Georgia, 2003

Damaging Wind in Georgia, July 22, 2003

July 22, 2003 · NWS GSP · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 22, 12:43 PM EST, 1 hour 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 22, 12:43 PM EST, 1 hour 22 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
143 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003

FORECAST WILL BE UPDATED FOR NEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 798. WILL
ALSO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ADD SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WORDING TO ALL
REMAINING ZONES NOT IN WW798 IN ANTICIPATION OF ANOTHER WATCH
FARTHER EAST IN SC/NC. A FEW TWEAKS WILL ALSO BE MADE BASED ON
TRENDS IN OBSERVATIONS...MAINLY TO BUMP UP POPS TO CATEGORICAL TO
THE WEST AND TO RAISE CLOUD COVER ACCORDINGLY. TEMPS WILL BE RAISED
A FEW DEGREES ACROSS THE NC PIEDMONT WHERE ADDITIONAL HEATING WILL
TAKE PLACE...AND LOWERED ACROSS THE SC LOWER PIEDMONT WHERE
CLOUDS/EARLIER PRECIP WILL KEEP TEMPS FROM RECOVERING ALL THE WAY.

.GSP...
GA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.

MOORE

...PREVIOUS DISCUSSION ISSUED AT 1120 AM...
WILL ISSUE LATE MORNING UPDATE TO CLEAN UP WORDING... BUT FORECAST
FOR THE REST OF TODAY IS GOING TO REMAIN ESSENTIALLY UNCHANGED.
LIKELY AND HIGH CHANCE POPS WILL CONTINUE.  THUNDERSTORMS
APPROACHING WESTERN TIP OF OUR CWA NOW.  MODEL GUIDANCE INDICATES
FAIRLY WELL-DEFINED REGION OF SURFACE CONVERGENCE AND UPWARD MOTION
WILL AFFECT AREA... CERTAINLY BY LATE AFTERNOON.  LATEST LAPS AND
MSAS INDICATE MOST UNSTABLE AIR IS ACTUALLY JUST TO OUR EAST AND
SOUTHEAST. EARLIER RUC AND 12Z ETA FORECAST DOWNWARD MOTION OVER THE
MOUNTAINS DURING AFTERNOON... SO CURRENT STRONG CONVECTION JUST TO
OUR WEST WILL BE MOVING INTO A LESS FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR
SEVERE... AT LEAST IN THE SHORT TERM.

LGL
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 22, 5:07 AM EST, 8 hours 58 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-221200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
607 AM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ANTICIPATED FOR ALL OF THE FORECAST
AREA TODAY. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD REACH SEVERE LEVELS...WITH
DAMAGING WIND THE GREATEST SEVERE WEATHER THREAT DURING THE
AFTERNOON. MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED DURING THE
STRONGEST STORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE REGION AGAIN TONIGHT...AND
WEDNESDAY. THERE WILL STILL BE A CHANCE OF DAMAGING WIND GUSTS
TONIGHT...AND THE THREAT OF LARGE HAIL IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE LATE
TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE
SCATTERED FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT.

BURRUS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 22, 10:27 AM EST, 3 hours 38 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-222000-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1127 AM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT ACROSS ALL OF THE
WESTERN CAROLINAS AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA...

A LARGE AREA OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED ACROSS
NORTHERN ALABAMA...NORTHERN GEORGIA...AND CENTRAL TENNESSEE LATE
THIS MORNING. THIS AREA IS EXPECTED TO SLOWLY SHIFT EAST...AFFECTING
EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA...THE WESTERN UPSTATE...AND THE NC
MOUNTAINS BY MID AFTERNOON. THE NC FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT...ALONG
WITH THE REST OF THE UPSTATE COULD SEE STRONG TO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.

THESE STORMS SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF TONIGHT...AS A STRONG
COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE SOUTHEAST STATES. SEVERAL UPPER LEVEL
DISTURBANCES WILL ALSO AFFECT THE REGION. ALL LOCATIONS IN THE
WESTERN CAROLINAS AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA COULD SEE SEVERE
WEATHER.

THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT THROUGH THE AFTERNOON WILL BE
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO OVER 60 MPH. THERE COULD ALSO BE SOME HAIL
OF DIME-SIZE OR LARGER...ALTHOUGH THE POSSIBILITY OF LARGE HAIL WILL
INCREASE LATER TONIGHT...AS SOMEWHAT COLDER AIR ALOFT MOVES INTO THE
REGION. IN ADDITION TO THE WIND AND HAIL POTENTIAL...THERE WILL ALSO
BE A THREAT FOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING OR POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. THE
FLOODING THREAT WILL BE AMPLIFIED IN AREAS THAT RECEIVE SEVERAL
PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN.

THE COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO STALL OVER OUR AREA LATE TONIGHT AND
WEDNESDAY...AS A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS AND MOVES ALONG THE
BOUNDARY. THEREFORE...SEVERE WEATHER COULD ALSO OCCUR ON WEDNESDAY.

SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACTIVATE QUICKLY LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. DISPATCHERS SHOULD ENSURE COUNTY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE AWARE OF THIS INFORMATION.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR
THE LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER
SITUATION.

JRL
Special weather statement, Jul 22, 1:15 PM EST, 50 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-SCZ001-002-004-005-010-011-221915-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
215 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING FROM NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...

A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WAS APPROACHING RAPIDLY FROM NORTH
CENTRAL GEORGIA. THIS LINE OF SEVERE STORMS HAS A HISTORY OF
PRODUCING WIND DAMAGE. IF THE LINE HOLDS TOGETHER...IT WILL REACH
THE COUNTIES OF RABUN...HABERSHAM...STEPHENS...AND HART BY 230 PM TO
245 PM. EVENTUALLY...THE LINE OF STORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS ALL OF
EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND INTO WESTERN SOUTH CAROLINA BETWEEN
230 PM AND 3 PM.

RESIDENTS IN THESE LOCATIONS SHOULD MONITOR THE MEDIA FOR UPCOMING
WEATHER WARNINGS AND PREPARE TO TAKE SHELTER IF A WARNING IS ISSUED.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF
THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.

MOORE
Local storm report, Jul 22, 1:48 PM EST, 17 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
248 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003

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

244 PM     MT AIRY                   GA   HAIL
07/22/03   HABERSHAM                      PEA SIZE HAIL AND 45 MPH
                                          RECORDED WIND GUST AT
                                          COUNTY EOC BUILDING.

LAMB
Local storm report, Jul 22, 2:01 PM EST, 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
301 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2003

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

252 PM     TOCCOA                    GA   WIND DAMAGE
07/22/03   STEPHENS                       FRANKLIN 911 REPORTED
                                          TREES DOWN ON HWY 320.

257 PM     TOCCOA                    GA   WIND DAMAGE
07/22/03   STEPHENS                       FRANKLIN EOC REPORTED
                                          TREES DOWN ON WALKER RD.

130 PM     CASHIERS                  NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/22/03   JACKSON                        COUNTY EOC REPORTED TREE
                                          DOWN ON CASHIERS LAKE RD.

LAMB

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:05 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When
July 22, 2:05 PM EST
Where
Franklin County, Countywide
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.383, -83.233

Several trees were blown down across the county.

What these are

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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Georgia in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, July 2003

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: 5334988.