Georgia, 2002

Flooding and Hail in Georgia, July 3, 2002

July 3, 2002 · NWS FFC · 19 events in 12 counties and zones

8 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 3 flood, 2 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
$258,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
19

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 Jul 3, 9:12 AM EST, 4 hours 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 3, 9:12 AM EST, 4 hours 33 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1012 AM EDT WED JUL 3 2002

SATELLITE SHOWS MOST CLOUDINESS OVER THE FAR NORTH...BUT WOULD
EXPECT A DIMINISHING TREND THERE. FEEL PARTLY CLOUDY IS BETTER
DESCRIPTOR FOR TODAY. WILL DO UPDATE FOR MINOR CLOUD TWEAK AND TO
RAISE POPS BY 10 PERCENT OR SO. OTHERWISE CURRENT ZONES REFLECT
CONDITIONS WELL.

DH

.ATL...
GA...NONE.

OUR DETAILED COUNTY FORECASTS ARE AVAILABLE AT FOUS52 KFFC. OUR AREA
FORECAST FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA CITIES IS AVAILABLE AT FLUS42
KFFC.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 3, 10:30 AM EST, 3 hours 15 minutes before
GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-
089>098-102>113-040000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1130 AM EDT WED JUL 3 2002

...SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...

.SYNOPSIS...
WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE OVER NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA
TODAY.

.PRIMARY HAZARD...
THE PRIMARY HAZARD FROM THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL BE LIGHTNING AND
DIME TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL. HOWEVER A FEW STORMS MAY ALSO CONTAIN
DAMAGING WINDS. THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT
WILL BE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

.DISCUSSION...
THE AIRMASS WILL BECOME MORE UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON WITH CAPES OF
2000 TO 2500...AND LIFTED INDICES OF MINUS 3 TO MINUS 4. EVEN THOUGH
THE AREAL EXTENT OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED
...SOME STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF PRODUCING DIME TO QUARTER
SIZE HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS.

.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 VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/FFC.

The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 130 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:46 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 3 flood, 2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Dawson

When
July 3, 1:45 PM EST
Where
Dawson County, 5 mi NW of Emma
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
34.483, -84.150

The Amicalola State Park reported dime size hail.

Hail, Pickens

When
July 3, 2:10 PM EST
Where
Pickens County, Nelson
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
34.383, -84.367

The public reported dime size hail.

Hail, Pickens

When
July 3, 2:30 PM EST
Where
Pickens County, Jasper
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
34.467, -84.417

The public reported dime size hail.

Hail, White

When
July 3, 2:30 PM EST
Where
White County, Sautee
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
34.683, -83.667

The public reported dime size hail.

Hail, Cherokee

When
July 3, 2:50 PM EST to 3:05 PM EST
Where
Cherokee County, Woodstock
Measured
1.5 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
34.100, -84.517

Several reports of hail, ranging in size from nickels to half-dollars, were received from the public.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cherokee

When
July 3, 3:15 PM EST to 3:27 PM EST
Where
Cherokee County, Holly Spgs
Property damage
$3,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
34.167, -84.500

The Cherokee county Emergency Management Director reported that numerous trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Emanuel

When
July 3, 3:19 PM EST
Where
Emanuel County, Swainsboro
Property damage
$500
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
32.600, -82.333

The Emanuel county 911 center reported that two trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cobb

When
July 3, 3:25 PM EST
Where
Cobb County, Kennesaw
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
34.017, -84.617

The Marietta Daily Journal and a tree service company reported that numerous trees were down.

Hail, Cherokee

When
July 3, 3:27 PM EST
Where
Cherokee County, Holly Spgs
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
34.167, -84.500

A storm spotter reported dime size hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cobb

When
July 3, 3:45 PM EST
Where
Cobb County, Smyrna
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
33.883, -84.517

The Marietta Daily Journal and a tree service company reported that numerous trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fulton

When
July 3, 3:50 PM EST
Where
Fulton County, Atlanta
Property damage
$500
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
33.767, -84.400

The Fulton county 911 center reported that two trees were down in Alpharetta and one tree in Atlanta.

Lightning, Cobb

When
July 3, 3:58 PM EST to 4:15 PM EST
Where
Cobb County, Countywide
Property damage
$250,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
33.942, -84.577 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Marietta Daily Journal reported that six homes were struck by lightning. Two of the homes sustained major damage and the residents had to be relocated to alternative housing. No injuries or deaths were reported.

Lightning, Toombs

When
July 3, 3:58 PM EST
Where
Toombs County, Lyons
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
32.122, -82.331 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Advance Progress Newspaper of Vidalia reported that lightning struck and killed a 45-year old man while on a construction site at the Toombs County Middle School on Center Road. The individual was part of a crew of construction workers at the school. While the others had sought shelter in their vehicles during the thunderstorm, the worker killed had returned to the construction site to retrieve some tools. It was while doing this that he was struck and killed by lightning.

Hail, Cobb

When
July 3, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Cobb County, Smyrna
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
33.883, -84.517

The public reported dime size hail.

Flood, Cobb

When
July 3, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Cobb County, Marietta
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
33.942, -84.577 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

AM Radio Station 750 reported that there was water, as much as three feet deep, at the intersection of Delk and Johnson Ferry Road.

Thunderstorm Wind, Gordon

When
July 3, 4:15 PM EST to 4:20 PM EST
Where
Gordon County, Calhoun
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
34.503, -84.876 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Gordon county 911 center reported that some tree limbs were down and the public reported pea size hail.

Flood, De Kalb

When
July 3, 4:22 PM EST
Where
De Kalb County, 2 mi NW of Druid Hills
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
33.772, -84.226 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An amateur radio operator reported street flooding at the Interstate 85 and Shallowford/Clairmont Road exits in the Briarcliff community area.

Hail, Madison

When
July 3, 5:30 PM EST
Where
Madison County, Colbert
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
34.033, -83.217

The public reported dime size hail.

Flood, Jones

When
July 3, 6:47 PM EST
Where
Jones County, 6 mi W of Griswold
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
33.025, -83.560 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An amateur radio operator relayed a report from a local public service radio station that a stopped up drain was causing flooding of U.S. Highway 129 near the Bibb/Jones county line.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Lightning, Toombs2002-07-0345MaleOutside/Open AreasDirect

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, July 2002

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: 5307917, 5307918, 5307919, 5307997, 5307920, 5307922, 5307921, 5307926, 5307923, 5307925, 5307927, 5308001, 5308002, 5307924, 5307998, 5307929, 5307999, 5307928, 5308000.