33 thunderstorm wind, 3 heavy rain, 3 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 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 Feb 21, 10:00 PM EST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 1000 PM EST FRI FEB 21 2003 .OVERVIEW...OVERALL THINGS ABOUT AS FORECAST WITH DOUBTS AS TO EXACT TIMING AND EXTENT OF POSSIBLE SEVERE AND LOCALIZED FLOODING. WILL EXTEND FLOOD WATCH UNTIL NOON SATURDAY. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS NEARLY STATIONARY ACROSS SOUTH GEORGIA...EXTENDING WEST INTO A LOW OVER LOUISIANA. AN INVERTED TROF EXTENDS NORTHEAST FROM THE LOW TO EASTERN KENTUCKY. ALOFT A LOW AT THE BASE OF A TROF OVER SOUTHERN TEXAS IS MOVING EAST. THE SURFACE AND ALOFT LOW ARE THE CENTER OF OUR WEATHER CONCERNS. A WEAK INSITU WEDGE NORTHEAST MAY INHIBIT THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT NORTHEAST UNTIL LATER IN THE MORNING. .SHORT TERM...FOLLOWING THE WSETA AND MESO ETA LEAD, IT APPEARS THE SURFACE LOW WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ALONG THE INVERTED TROF INTO TENNESSEE AND EASTERN KENTUCKY. THE MAIN THREAT OF POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ALONG THE ALABAMA BORDER TOWARD MORNING. THE WEATHER IN THE FORM OF A SQUALL LINE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE STATE SATURDAY. HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE OVER THE NORTH...HENCE THE FLOOD WATCH. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE LIGHTNING...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS. THERE WILL BE A LOW LEVEL JET NEAR 60 KTS OVER STATE NEAR THE SQUALL LINE. LOOKS LIKE RAIN ENDING FROM THE WEST BEGINNING AROUND 14Z. WINDY SATURDAY AHEAD OF THE FRONT BEHIND THE SQUALL LINE. MAY REQUIRE CAUTION ON AREAS LAKES REMARK. .ATL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...FLOOD WATCH FAR NORTH TONIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING.
GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-220945- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 920 PM EST FRI FEB 21 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...OVERNIGHT. ...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE IN WEST GEORGIA TOWARD DAYBREAK... .SYNOPSIS... A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER LOUISIANA WILL MOVE INTO TENNESSEE BY DAYBREAK SATURDAY. A COLD FRONT TRAILING SOUTH FROM THIS LOW WILL BE APPROACHING GEORGIA FROM THE WEST. .PRIMARY HAZARD... THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY TOWARD DAYBREAK SATURDAY...MAINLY OVER WESTERN COUNTIES OF GEORGIA. HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND STRONG...GUSTY WINDS WILL ACCOMPANY THESE THUNDERSTORMS. A FEW STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE...WITH DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE PRIMARY HAZARD. THE BEST CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT BEFORE SUNRISE WILL BE WEST OF A LINE FROM DALTON TO COLUMBUS. .DISCUSSION... THE AIRMASS OVER GEORGIA IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN ONLY MARGINALLY UNSTABLE. LIFTED INDICES AT DAYBREAK WILL BE IN THE ZERO TO MINUS 2 RANGE ALONG THE WESTERN BORDER OF THE STATE. HOWEVER...WIND FIELDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM ARE IMPRESSIVE. WIND SPEEDS OF 40 TO 50 KNOTS ARE EXPECTED 3 TO 4 THOUSAND FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE. THE LINE OF CONVECTION ITSELF WILL BE FAST MOVING. CONVECTIVE CURRENTS COULD BRING THE STRONGER WINDS ALOFT DOWN TO THE SURFACE LEADING TO WIND GUSTS OF 55 MPH OR GREATER IN A FEW CASES. .FOR SPOTTERS... SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL SHOULD MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS...AND BE READY FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION. .DAY TWO THROUGH DAY SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY AS THE FRONT PUSHES INTO GEORGIA FROM THE WEST. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY CROSS THE STATE IN A NORTH TO SOUTH BAND BETWEEN DAYBREAK AND EARLY AFTERNOON. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. FOR THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK AND OTHER WEATHER INFORMATION...PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/FFC. 15
GAZ042-052-053-066-220730- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 156 AM EST SAT FEB 22 2003 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS IN TROUP...HEARD...COWETA AND CARROLL COUNTIES UNTIL 230 AM EST... AT 150 AM EST...7 MILES SOUTH OF FRANKLIN...SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH. THEY WILL MOVE ACROSS CARROLLTON AND NEWNAN BY 225 AM. THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD BE ENDING OVER THE AREA BY 230 AM EST. SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERTS ARE ISSUED WHEN WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH 40 TO 50 MPH OR SIGNIFICANT CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING IS EXPECTED.
GAZ031-042>044-053-220745- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 216 AM EST SAT FEB 22 2003 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS IN COWETA...DOUGLAS... CARROLL...PAULDING AND FULTON COUNTIES UNTIL 245 AM EST... AT 211 AM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORM FROM BREMEN TO WHITESBURG...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH TO EXTEND ALONG A LINE FROM DALLAS TO EAST POINT BY 240 PM. WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH AND OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS. THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD MOVE NORTHEAST OF THE AREA BY 245 AM EST. SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERTS ARE ISSUED WHEN WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH 40 TO 50 MPH OR SIGNIFICANT CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING IS EXPECTED.
The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 101 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:31 UTC.
33 thunderstorm wind, 3 heavy rain, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that thunderstorm winds blew a large 100 foot by 40 foot tent with steel tables and wicker chairs up and onto the roof of a Marietta furniture store. Wind gusts were estimated at 50 mph in this thunderstorm.
The Gwinnett county Emergency Management Director reported that three trees were down on Clipper Street and five trees were down on Harbor Oaks Drive.
The Mucsogee county 911 center reported that numerous trees and power lines were down.
The Troup county 911 center reported that strong straight-line thunderstorm winds destroyed one mobile home and severely damaged three other mobile homes in a mobile home park in the extreme southeast corner of Troup county on Salem-Chipley Road just off U.S. Highway 27. One man was injured when he was trapped inside his damaged mobile home by a large fallen pine tree, which crashed through the chimney of the mobile home and tore through one end of the home. Numerous trees and power lines were also blown down in the same general area. The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported that the mobile home park resembled a bomb zone with numerous huge pine trees uprooted or ripped off by the thunderstorm winds.
The Griffin Daily News reported that numerous trees and power lines were blown down, especially on the west side of Griffin. Several traffic signals were also blown down at busy intersections in Griffin. In addition, several hundred residents were without power because of the downed trees and power lines.
The Newton county 911 center reported that several trees were blown down near the intersection of U.S. Highway 278 and Georgia Highway 142.
The Henry county 911 center reported that numerous trees were blown down near the intersection of Georgia Highway 81 and Keys Ferry Street. The public reported that two large pine trees were blown down in McDonough on Daley Mill Road.
The Rome News Tribune reported that heavy rain of 3 inches in a 24-hour period resulted in the flooding of several streets in the Rome area. Old Dalton Road had to be closed for several hours, and Reeceburg and Burkhalter Roads were also threatened by flooding. The flooding continued into the early morning hours of the next day.
The Walton county 911 center reported that two trees were blown down.
The Walton county 911 center reported dime size hail.
The Morgan county 911 center reported that several trees were blown down.
The Morgan county 911 center reported dime size hail.
The Chattahoochee county 911 center reported that several trees were blown down along Georgia Highway 26 just north of Cusseta.
The Jasper county 911 center reported that several trees were blown down.
The Barrow county 911 center reported that some power lines down on Brisco Mill Road.
The Marion county 911 center reported that several trees were down on Georgia Highway 26.
The Clarke county 911 center reported that one tree was blown down in the city.
The Greene county 911 center reported that one tree was blown down.
The Taylor county 911 center reported that three trees were blown down.
The Oglethorpe county 911 center reported that several power lines were down.
The Sumter county 911 center reported that power lines were down on Georgia Highway 49 at Southland Road and also on Pine Point Road. A few trees were also down in this same general area.
The Sumter county 911 center reported that heavy thunderstorm rain resulted in minor street flooding.
The Houston county 911 center reported that several trees were down at Georgia Highway 247 and Hawkinsville Road. The public reported that a large pine tree was down and some smaller trees on a golf course south of Warner Robins. Pea size hail was also noted in this area.
An amateur radio operator reported that there were was minor street flooding near the Warner Robins High School.
The Wilkes county 911 center reported dime size hail.
The Twiggs county 911 center reported that several trees were down along U.S. Highway 80 around Jeffersonville.
The Bleckley county 911 center reported that several trees and one power line were down.
The Hancock county 911 center reported that several trees and some power lines were blown down.
The Wilkinson county 911 center reported that several trees and some power lines were down.
The Washington county 911 center reported that one tree was blown down.
The Laurens county 911 center reported that some trees and power lines were down.
The Warren county 911 center reported that several trees were blown down.
The Dodge county 911 center reported that one tree was down.
The Johnson county 911 center reported that several trees were down.
The Glascock county 911 center reported that several trees and power lines were blown down. Some of the trees also landed on and caused damage to several vehicles.
The Jefferson county 911 center reported that power lines were down.
The Washington county 911 center reported that some more trees were blown down.
The Montgomery county 911 center reported that numerous trees and power lines were blown down. One house sustained some structural damage also as a result of the wind and downed trees.
The Truetlen county 911 center reported that one tree was down.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, February 2003
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: 5341085, 5342001, 5342000, 5341999, 5341087, 5340936, 5340935, 5341086, 5340937, 5341038, 5341040, 5341041, 5341998, 5341039, 5341379, 5341380, 5341381, 5341382, 5341383, 5341384, 5341385, 5341387, 5341495, 5341496, 5341386, 5341497, 5341498, 5341501, 5341499, 5341500, 5341884, 5341885, 5341886, 5341887, 5341888, 5341889, 5341890, 5341996, 5341997.