The remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna produced torrential rains that caused severe localized flooding, as well as scattered wind damage across portions of southwest Georgia. Decatur, Miller and Seminole counties were each declared a state of emergency due to major flood damage of numerous homes, businesses and roads, as well as power outages from fallen trees.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS TAE wrote it up.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna produced torrential rains that caused severe localized flooding, as well as scattered wind damage across portions of southwest Georgia. Decatur, Miller and Seminole counties were each declared a state of emergency due to major flood damage of numerous homes, businesses and roads, as well as power outages from fallen trees. Rainfall totals ranged from four to eight inches over Decatur County to nearly 16 inches in Seminole County. In a 24-hour period ending at 7 am September 15, nearly 16 inches of rain fell in Donalsonville, GA, which flooded numerous homes and businesses. Thunderstorm winds blew a roof off a house and damaged a few mobiles homes in Donalsonville. Runoff from the torrential rain caused minor flooding at Spring Creek near Iron City, GA, where the creek crested 1.3 feet above flood stage on September 17.
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 Tallahassee, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 14, 1:45 PM EST, 4 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
245 PM EDT SAT SEP 14 2002
LATEST VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY AND SURFACE OBS SHOWS THAT THE
CENTER OF TD HANNA IS NEAR MOBILE ALABAMA. THE TORNADO WATCH AND
TROPICAL STORM WARNING HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. A FLOOD WATCH
CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE CWA THROUGH TONIGHT. RAINFALL
AMOUNTS SO FAR TODAY HAVE GENERALLY BEEN IN THE TWO TO FOUR INCH
RANGE WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS ALONG THE PANHANDLE COASTAL COUNTIES
AND THE WESTERN BIG BEND. RAINFALL AT THE TALLAHASSEE MUNICIPAL
AIRPORT THROUGH 2 PM HAS MEASURED 1.98 INCH WITH 2.00 INCHES EVEN AT
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. MOST OF THAT RAIN FELL IN A ONE
HOUR PERIOD PROMPTING THE ISSUANCE OF A FLOOD WARNING FOR A FEW OF
OUR BIG BEND COUNTIES. THE THREAT OF VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE
AND A FLOOD WATCH WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL AT LEAST 8PM THIS
EVENING. WE WILL BE MONITORING THIS SITUATION FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF
EXTENDING THIS WATCH. LOCAL RADARS AT 2PM SHOW VERY HEAVY RAINS
ACROSS THE BIG BEND AND EXTENDING WELL OFFSHORE ACROSS THE
NORTHEASTERN GULF.
MODELS: WILL NOT GO INTO TOO MUCH DETAIL DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINTS.
THE AVN CONTINUES TO BE THE MODEL OF CHOICE AND IS ALSO THE WETTEST.
WILL GO WITH LIKELY POPS ALL ZONES TONIGHT. THE REMAINS OF HANNA IS
FORECAST TO TRACK NORTHEAST AS THE UPPER TROUGH AND SURFACE FRONT
APPROACH FROM THE WEST. SOUTHWEST FLOW OFF THE GULF ON SUNDAY WILL
CONTINUE TO FEED TROPICAL MOISTURE OVER THE LOCAL REGION AND THUS
POPS WILL REMAIN RELATIVELY HIGH. WILL STAY CLOSE TO MAV NUMBERS
WHICH SUPPORT CHANCE/GOOD CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE ENTIRE CWA. THE
COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH SUNDAY EVENING AND STALL NORTH OF MY FA ON
MONDAY. THE FRONT MAY GET A NUDGE AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES FROM THE
MIDWEST TO THE MID ATLANTIC ALLOWING THE BOUNDARY TO SAG SOUTH TO
NEAR THE GA/FL BORDER BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...TIME HEIGHT
CROSS SECTIONS SHOW DRYING IN THE MID AND UPPER LEVELS SUNDAY
EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY SO WILL SEE AT BEST ONLY CHANCE POPS DURING
THIS TIME. TEMPS SHOULD REMAIN NEAR CLIMO.
EXTENDED...(WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY)...THE COLD FRONT IS FORECAST
TO LIFT NORTH AS A WARM FRONT ON WEDNESDAY IN RESPONSE TO THE NEXT
COLD FRONT THAT WILL APPROACH LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. THE MRF
SHOWS A POSSIBLE TROPICAL SYSTEM IN THE BAHAMAS WEDNESDAY THAT DOES
NOT MOVE MUCH UNTIL FRIDAY AND THEN LIFTS OUT TO THE NORTHEAST
THROUGH SATURDAY AS AN UPPER TROUGH DIGS INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN
STATES. WILL SHOW CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY
THROUGH FRIDAY. THEN THE COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE ENTIRE CWA BY
SATURDAY WITH A MUCH DRIER AIRMASS FILTERING INTO THE REGION FOR
NEXT WEEKEND.
MARINE: WILL KEEP AN EAST TO WEST SPLIT AND HEADLINE BOTH LEGS WITH
SCA. WINDS AND SEAS WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH THROUGH TONIGHT WITH
LIGHT WINDS EXPECTED THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD.
FIRE WX: NO CONCERNS.
PRELIM NUMBERS...
TLH 072/089 071/090 071 7523
PFN 074/087 074/087 074 6423
DHN 071/088 072/089 073 6523
ABY 073/088 071/089 072 7624
VLD 072/089 071/091 072 7624
.TLH...
.AL...FLOOD WATCH ALL ZONES THROUGH 8PM TONIGHT.
.GA...FLOOD WATCH ALL ZONES THROUGH 8PM TONIGHT.
.FL...FLOOD WATCH ALL ZONES THROUGH 8PM TONIGHT.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY BOTH LEGS.
BARRYThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 tropical storm. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, September 2002The 2002 hurricane season
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: 5319913, 5319914, 5319915, 5319916, 5319917, 5319918, 5319919.