Lightning Strikes in Georgia, May 19, 2001

Name: Lightning Strikes in Georgia, May 19, 2001
Start: 2001-05-19T11:00
End: 2001-05-19T17:00
Location: Georgia

May 19, 2001 · NWS FFC · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

4 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 8
Property damage: $575,000
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 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 May 19, 9:05 AM EST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 19, 9:05 AM EST, 1 hour 55 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1005 AM EDT SAT MAY 19 2001

CURRENTLY IR SHOWS SHORT WAVE OVER NRN AL. SYSTEM THE LEADING EDGE
OF THE MOISTURE HAS MOVED INTO NW GA AND THE REMAINDER SHOULD COVER
MOST OF NORTHERN GA BY 21Z. WILL MAKE SOME CHANGES IN THE WORDING
FOR THIS AFTERNOON IN THE ZFP...BUT NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES SHOULD BE
ANTICIPATED WITH THIS UPDATE.

LOOKING AT THE LATEST RAOBS FROM BHM AND FFC... CAPES AND LIS
SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR A FEW STRONG TO PSBL SVR TSTMS LATER THIS
AFTERNOON MAINLY FM ATL NORTH TO TN-GA BOARDER. THE FACTOR LACKING
MAY BE IS THERE ENOUGH MOISTURE.

.ATL...
GA...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 19, 5:15 AM EST, 5 hours 45 minutes before

GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086
089>098-102>113-191500-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
615 AM EDT SAT MAY 19 2001

...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

.SYNOPSIS...
A COLD FRONT OVER THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WILL MOVE INTO GEORGIA
TONIGHT. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL BRING
INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE AIR OVER THE STATE.

.PRIMARY HAZARD...
THE PRIMARY HAZARD WILL BE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS FROM SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MOST OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA.

.DISCUSSION...
A STRONG UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE WILL BE MOVING ACROSS THE STATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. AT THE SURFACE...DEW POINTS ARE EXPECTED TO
BE IN THE 60S. THIS WILL RESULT IN MODERATE CAPES OF 1000 TO 1500.
WITH RELATIVELY DRY AIR AT THE MIDDLE LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE...
STRONG DOWNBURST WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGER STORMS. THE
STORMS SHOULD BEGIN BY EARLY AFTERNOON AND WILL LIKELY CONTINUE INTO
THE EVENING HOURS. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT SHOULD BE MINIMAL
AFTER MIDNIGHT AS THE UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS MOVE EAST OF THE STATE.

.FOR SPOTTERS...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.

&&
FOR THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK AND OTHER WEATHER
INFORMATION...PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/FFC.

Special weather statement, May 19, 10:08 AM EST, 52 minutes before

GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-
089>098-102>113-192115-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1108 AM EDT SAT MAY 19 2001

...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT...

.SYNOPSIS...
AT THE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL PERSIST. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL
BRING INCREASING MOISTURE. ALOFT A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE
ACROSS THE STATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...BRINGING INCREASING
INSTABILITY.

.PRIMARY HAZARD...
ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER MOST OF NORTH AND
CENTRAL GEORGIA. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME
SEVERE...WITH THE PRIMARY THREAT OF DAMAGING WINDS. THE BEST CHANCE
OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE WEST OF A BLUE RIDGE TO
ATLANTA TO AMERICUS LINE.

.DISCUSSION...
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP TODAY ACROSS PARTS OF
NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA...AS DAYTIME HEATING WILL COMBINE WITH
INCREASING MOISTURE AND DECREASING INSTABILITY ALOFT. THIS WILL LEAD
TO GREATER INSTABILITY. DEWPOINTS ARE EXPECTED TO RISE INTO THE MID
60S ACROSS WEST GEORGIA. CAPE WILL BE INCREASING TO THE 1000 TO 1400
RANGE. HELICITY VALUES ARE FORECAST TO BE IN THE 100 TO 200 RANGE.
THIS WILL POSSIBLY LEAD TO ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT...WITH WINDS ABOVE 55 MPH BEING THE MAIN POTENTIAL
THREAT. HAIL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE.

.FOR SPOTTERS...
SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL SHOULD MONITOR
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE READY FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION.

&&
FOR THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK AND OTHER WEATHER
INFORMATION...PLEASE VISIbT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/FFC.

The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:01 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Cobb

When: May 19, 11:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Cobb County, Countywide
Property damage: $300,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 33.942, -84.577 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Marietta Daily Journal reported that 8 homes were struck by lightning during the afternoon and early evening as several thunderstorms moved through the county. Two of the strikes resulted in fires. Moderate to heavy damage was sustained to two homes, one on Shamrock Trail in Smyrna at 3:49 pm EDT and the other on Cobblewood Drive in the Bristlewood subdivision of Kennesaw, shortly thereafter. No injuries were reported in any of these instances.

Lightning, Cobb

When: May 19, 11:20 AM EST
Where: Cobb County, 3 mi NNW of Mt Bethel
Injuries: 8 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 33.942, -84.577 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, as well as the Marietta Daily Journal, reported that 8 people were struck and injured by lightning. These people were part of a group of 20 people having a picnic at Lake Bishop in northeast Cobb county. The people were injured when lightning struck a pine tree under which they had sought shelter during a strong thunderstorm.

Lightning, Gwinnett

When: May 19, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Gwinnett County, 6 mi ESE of Snellville
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 33.962, -84.024 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that lightning struck and ignited a fire at a home in extreme southeast Gwinnett county near the Walton county border and the town of Loganville.

Lightning, Fulton

When: May 19, 3:09 PM EST
Where: Fulton County, 5 mi SE of Sandy Spgs
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 33.790, -84.467 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that lightning struck a two-story brick house on Crestwicke Trace and set it on fire. The home was destroyed by the fire which lasted for around two hours.

What these are

Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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: 5245293, 5245292, 5245295, 5245294.