Georgia, 2002

Drought in Georgia, September 1 to 30, 2002

September 1 to 30, 2002 · NWS CHS · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

Mild to moderate drought conditions were over southeast Geogia for most of the month. Several rain producing systems along with nearby tropical storms produced enough rainfall to improve the long term drought conditions that have scorched the region for the past couple of years.

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

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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.

Mild to moderate drought conditions were over southeast Geogia for most of the month. Several rain producing systems along with nearby tropical storms produced enough rainfall to improve the long term drought conditions that have scorched the region for the past couple of years.

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 Aug 31, 8:47 PM EST, 3 hours 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 8:47 PM EST, 3 hours 13 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
947 PM EDT SAT AUG 31 2002

EVENING SFC ANALYSIS INDICATED A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDING
DOWN THE E SIDE OF THE APPALACHIANS AND A TROF ACROSS THE OFFSHORE
WATERS. RADAR IMAGERY SHOWED A DECREASE IN THE SHRA/TSRA ACTIVITY
ASSOCIATED WITH A MID LVL S/WV.  HOWEVER...ADDITIONAL SHRA WERE
DEVELOPING IN THE NE FLOW ALONG AND OFF THE COAST.

THE COASTAL -SHRA WL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE INLAND OVERNIGHT.
SOME LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE SO WL LEAVE MENTION IN FCST.  WL
STAY WITH HIGH CHANCE POPS AND ONLY ADJUST TEMPS/WINDS A LITTLE.

MARINE...PESKY COASTAL TROUGH REMAINS E OF THE MARINE AREA THIS EVNG
WITH NE WINDS IN PLACE ACROSS ALL OF THE COASTAL WTRS. WL LIKELY
RAISE WINDS TO A SOLID 15 KTS BASED ON CURRENT TRENDS. SEAS IN THE
3-4 FT RANGE LOOK GOOD ACROSS WATERS TNGT BUT A SOLID 5 FT MAY BE A
BIT HIGH FOR THE GA OFFSHORE WATERS. SEAS AT SABSOON TWR WERE 5 FT
EARLIER TDA BUT WERE LIKELY THE RESULT OF CONVECTION IN THE AREA.
UNFORTUNATELY DATA LOSS AT SITE EARLIER THIS MRNG HAS MADE SEA
DETERMINATION DIFFICULT THIS AFTN AND EVNG. WL LOWER THE SCEC STMNT
AND MAKE SEAS 4 FT. THANKS ILM FOR THE COORDINATION CALL.

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

SCW/ST

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 31, 8:25 PM EST, 3 hours 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON, SC
925 PM EDT SAT AUG 31 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0745 PM    WAMBAW CORNER             SC   FLOOD
08/31/02   CHARLESTON                     ROADS FLOODED
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

SCW

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
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Coastal Bryan forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Coastal Chatham

When
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Coastal Chatham forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Coastal Liberty

When
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Coastal Liberty forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Coastal McIntosh

When
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Coastal McIntosh forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Effingham

When
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Inland Bryan forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Inland Chatham

When
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Inland Chatham forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Inland Liberty

When
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Inland Liberty forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Inland McIntosh

When
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Inland McIntosh forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Jenkins

When
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM EST to September 30, 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

More

Every storm in Georgia in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, September 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: 5316782, 5316783, 5316784, 5316785, 5316786, 5316787, 5316788, 5316789, 5316790, 5316791, 5316792, 5316793, 5316794, 5316795, 5316796, 5316797.