Drought in Georgia, May 1 to 31, 2001

Name: Drought in Georgia, May 1 to 31, 2001
Start: 2001-05-01T00:00
End: 2001-05-31T23:59
Location: Georgia

May 1 to 31, 2001 · NWS CHS · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

The month began with much of southeast Georgia in mild to moderate drought. However, as the dry spell continued, the drought worsened.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: 16

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 CHS wrote it up.

The month began with much of southeast Georgia in mild to moderate drought. However, as the dry spell continued, the drought worsened. Much of the area experienced moderate to severe drought conditions by the end of the month. For the month, the Savannah Airport only received .36 inches of rain, a deficit of 3.73 for the month, which was typical for the area. The deficit for the year is now 6 to almost 10 inches for portions of southeast 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 Charleston, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 30, 8:05 PM EST, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 8:05 PM EST, 3 hours 55 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
905 PM EDT MON APR 30 2001

HIGH PRES RDGG ACRS CWA ON 00Z MSAS SFC MAP. WNDS GENERALLY E-SE BUT
SHD BCM NE OVRNT BUT RMN LGT. FEW IF ANY SWRS ACRS CSTL WATERS ON
88D. STILL SOME HIGH CLDS ON IR STLT LOOP MNLY ALNG CSTL SXNS INTO
CNTRL GA ZNS...BUT TENDING TO MOV E AND DISSIPATING.

SINCE SWRS DID NOT MATERIALIZE ALNG CSTL GA ZNS...PLAN ON UPDATING
TO REMOVE THOSE. WL GO PTLY CLDY FOR CSTL ZNS AND MSTLY CLR INLAND.
CRNT TEMPS IN MID 60S...WTH DEWPTS IN LWR-MID 50S. MAY ADJUST TEMPS
JUST A TAD...BUT APPEAR TO BE OK FOR NOW.

CWF...WNDS AND SEAS HV BEEN SLOLY DMNSHG OVR LAST FEW HRS. WNDS MNLY
E-NE AT ARND 10 KT AND SEAS 4-5 FT...5 FT AT GRAYS REEF ATTM.
SABSOON TOWER BEEN UNAVAILABLE SINCE 4/23 ON INTERNET. PG TENDING TO
SLACKEN...SO PLAN ON TAKING SCEC DOWN FOR WATERS. MAY KEEP UP FOR
20-60 NM GA WATERS. WL DECIDE BY PRESS TIME...BUT WOULD BE FOR SEAS.

.CHS...
GA...NONE.
SC...NONE.

EVT

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Bulloch

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Bulloch forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 32.397, -81.743 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Candler

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Candler forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 32.403, -82.074 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Coastal Bryan

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Coastal Bryan forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Coastal Chatham

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Coastal Chatham forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Coastal Liberty

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Coastal Liberty forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Coastal McIntosh

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Coastal McIntosh forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Effingham

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Effingham forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 32.367, -81.341 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Evans

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Evans forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 32.157, -81.887 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Inland Bryan

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Inland Bryan forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Inland Chatham

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Inland Chatham forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Inland Liberty

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Inland Liberty forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Inland McIntosh

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Inland McIntosh forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Jenkins

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Jenkins forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 32.793, -81.963 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Long

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Long forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 31.753, -81.746 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Screven

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Screven forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 32.751, -81.612 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Tattnall

When: May 1, 12:00 AM EST to May 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Tattnall forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 32.046, -82.058 (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

Every storm in Georgia in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Georgia, May 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: 5244280, 5244281, 5244282, 5244283, 5244284, 5244285, 5244286, 5244287, 5244288, 5244289, 5244290, 5244291, 5244292, 5244293, 5244294, 5244295.