High pressure aloft was firmly entrenched over the area keeping a very hot air mass in place. Many areas across north and central Georgia had high temperatures in the 100-105 degree range, with a number of record high temperatures recorded.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 FFC wrote it up.
High pressure aloft was firmly entrenched over the area keeping a very hot air mass in place. Many areas across north and central Georgia had high temperatures in the 100-105 degree range, with a number of record high temperatures recorded. This combined with a weak cold front draped across north Georgia to result in the development of scattered strong to severe thunderstorms across mainly central Georgia. The intense heat allowed the storms to linger well past sunset, even into the early morning hours of the 23rd.
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 22, 5:30 PM EST, 2 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 630 PM EDT WED AUG 22 2007 .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... STRONG SUBTROPICAL RIDGE CONTINUES OVER THE AREA. THE CENTER OF THE HIGH CONTINUES TO RETROGRADE WESTWARD...LOCATED PRETTY MUCH RIGHT OVER ATL TODAY. THE HIGH WILL CONTINUE TO DRIFT WESTWARD AND SHOULD BE LOCATED OVER AL BY THU. THE HIGH WEAKENS EVERY SO SLIGHTLY IN THE SHORT TERM. 850MB TEMPS REMAIN IN THE +20 TO +22C RANGE THROUGH THE SHORT TERM...BUT DO BEGIN TO SHOW A SLIGHT DECREASE TOWARD THE END OF THE SHORT TERM. TODAY SHOULD BE THE LAST DAY OF WIDESPREAD 100 DEGREE TEMPS...ALTHOUGH A FEW SPOTS IN THE WEST MAY STILL REACH 100 TOMORROW AND POSSIBLY EVEN FRI...CLOSEST TO THE UPPER RIDGE. A FEW SUBTLE SENSIBLE CHANGES WILL BE NOTED THROUGH THE SHORT TERM AS THE HIGH DRIFTS WEST. SLIGHTLY COOLER MAX TEMPS CAN BE EXPECTED...A DEGREE OR TWO EACH DAY...AND SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCES FOR AFTERNOON SHRA/TSRA AS GA COMES UNDER THE EASTERN PROPERLY OF THE UPPER RIDGE INSTEAD OF RIGHT UNDER THE CENTER. EVIDENCE IS THIS IS OCCURRING NOW IN SC AND CREEPING INTO EASTERN GA. WOULD LOOK FOR THIS TO CREEP A LITTLE FURTHER WESTWARD INTO OUR CWA THU-FRI...ESPECIALLY THE SE SECTIONS WITH INCREASED SEA BREEZE ACTIVITY AS WELL. HAVE INCLUDED SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR EASTERN COUNTIES THIS EVENING TO ACCOUNT FOR ONGOING ACTIVITY. WILL HAVE SLIGHT CHANCE POPS NW TO CHANCE POPS SE THU-FRI AS DEEP EASTERLY UPSLOPE FLOW BEGINS TO DEVELOP AND UPPER SHORT WAVES RIDE AROUND THE EASTERN PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER HIGH. WILL NOT ISSUE A HEAT ADVISORY AT THIS TIME FOR THU AS CONDITIONS WERE MARGINAL TODAY BECAUSE OF LOWER DEWPOINTS. SLIGHTLY LOWER MAX TEMPS SHOULD OFFSET SLIGHTLY HIGHER DEWPOINTS THU. MAV MOS HAS BEEN WAY TOO COOL AT NIGHT IN RURAL AREAS...SO LEANED HEAVILY TOWARD MET MOS FOR SHORT TERM LOWS. MAV MOS BETTER FOR MAX TEMPS IN THE SHORT TERM. .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... SOME CHANGES APPEAR ON THE HORIZON...ESPECIALLY TOWARD THE END OF THE EXTENDED. UPPER RIDGE CONTINUES TO WEAKEN THROUGH THE LONG TERM AS WESTERLIES STRENGTHEN ACROSS THE NORTHERN STATES AND SHIFT SLOWLY SOUTH. HOWEVER...THE UPPER HIGH DOES REMAIN LARGELY OVER THE SC/SE STATES THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD...ALBEIT CONSIDERABLY WEAKER THAN CURRENTLY. PERHAPS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FEATURE OF INTEREST TO OUR CWA WILL BE AN EASTERLY WAVE/INVERTED TROUGH FORECAST TO DEVELOP OFF THE SE U.S. COAST AND PROPAGATE WESTWARD ACROSS FL AND S GA MON-WED. WITH THE UPPER HIGH THEN LOCATED NW OF THE AREA...THE SE/SC SECTIONS SHOULD BE MOST FAVORABLE FOR CONVECTION...WHICH SHOULD BE LARGELY DIURNAL. WILL INCLUDE SLIGHT CHANCE POPS N TO CHANCE POPS S MON-WED. TOWARD THE END OF THE EXTENDED...THE GFS DEVELOPS A LARGE CANADIAN HIGH WHICH DRIFTS SOUTHEAST...ACCOMPANIED BY A FRONTAL SYSTEM TOWARD THE END OF THE 10 DAY FORECAST. THIS IS JUST BEYOND THE VALID FORECAST PERIOD. THIS WOULD BRING A BETTER CHANCE OF SHRA/TSRA TO THE AREA THEN WE HAVE SEEN IN SOME TIME. TRUE...THE FALL SEASON IS APPROACHING...BUT KNOWING THE GFS OFTEN OVER ADVERTISES SUCH COOLING AND SOUTHWARD EXTENT OF SUCH IN THE EXTENDED...I BUY OFF ON THIS WITH CAUTION AT THIS POINT. NO SIGNS OF ANY SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL ACTIVITY GIVEN CURRENT SYNOPTIC PATTERN. TEMPS WILL WILL REMAIN ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS THROUGH THE EXTENDED...BUT WILL DROP BACK CLOSER TO 90. PROBABLY NOT AS COOL AS MEX CONTINUES TO ADVERTISE. HOPEFULLY...WE HAVE JUST ABOUT SEEN THE END OF THE 100 DEGREE DAYS AFTER TOMORROW. && .AVIATION... THE LARGE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE MUCH OF THE AREAS WEATHER. THE RETROGRADING RIDGE CONTINUES TO PULL MOISTURE FROM THE EAST...THUS STORMS DEVELOPING OVER SECTIONS OF EASTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN GEORGIA. THESE STORMS WILL HAVE NO IMPACT OVER OUR TERMINAL FORECAST POINTS. THE HIGH BASED CU CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT AND DISSIPATE AND WINDS DIMINISH TONIGHT. AS THE HIGH PUSHES FURTHER WEST...A FEW MORE STORMS CAN BE EXPECTED TO PUSH DEVELOP WESTWARD AS WELL. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 75 99 74 94 73 / 20 20 20 20 20 ATLANTA 79 99 76 95 75 / 10 20 20 20 20 BLAIRSVILLE 70 91 69 87 68 / 10 20 20 20 20 CARTERSVILLE 72 100 71 96 70 / 10 20 20 20 20 COLUMBUS 77 101 76 96 75 / 10 20 20 20 20 GAINESVILLE 76 96 75 92 74 / 10 20 20 20 20 MACON 74 100 74 95 74 / 10 20 20 30 20 ROME 72 102 71 99 70 / 10 20 20 20 20 PEACHTREE CITY 71 98 70 94 69 / 10 20 20 20 20 VIDALIA 76 95 75 94 74 / 20 30 30 30 20 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BALDWIN...BANKS...BARROW...BIBB...BLECKLEY...BUTTS... CARROLL...CHATTAHOOCHEE...CLARKE...CLAYTON...COBB...COWETA... CRAWFORD...CRISP...DEKALB...DODGE...DOOLY...DOUGLAS...EMANUEL... FAYETTE...GLASCOCK...GREENE...GWINNETT...HANCOCK...HARRIS... HEARD...HENRY...HOUSTON...JACKSON...JASPER...JEFFERSON... JOHNSON...JONES...LAMAR...LAURENS...MACON...MADISON...MARION... MERIWETHER...MONROE...MONTGOMERY...MORGAN...MUSCOGEE...NEWTON... NORTH FULTON...OCONEE...OGLETHORPE...PEACH...PIKE...PULASKI... PUTNAM...ROCKDALE...SCHLEY...SOUTH FULTON...SPALDING...STEWART... SUMTER...TALBOT...TALIAFERRO...TAYLOR...TELFAIR...TOOMBS... TREUTLEN...TROUP...TWIGGS...UPSON...WALTON...WARREN... WASHINGTON...WEBSTER...WHEELER...WILCOX...WILKES...WILKINSON. && 19/50
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 232 PM EDT WED AUG 22 2007 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-231215- BALDWIN-BANKS-BARROW-BARTOW-BIBB-BLECKLEY-BUTTS-CARROLL-CATOOSA- CHATTAHOOCHEE-CHATTOOGA-CHEROKEE-CLARKE-CLAYTON-COBB-COWETA- CRAWFORD-CRISP-DADE-DAWSON-DEKALB-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- 232 PM EDT WED AUG 22 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT DANGEROUS HEAT INDEX READINGS EXPECTED ACROSS CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF NORTH GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH 10 PM ACROSS EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA. .SYNOPSIS... AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE WEATHER ACROSS GEORGIA THROUGH TONIGHT...WHILE A WEAK SHORTWAVE ALOFT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE CAROLINAS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .PRIMARY HAZARDS... HEAT INDICES IN THE 105 TO 110 DEGREE RANGE WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARD THIS AFTERNOON...GENERALLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CARROLLTON TO GAINESVILLE. WHERE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS DO DEVELOP...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED...PRIMARILY EAST OF AN EASTMAN TO ATHENS LINE. .DISCUSSION... TEMPERATURES HAVE CLIMBED TO 100 DEGREES OR BETTER ACROSS CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF NORTH GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON. THESE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES COUPLED WITH OUR HIGH LEVELS OF SUMMERTIME HUMIDITY HAVE RESULTED IN POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS HEAT INDICES IN THE 105 TO 110 RANGE. ADDITIONALLY...A WEAK SHORTWAVE MOVING ACROSS THE CAROLINAS THIS AFTERNOON...COMBINED WITH CAPES IN THE 2500 TO 3500 RANGE WILL PROVIDE JUST ENOUGH LIFT FOR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THROUGH 10 PM ACROSS EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY ISOLATED MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE EACH DAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 524 PM EDT WED AUG 22 2007 GAZ097-098-222200- 524 PM EDT WED AUG 22 2007 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR HAIL A HALF INCH IN DIAMETER AND 45 MPH WINDS IN WESTERN TREUTLEN AND EASTERN LAURENS COUNTIES UNTIL 600 PM EDT... AT 523 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR ROCKLEDGE...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 5 MPH. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE HAIL A HALF INCH IN DIAMETER...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH AS IT MOVES ACROSS TREUTLEN AND LAURENS COUNTIES THROUGH 600 PM EDT. SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE ROCKLEDGE...LOTHAIR AND LOWERY. BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS MAY CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS. LIGHTNING DETECTION SYSTEMS INDICATE NUMEROUS CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES. RESIDENTS IN THIS AREA SHOULD STAY INDOORS. ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES AND TELEPHONES SHOULD NOT BE USED UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY.
The Robins AFB radar (KJGX), 24 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:31 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
WMAZ Telvision of Macon, Georgia relayed a report from the public of several trees and power lines down in the McIntyre and Toomsboro areas. This was the result of a thunderstorm microburst or downburst.
The public reported that several trees and limbs were down in the Dublin area. Debris was scattered across a number of roads.
The public reported that thunderstorm winds blew down several trees and power lines near the intersection of Georgia Highways 15 and 68. A wooden barn was destroyed and a utility building was moved off its foundation. A nearby home sustained some siding damage. In addition, a trampoline was blown near 200 feet.
The public observed penny-sized hail.
The Johnson County Emergency Management Director reported that a thunderstorm downburst or microburst caused considerable damage across Johnson county. The thunderstorm travelled from north to south, with the strongest winds observed in the western and central part of the county. Several large trees were down on Georgia Highway 57 at Jim Underwood Road and several power lines were down as well. In this same general area, a utility building was rolled over and the roof was turn off several storage or utility structures. Several homes sustained minor roof damage as well. The entire county was left without power for several hours in the wake of the storm.
The Dodge County 911 Center reported that several trees and power lines were down from Chester in the far northern part of the county to Eastman in the central part of the county.
The Crisp County Emergency Management Director reported that at least 20 trees were down in the southwest part of the county, just northwest of Marshall along Cork Ferry Road. The Cordele Dispatch reported that several trees were down and a stretch of power line was down from Ferry Landing Road to the area around Lincolm Pinch. At least 300 customers were left without power. Several other trees were down in the north portion of the county, north of Cordele along U.S. Highway 41.
The Crisp County Emergency Management Director reported that lightning struck a home starting a fire in the electrical system. The home sustained at least minor damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, August 2007
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: 55987, 56002, 55996, 55998, 56004, 56466, 56485, 56486.