcing creeks and rivers out of their banks and flooding roads in many areas. Rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches were common throughout the region, with 24 hour amounts of 5.98 inches being reported from Preston in Webster county and 5.75 inches at Thomaston in Upson county for some of the heavier observed amounts. Local Emergency Management Personnel and various county/city newspapers reported many problems. In Muscogee county, a few streets were closed because of high water and the Chattahoochee Riverwalk was flooded as the Chattahoochee river rose to 28 feet, which is within 6 feet of flood stage. In Americus in Sumter county, several homes were flooded and some roads were blocked as water became so deep that cars could not pass safely. In Upson county, flooding of the Ten Mile Creek about 3 miles northeast of Thomaston resulted in the evacuation of 2 homes. Several streets were closed in the city of Thomaston because of high water. The Potato Creek in northeast Upson county was also reported to be at bankfull and was threatening some homes as well. In the extreme southern part of Pike county, near the Upson county border, water was flowing over the dam of a small lake on Weems Road.

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 Atlanta, GA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 3, 9:00 PM EST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 3, 9:00 PM EST, 0 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
900 PM EST SAT MAR 3 2001

EQUIPMENT/SOFTWARE PROBLEMS OCCUR JUST WHEN THEY ARE NEEDED
COMPLICATING FACTORS AS USUAL.

AT ANY RATE...LOTS GOING ON THIS EVENING TO SAY THE LEAST. NEW WW47
TORNADO WATCH JUST ISSUED FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN PART OF FFC CWA
AND SOUTHWARD TO FL BORDER.  NONETHELESS...MAIN THREAT FOR FFC CWA
HAS NOT BEEN SEVERE WEATHER...BUT HEAVY RAIN.  SOME REPORTS OF
CREEKS RISING OUT OF THEIR BANKS IN UPSON COUNTY CAUSING A COUPLE OF
HOMES TO BE EVACUATED.

MAIN AREA OF PCPN MOVING THROUGH WESTERN PART OF CWA NOW...WITH
MAINLY ELEVATED CONVECTION NORTH OF CSG-MCN. MORE SIGNIFICANT
CONVECTION SOUTH OF CSG-MCN...AND EVEN THEN MAINLY SOUTH OF CWA.  AS
OF 9 PM...FFC HAS NOT ISSUED ANY SVR/TOR...AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY
WIND DAMAGE OR HAIL REPORTS TO THIS POINT. QUICK LOOK AT MODELS
INDICATES THAT MAIN ACTIVITY WILL MOVE THROUGH CWA BETWEEN NOW AND
09Z...THEN DRY SLOT SHOULD TAKE OVER EXCEPT IN EXTREME NORTH BY 09Z.

WILL ISSUE NEW SET OF ZONES NOW TO GET WATCH OUT.  DO NOT PLAN ON
MAKING ANY OTHER CHANGES AT THIS TIME.  WILL LET FFA CONTINUE UNTIL
MIDNIGHT AND THEN RE-EVALUATE NEED TO EXTEND FFA FURTHER...WHICH AT
THIS POINT I AM INCLINED NOT TO DO...BUT WILL DECIDE ON THAT LATER.

.ATL...
GA...TORNADO WATCH EXTREME S PORTION OF CWA.
GA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST WEST CENTRAL ZONES
     GAZ066>067...GAZ069...GAZ078>080...GAZ089>093...GAZ102>104.

RAB

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Muscogee

When
March 3, 9:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where
Muscogee forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
32.510, -84.877 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Pike

When
March 3, 9:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where
Pike forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
33.092, -84.389 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Sumter

When
March 3, 9:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where
Sumter forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
32.040, -84.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Upson

When
March 3, 9:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where
Upson forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
32.881, -84.299 (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 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5238735, 5238869, 5238870, 5238871.