Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Georgia, August 17, 2004

Name: Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Georgia, August 17, 2004
Start: 2004-08-17T03:00
End: 2004-08-17T15:00
Location: Georgia

August 17, 2004 · NWS FFC · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

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

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: $155,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 Aug 17, 2:45 AM EST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 17, 2:45 AM EST, 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
345 AM EDT TUE AUG 17 2004

.SHORT TERM...
LARGE AREA OF WEAK HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE AND
ALOFT CONTINUES TO BE THE MAIN WEATHER FEATURE. EVEN WITH THIS HIGH
PRESSURE SLOWLY BUILDING THROUGH THE WEEK THERE IS STILL ENOUGH LOW
LEVEL MOISTURE TO HELP CREATE SOME ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWER OR
THUNDERSTORM TODAY. THE RIDGE REALLY BEGINS TO BUILD WEDNESDAY
BECOMING MORE OF A BERMUDA HI BY THU/FRI. THIS WILL HELP TO
SUPPRESSES ANY MAJOR CONVECTION BUT STILL LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE
ENOUGH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TO STILL GET SOME DIURNAL SHOWERS
EVERYDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE BE RIGHT AROUND SEASONAL NORMS
THROUGH THE SHORT TERM.

.LONG TERM...
BY DAY 3 THE RIDGE WILL HAVE FORMED INTO A BERMUDA HI AND HAVE TOTAL
CONTROL OVER THE THE WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS THE STATE. GEORGIA WILL
BE ON THE WEST TO NORTHWESTERN EDGE OF THE RIDGE WHICH WILL INCREASE
SOUTHERLY FLOW OVER THE STATE PULLING BETTER MOISTURE IN OVER THE
REGION. THE UPPER RIDGE WEAKENS INTO THE WEEKEND AND IS REPLACED BY
SLIGHTLY SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR A BETTER CHANCE
OF THUNDER...BUT IT SHOULD REMAIN SCATTERED AND MAINLY DIURNAL IN
NATURE. TEMPERATURES REMAIN SEASONALLY WARM.
&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
ATLANTA     85 69 88 70 / 20 20 20 10
ATHENS      86 68 89 68 / 30 20 20 10
GAINESVILLE 84 67 87 67 / 30 20 20 10
ROME        87 65 90 66 / 20 20 20 10
COLUMBUS    88 71 91 71 / 30 20 20 10
MACON       87 70 90 70 / 30 20 20 10
&&

.FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.
&&

01

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 16, 8:45 PM EST, 6 hours 15 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
945 PM EDT MON AUG 16 2004

GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-
089>098-102>113-170800-
BALDWIN-BANKS-BARROW-BARTOW-BIBB-BLECKLEY-BUTTS-CARROLL-CATOOSA-
CHATTAHOOCHEE-CHATTOOGA-CHEROKEE-CLARKE-CLAYTON-COBB-COWETA-CRAWFORD-
CRISP-DADE-DAWSON-DE KALB-DODGE-DOOLY-DOUGLAS-EMANUEL-FANNIN-FAYETTE-
FLOYD-FORSYTH-GILMER-GLASCOCK-GORDON-GREENE-GWINNETT-HALL-HANCOCK-
HARALSON-HARRIS-HEARD-HENRY-HOUSTON-JACKSON-JASPER-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-
JONES-LAMAR-LAURENS-LUMPKIN-MACON-MADISON-MARION-MERIWETHER-MONROE-
MONTGOMERY-MORGAN-MURRAY-MUSCOGEE-NEWTON-NORTH FULTON-OCONEE-
OGLETHORPE-PAULDING-PEACH-PICKENS-PIKE-POLK-PULASKI-PUTNAM-ROCKDALE-
SCHLEY-SOUTH FULTON-SPALDING-STEWART-SUMTER-TALBOT-TALIAFERRO-TAYLOR-
TELFAIR-TOOMBS-TOWNS-TREUTLEN-TROUP-TWIGGS-UNION-UPSON-WALKER-WALTON-
WARREN-WASHINGTON-WEBSTER-WHEELER-WHITE-WHITFIELD-WILCOX-WILKES-
WILKINSON-
945 PM EDT MON AUG 16 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

...HAZARDOUS WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT...

.SYNOPSIS...
A DISSIPATING FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINS ACROSS SOUTHEAST GEORGIA.
VERY MOIST TROPICAL AIR REMAINS SOUTH OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. A
WEAK SURFACE TROUGH PERSISTS ACROSS NORTH AND NORTHWEST GEORGIA.
MEANWHILE...HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL BUILD SLOWLY OVER THE REGION
THROUGH TUESDAY.

.DISCUSSION...
A MARGINALLY UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL REMAIN OVER MIDDLE AND SOUTH
GEORGIA OVERNIGHT...WITH A MORE STABLE AIR MASS OVER NORTH GEORGIA.
HOWEVER...UPPER DYNAMICS ARE VERY WEAK WITH NO SIGNIFICANT
TRIGGERING MECHANISMS FOR PRECIPITATION. WHILE AN ISOLATED SHOWER OR
TWO MAY DEVELOP OVERNIGHT...MAINLY IN MIDDLE GEORGIA...THUNDERSTORMS
ARE NOT EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT.

.DAY TWO THROUGH DAY SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.
THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY AFTERNOON
AREAWIDE. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY DURING
THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. THE BEST CHANCE
FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE OVER THE WEEKEND.

&&
FOR THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK AND OTHER WEATHER
INFORMATION...PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV...AND CLICK ON
GEORGIA.

RAB

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood, 1 lightning, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Houston

When: August 17, 3:00 AM EST to 5:00 AM EST
Where: Houston County, Warner Robins
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 32.459, -83.666 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Macon Telegraph reported that between four and six inches of rain fell during an early morning thunderstorm in a one to two hour period, resulting in considerable flash flooding in a portion of Warner Robins. Several streets were flooded and closed, with water up to four feet deep in some areas. A drainage ditch in a subdivision in the Mill Chase Way area turned into a ravaging torrent of water, flooding homes and several vehicles in the area. At one home, adjacent to the drainage ditch, the water tore through a locked gate and rose up to the front steps of the house. A female inside was unable to open her front door at the time because of the force of water up against the door. Several homes sustained some damage from the flood waters while at least four vehicles sustained damage as they were submerged in flood waters. Several roads were affected by the flood waters, including Kimberly, Lakeshore, Elberta, Corder, Johns, and Mill Chase Way.

Lightning, Houston

When: August 17, 3:30 AM EST
Where: Houston County, Warner Robins
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 32.459, -83.666 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Macon Telegraph reported that lightning struck and set on fire an empty trailer on North Davis Drive.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jones

When: August 17, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Jones County, Haddock
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $250
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 33.033, -83.433

The Jones County 911 Center reported that one tree had been blown down.

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
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

Every storm in Georgia in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Georgia, August 2004

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: 5421402, 5421403, 5421401.