Flooding and Hail in Georgia, March 30 to 31, 2002

Name: Flooding and Hail in Georgia, March 30 to 31, 2002
Start: 2002-03-30T02:15
End: 2002-03-31T18:15
Location: Georgia

March 30 to 31, 2002 · NWS FFC · 18 events in 12 counties and zones

8 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 2 flood, 1 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: 0
Property damage: $161,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 18

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 Mar 29, 9:30 PM EST, 4 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 29, 9:30 PM EST, 4 hours 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
930 PM EST FRI MAR 29 2002

OVERVIEW:  WEAK SAGGING FRONT ACROSS WEST TN/AR. UPPER-LEVEL SHORT
WAVE...WITH GOOD SUPPORT...TRAVELING ENE ALONG FRONTAL BOUNDARY
TN/KY...WITH MAIN CUT OFF LOW STILL BACK OVER TX. SURFACE AIR MASS
OVER GA STILL VERY DRY WITH 40 AND 50 DEGREE DEWPOINTS.

UPDATE CONCERNS:

PRECIPITATION/SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL: SEVERE WEATHER PARAMETERS
NOT IMPRESSIVE ACROSS GA WITH LOW DEWPOINTS...CAPES <=100...HELICITY
AROUND 100 NW ONLY...LIS NEAR ZERO. MAIN DYNAMICS REMAIN NW OF AREA
AS WELL. HOWEVER...850 MOISTURE TRANSPORT AND LOW-LEVEL THETA-E
TRANSPORT FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT THROUGH 08Z. CURRENT THINKING IS THAT BAND
OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE WILL SINK SLOWLY
SOUTH INTO N GA AROUND MIDNIGHT...REACH THE RMG AREA 06-08Z...ATL
AREA 08Z-12Z...CSG-MCN AREA...POSSIBLY...AFTER 12Z...CONTINUING TO
WEAKEN WITH TIME AND BECOMING MORE OF A RAIN EVENT AND LESS OF A
THUNDERSTORM EVENT. THIS IS IN LINE WITH ETA PE VALUES ALSO. SEVERE
THREAT IN GA IS MINIMAL AND SHOULD BE CONFINED TO FAR NW COUNTIES
ONLY. POSSIBLY SOME HEAVY RAIN ACROSS FAR NORTHERN SECTIONS AS BAND
BECOME MORE WEST-EAST ORIENTED...BUT AT LEAST FOR NOW WITH LOW SOIL
MOISTURE CONDITIONS...THIS SHOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM. PLAN TO LOWER
POPS SLIGHTLY...ESPECIALLY SOUTHERN ZONES AND MODIFY TIMING SOME.
EVENING HAS ALREADY COME...AND NO THUNDERSTORMS IN N GA YET. IN
ADDITION...TIMING OF PRECIPITATION IN QUESTION FOR SATURDAY...MAINLY
A MORNING EVENT FOR THE NORTH...THEN MORE OF A LATE MORNING/EARLY
AFTERNOON EVENT FOR THE SOUTHERN PART OF CWA. NEXT MAJOR ROUND OF
PRECIPITATION DOES NOT ENTER PICTURE FOR CWA UNTIL SUNDAY LATER
MORNING OR AFTERNOON...WHEN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS GREATER AS WELL.

TEMPERATURES:  TEMPERATURES ARE VERY MILD THIS EVENING...STILL IN
THE 60S AND EVEN THE LOW 70S IN SOME SPOTS. WARM ADVECTION AT
LOW-LEVELS WILL KEEP FAR NORTHERN SECTIONS QUITE WARM
OVERNIGHT...ESPECIALLY WITH DENSER CLOUD COVER IN THIS REGION.
HOWEVER...PRECIPITATION WILL OFFSET THIS AS RAIN FALLS INTO DRIER
AIR AT THE SURFACE. 50S STILL LOOK GOOD FOR LOWS IN THESE AREAS. IN
THE CENTRAL AND EAST...LOWER DEWPOINTS AND LACK OF CLOUD COVER...AT
LEAST INITIALLY...SHOULD SUPPORT LOWS IN THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 50S AS
WELL. COOLEST AREAS TONIGHT SHOULD BE EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST
PART OF CWA. THUS...MAY SEPARATE CSG FROM MCN ZONE FOR THIS REASON.

EXTENDED:  AFTER STRONG CUTOFF LOW WITH POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER
AFFECTS CWA SUNDAY...UPPER-LEVEL FLOW TRANSITIONS TO A NORTHWEST
FLOW WITH BROAD TROUGH SETTING UP ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY. SYSTEM
COMING THROUGH AT MID-WEEK PROVIDES ONLY MINIMAL CHANCE FOR
PRECIPITATION AS SURFACE LAYERS WILL BE DRY. IF MRF PATTERN
VERIFIES...EXPECT BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR LATER IN THE
WEEK...BUT GUIDANCE DOES NOT SUPPORT WIDESPREAD LOWS IN THE 20S AS
CURRENTLY ADVERTISED.

.ATL...
GA...NONE.

RAB

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, Mar 29, 10:33 PM EST, 3 hours 42 minutes before

GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-
089>098-102>113-300845-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1033 PM EST FRI MAR 29 2002

...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE EXTREME NORTHWEST GEORGIA
TONIGHT...

.SYNOPSIS...
A COLD FRONT WILL DROP SOUTH FROM THE TENNESSEE VALLEY INTO FAR
NORTH GEORGIA OVERNIGHT. INCREASING MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY AHEAD
OF THIS FRONT WILL HELP SET THE STAGE FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTH GEORGIA OVERNIGHT.

.PRIMARY HAZARD...
THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND
LARGE HAIL.

.DISCUSSION...
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO ACCOMPANY THE COLD FRONT AS IT MOVES
INTO NORTHWEST GEORGIA LATE TONIGHT. SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THE
FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO BRING MOISTURE INTO THE STATE WITH DEWPOINTS
CLIMBING INTO THE MIDDLE AND UPPER 50S ACROSS NORTHWEST GEORGIA.
INSTABILITY WILL BE LIMITED TO THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF
GEORGIA...WHERE CAPES ARE EXPECTED TO BE 200 TO 600. LIFTED INDICES
ARE EXPECTED TO BE ZERO TO MINUS 3. THE BEST CHANCE FOR ISOLATED
SEVERE STORMS WILL BE ALONG AND NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM HELEN TO
ROME...BETWEEN 11 PM AND 5 AM.

.FOR SPOTTERS...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED OVERNIGHT DUE TO THE LIMITED
COVERAGE OF SEVERE WEATHER. HOWEVER...EMERGENCY PERSONNEL ACROSS
NORTH GEORGIA SHOULD MONITOR THE SITUATION.

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

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 112 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:17 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 2 flood, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Floyd

When: March 30, 2:15 AM EST
Where: Floyd County, Rome
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 34.250, -85.183

The public reported quarter size hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Floyd

When: March 30, 2:15 AM EST
Where: Floyd County, Rome
Property damage: $500
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 34.250, -85.183

The public reported that some small trees were blown down.

Hail, Douglas

When: March 30, 8:30 PM EST
Where: Douglas County, 2 mi S of Douglasville
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 33.717, -84.750

An off duty National Weather Service employee reported that quarter size hail covered the ground at his house.

Flood, Fulton

When: March 30, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Fulton County, 6 mi NNE of Atlanta
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 33.790, -84.467 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The public reported street flooding in the Buckhead community. Rainfall reports in this area indicated that from 2.50 to 3.00 inches of rain had fallen during the afternoon and evening, with 1.50 inches just in the 40 minute period between 900 pm and 940 pm EST.

Hail, Henry

When: March 30, 9:00 PM EST to 9:15 PM EST
Where: Henry County, 2 mi SW of Scarboroughs Xrds
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 33.617, -84.233

The public reported hail ranging in size from dime to golf ball near the Clayton county line in extreme northwest Henry county.

Hail, Clayton

When: March 30, 9:10 PM EST
Where: Clayton County, Rex
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 33.583, -84.267

The public reported quarter size hail. Some patio furniture was also blown about, but no wind damage was reported.

Lightning, Rockdale

When: March 30, 9:30 PM EST
Where: Rockdale County, 2 mi S of Conyers
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 33.654, -84.027 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A storm spotter reported that lightning struck a house and set it on fire. The house was fully engulfed in flames just a short time later. No injuries were reported.

Hail, Fulton

When: March 31, 2:03 PM EST to 2:16 PM EST
Where: Fulton County, East Pt
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 33.683, -84.450

Several reports of dime size hail were received from the public from East Point to Lakewood Heights and the southeast Atlanta area to Piedmont Park just northeast of Atlanta.

Flood, Gwinnett

When: March 31, 2:10 PM EST to 2:30 PM EST
Where: Gwinnett County, 1 mi E of Norcross
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 33.962, -84.024 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An amateur radio operator reported that 1 to 1 1/2 inches of rain fell in a 30 minute period during a thunderstorm causing some minor street flooding on the east side of Norcross.

Hail, De Kalb

When: March 31, 2:15 PM EST
Where: De Kalb County, Decatur
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 33.783, -84.300

The public reported nickel size hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fulton

When: March 31, 2:16 PM EST to 2:30 PM EST
Where: Fulton County, Lakewood Hgts
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 33.683, -84.367

The public reported that some siding was torn off a house in the Lakewood Heights area of southeast Atlanta and some arm size branches were blown out of trees at the intersection of Interstate 85 and Camp Creek Parkway, about 2 miles west of Hartsfield International Airport.

Thunderstorm Wind, Gwinnett

When: March 31, 2:30 PM EST
Where: Gwinnett County, 2 mi W of Centerville
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 33.800, -84.083

The public reported that two trees were blown down which damaged a fence.

Hail, Gwinnett

When: March 31, 2:35 PM EST to 2:45 PM EST
Where: Gwinnett County, Centerville
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 33.800, -84.050

Several reports were received from the public of hail ranging in size from dime to quarter size. In one instance in the Centerville area, the ground was completely covered with hail which fell up to 3 minutes at one location.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sumter

When: March 31, 2:55 PM EST
Where: Sumter County, 3 mi S of Americus
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 32.040, -84.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An amateur radio operator reported pea size hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sumter

When: March 31, 3:10 PM EST
Where: Sumter County, Americus
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 32.067, -84.233

The Sumter county 911 center reported that three trees and a power line were blown down in Americus.

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When: March 31, 3:45 PM EST
Where: Washington County, 3 mi NE of Harrison
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 32.850, -82.683

An amateur radio operator reported that a few trees and a couple of power lines were down near the intersection of Georgia Highway 231 and News Bridge Road.

Thunderstorm Wind, Laurens

When: March 31, 3:55 PM EST
Where: Laurens County, Dublin
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 32.533, -82.900

The Laurens county 911 center reported that a few power lines were down.

Hail, Telfair

When: March 31, 6:15 PM EST
Where: Telfair County, 1 mi E of Jacksonville
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 31.817, -82.967

The public reported dime size hail on Georiga Highway 117.

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.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Georgia, March 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: 5281122, 5281241, 5281310, 5281243, 5281308, 5281242, 5281309, 5281311, 5281316, 5281313, 5281312, 5281314, 5281315, 5281320, 5281317, 5281319, 5281318, 5281321.