Strong winds developed behind a cold front across the mountains of Georgia during the late morning, and continued through the remainder of the day. There was widespread damage to trees and power lines, with quite a few power outages.
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.
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 GSP wrote it up.
Strong winds developed behind a cold front across the mountains of Georgia during the late morning, and continued through the remainder of the day. There was widespread damage to trees and power lines, with quite a few power outages. A 37-year-old man was injured in Clayton, GA when a tree snapped off and fell on him. At least 1 vehicle was crushed by a fallen tree in Clayton.
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 Jan 14, 3:28 AM EST, 4 hours 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
328 AM EST SAT JAN 14 2006
.SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH MONDAY)...
500 MB CUTOFF LOW IS SEEN SWIRLING ACROSS ERN KY ON WATER VAPOR
IMAGERY EARLY THIS MORNING. A STRONG VORT LOBE TRAILING THE SYSTEM
WILL CROSS THE MTNS FROM 12Z TO 18Z TODAY...WITH LOW LEVEL FLOW
BECOMING MORE ORTHOGONAL AND INCREASING UPSLOPE LIFT THROUGH THE
DAY. SNOW SHOWERS ARE ALREADY UNDERWAY NEAR THE TN BORDER AND
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS WITH MINUS 22 C CLOUD TOPS MOVING
INTO THE HIGH TERRAIN. GIVEN THE ANTICIPATED PATH OF THE UPPER
VORT AND THE ABUNDANCE OF THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE...ONLY CHANGE TO
CURRENT WINTER PRODUCTS WILL BE TO ADD SOUTHERN JACKSON COUNTY TO
THE SNOW ADVISORY. UPSLOPE MOISTURE SHOULD RAPIDLY DRY UP THROUGH
THE EVENING HOURS...WITH TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS GENERALLY IN THE 2 TO
5 INCH RANGE.
AS THE UPPER SYSTEM EMERGES EAST OF THE APPLACHIANS TODAY...A
VERY TIGHT HEIGHT FIELD GRADIENT WILL SET UP ACROSS THE REGION.
MODEL CONSENSUS IS TO PRODUCE AN INTENSE MID LEVEL JET CORE OF 60
KT AT 850 MB AND 100+ KT AT 500 MB BY LATE DAY. ADD TO THIS THE
STRONG DOWNWARD OMEGA FROM THE COLD ADVECTION...AND THE DOWNWARD
COMPONENT OF THE AGEOSTROPHIC CIRCULATION OF THE MID LEVEL
FRONTOGENESIS MAX...AND DAMAGING WINDS SEEM QUITE LIKELY BY LATE
DAY. DOWNSLOPING FLOW WILL BATTLE COLD ADVECTION TO PRODUCE
RELATIVELY HEALTHY MIXING HEIGHTS...ALLOWING SOME OF THE MOMENTUM
ALOFT TO REACH THE SURFACE OUT INTO THE PIEDMONT. THE BEST
DOWNWARD TRANSPORT SHOULD BE NEAR THE ESCARPMENT...WITH SLIGHTLY
LESS OF A WIND ENERGY TAP FARTHER SOUTHEAST. FOLLOWING
COLLABORATION...WILL EXPAND THE HIGH WIND WARNING TO A TOCCOA TO
GAFFNEY TO TAYLORSVILLE LINE...AND POST A WIND ADVISORY ACROSS THE
REST OF THE AREA.
DRY RIDGING BUILDS IN THROUGH SUNDAY. SOME MID LEVEL MOISTURE IS
EXPECTED TO TOP THE RIDGE AXIS ON MONDAY AHEAD THE NEXT DEVELOPING
PLAINS SYSTEM. LOW LEVELS SHOULD REMAIN FAIRLY DRY HOWEVER.
&&
.LONG TERM (MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY)...
THE NEXT UPSTREAM TROUGH WILL MOVE INTO THE MS RIVER VALLEY ON
TUESDAY...WITH PRECIP CHANCES EDGING UPWARD TUES THROUGH WED. NO
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES ARE NEEDED FOR THE MEDIUM RANGE AT THIS POINT.
&&
.AVIATION...
WIND WILL BE A MAJOR CONCERN AT ALL TERMINALS THIS PERIOD...WITH THE
MAIN PROBLEM AREA BEING KAVL. VALLEY PARALLEL FLOW...STRONG CAA...
AND A 50-60 KT LLJ WILL EQUATE TO VERY STRONG AND OCCASIONALLY
DAMAGING WINDS. FOR NOW...WE WILL ADVERTISE CATEGORIAL GUSTS OF
43KT. HOWEVER...THERE WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY BE OCCASIONAL GUSTS IN
THE 50 TO 55 KT RANGE. ELSEWHERE...SUSTAINED WINDS OF AROUND 20 KTS
WITH GUSTS IN THE 30 TO 35 KT RANGE WILL SUFFICE...BUT AGAIN
OCCASIONAL GUSTS IN THE 40 TO 50 KT RANGE WILL BE LIKELY. OF
SECONDARY CONCERN WILL BE POTENTIAL FOR MVFR CIGS AT KAVL...AS
UPSLOPE CLOUDINESS MAKES ITS WAY UP THE FRENCH BROAD VALLEY. WE WILL
ADVERTISE TEMPOS FOR BKN025 FROM 9 TO 13Z...COINCIDING WITH THE TIME
OF DEEPEST MOISTURE.
&&
.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR GAZ010-017 UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY.
...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR GAZ018 UNTIL MIDNIGHT SUNDAY.
...WIND ADVISORY FOR GAZ026-028-029 UNTIL MIDNIGHT SUNDAY.
NC...HEAVY SNOW WARNING FOR NCZ033-048>052-058 UNTIL MIDNIGHT
SUNDAY.
...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065 UNTIL 6
AM SUNDAY.
...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR NCZ034-054-055-066-067 UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY.
...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR NCZ035-056-068-069 UNTIL MIDNIGHT SUNDAY.
...WIND ADVISORY FOR NCZ036-037-057-070>072-082 UNTIL MIDNIGHT
SUNDAY.
...SNOW ADVISORY FOR NCZ053-059-062-063 UNTIL MIDNIGHT SUNDAY.
SC...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR SCZ001>003 UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY.
...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR SCZ004>008 UNTIL MIDNIGHT SUNDAY.
...WIND ADVISORY FOR SCZ009>014-019 UNTIL MIDNIGHT SUNDAY.
&&
SHORT TERM...HG
LONG TERM...HG
AVIATION...CSHHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 549 AM EST SAT JAN 14 2006 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082- SCZ001>014-019-151100- RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-AVERY-CALDWELL- ALEXANDER-IREDELL-DAVIE-MADISON-YANCEY-MITCHELL-SWAIN-HAYWOOD- BUNCOMBE-MCDOWELL-BURKE-CATAWBA-ROWAN-GRAHAM-NORTHERN JACKSON- MACON-SOUTHERN JACKSON-TRANSYLVANIA-HENDERSON-POLK-RUTHERFORD- CLEVELAND-LINCOLN-GASTON-MECKLENBURG-CABARRUS-UNION NC- OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS- GREATER OCONEE-GREATER PICKENS-GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG- CHEROKEE-YORK-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER- GREENWOOD- 549 AM EST SAT JAN 14 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA...PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT STRONG WINDS...WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...WILL AFFECT MUCH OF THE REGION TODAY AS A DEEP LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES OFF THE EASTERN SEABOARD. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL STEADILY INCREASE THROUGH THE DAY...WITH THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR WIND DAMAGE FROM THE AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS AS WINDS GUST TO NEARLY 50 MPH IN THE PIEDMONT AND NEARLY 70 MPH AT THE HIGHER MOUNTAIN PEAKS. FOR FURTHER DETAILS ON THE HIGH WIND WARNINGS AND WIND ADVISORIES...PLEASE SEE THE URGENT WEATHER MESSAGE...CAENPWGSP. ABUNDANT MOISTURE IN THE STRONG NORTHWEST FLOW WILL ALSO PRODUCE SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE HIGH TERRAIN OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA TODAY. SNOWFALL TOTALS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES...WITH LOCAL 6 INCH OR GREATER AMOUNTS ALONG THE RIDGE TOPS...ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE TENNESSEE BORDER BEFORE THE SNOW TAPERS OFF LATE THIS EVENING. ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES COULD REACH FROM FRANKLIN TO SYLVA TO ASHEVILLE...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ABOVE 4000 FEET. FOR FURTHER DETAILS ON THE HEAVY SNOW WARNINGS AND SNOW ADVISORIES... PLEASE SEE THE URGENT WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE...CAEWSWGSP. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO RELAY SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS AND ANY REPORTS OF WIND DAMAGE TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. COUNTY COMMUNICATION CENTERS SHOULD ENSURE THAT EMERGENCY MANAGERS ARE AWARE OF THE THREAT OF VERY STRONG WINDS TODAY. GERAPETRITIS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, January 2006
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: 5491620, 5491621.