A weak stationary front remained draped across north Georgia with a warm, humid air mass firmly entrenched across the region south of the front as a large Bermuda high remained in place off the southeast United States coast. Meanwhile, a weak upper trough was moving from the Midwest toward the lower Ohio valley.
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.
A weak stationary front remained draped across north Georgia with a warm, humid air mass firmly entrenched across the region south of the front as a large Bermuda high remained in place off the southeast United States coast. Meanwhile, a weak upper trough was moving from the Midwest toward the lower Ohio valley. Embedded within this trough were the remnants of Hurricane Dolly which had tracked from the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas the Friday before, northwest into the Texas Panhandle, and then eastward across northern Oklahoma by this point in time. The remnants of Dolly were being steered by a large subtropical upper ridge centered over North Texas. Scattered to numerous thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and evening, several of which became severe producing damaging downburst winds and hail.
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 Jul 28, 2:23 PM EST, 3 hours 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 323 PM EDT MON JUL 28 2008 .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/... UPPER LEVEL PATTERN SHIFT IS IN FULL SWING THROUGH THE SHORT TERM FORECAST PERIOD. UPPER RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN U.S. FLATTENS AND SHIFTS EAST TUESDAY. THIS BRINGS THE RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. BUT IT DOES NOT LOOK DOMINANT ENOUGH TO PUT A LID ON OUR DIURNAL CONVECTION. THE UPPER PATTERN BEGINS RE AMPLIFYING WEDNESDAY AS THE WESTERN RIDGE BUILDS WITH A CORRESPONDING TROUGH DIGGING BACK INTO THE EASTERN U.S. THIS SHOULD HELP TO ENHANCE OUR RAIN CHANCES SOME WEDNESDAY...BUT BETTER CHANCES ARE EXPECTED AS WE MOVE INTO THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN AT OR A LITTLE ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS. HEAT INDICES ARE EXPECTED TO FLIRT WITH THE 105 DEGREE LEVEL IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AND AGAIN TUESDAY AFTERNOON...BUT SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING CONVECTION AND LOW TEMPERATURES AT OR A COUPLE OF DEGREES BELOW 75 MOST PLACES EACH NIGHT SHOULD KEEP US BELOW HEAT ADVISORY LEVELS. .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... THE EXTENDED FORECAST BEGINS WITH OUR BEST CHANCES FOR WIDESPREAD BENEFICIAL RAINFALL IN QUITE SOME TIME. A HIGH AMPLITUDE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN IS FORECAST WITH A DEEP UPPER TROUGH AXIS JUST WEST OF THE STATE THURSDAY. THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS MOVES ACROSS THE REGION INTO EARLY FRIDAY WITH AN ASSOCIATED SURFACE TROUGH PUSHING THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA AS WELL. THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW REMAINS SOMEWHAT PROGRESSIVE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR WITH THE WESTERN U.S. UPPER RIDGE FORECAST TO SHIFT EAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND...REACHING THE EAST COAST BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. IF THIS PANS OUT OUR RAIN CHANCES WILL TREND BACK TOWARD ISOLATED DIURNAL CONVECTION AT BEST FOR THE LATTER HALF OF THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 72 94 72 91 72 / 20 20 20 30 30 ATLANTA 74 93 74 91 73 / 20 20 20 30 30 BLAIRSVILLE 67 87 66 86 68 / 30 20 20 40 40 CARTERSVILLE 71 92 70 90 70 / 20 20 20 40 40 COLUMBUS 75 94 75 93 75 / 30 30 20 30 30 GAINESVILLE 73 92 72 90 72 / 20 20 20 30 40 MACON 74 94 74 93 74 / 30 30 20 30 30 ROME 71 92 71 91 71 / 30 20 20 40 40 PEACHTREE CITY 71 92 71 91 72 / 20 20 20 30 30 VIDALIA 76 94 74 94 75 / 40 40 20 30 30 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 20
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 603 AM EDT MON JUL 28 2008 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-291015- 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- 603 AM EDT MON JUL 28 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH WILL REMAIN STATIONARY ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA...GEORGIA...AND THE CAROLINAS THROUGH TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS WILL PUSH SLIGHTLY DRIER AIR INTO NORTH GEORGIA. .PRIMARY HAZARDS... LIGHTNING IS EXPECTED TO BE THE PRIMARY HAZARD FROM THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS...BETWEEN 3 PM AND 9 PM TODAY. .DISCUSSION... INSTABILITY THIS AFTERNOON WILL NOT BE PARTICULARLY HIGH FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR WITH CAPE BETWEEN 1000 AND 1500. THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXIST OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND MORE PROBABLY OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL GEORGIA IN CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THE SURFACE TROUGH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY AND WILL BE MOST LIKELY ON THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 353 PM EDT MON JUL 28 2008 GAZ092-093-282030- 353 PM EDT MON JUL 28 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING IN SCHLEY AND MACON COUNTIES UNTIL 430 PM EDT... AT 350 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER ELLAVILLE...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 3 MPH. LIGHTNING DETECTION SYSTEMS INDICATE NUMEROUS CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES ACROSS SCHLEY AND MACON COUNTIES...INCLUDING AREAS AROUND LA CROSSE...FOUNTAINVILEE AND ELLAVILLE. RESIDENTS IN THIS AREA SHOULD STAY INDOORS. ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES AND TELEPHONES SHOULD NOT BE USED UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 359 PM EDT MON JUL 28 2008 GAZ085-086-097-098-111>113-282030- 359 PM EDT MON JUL 28 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING IN WHEELER... TOOMBS...MONTGOMERY...TREUTLEN...LAURENS...JOHNSON AND EMANUEL COUNTIES UNTIL 430 PM EDT... AT 355 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER COVENA THE THUNDERSTORM WAS NEARLY STATIONARY. LIGHTNING DETECTION SYSTEMS INDICATE NUMEROUS CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES ACROSS WHEELER...TOOMBS...MONTGOMERY...TREUTLEN... LAURENS...JOHNSON AND EMANUEL COUNTIES...INCLUDING AREAS AROUND ZAIDEE...NORMANTOWN...MEEKS...KIBBEE...COVENA...TARRYTOWN... SOPERTON...OAK PARK...ADRIAN...NORRISTWON...MODOC...LEXSY... SWAINSBORO...STILLMORE AND NUNEZ. RESIDENTS IN THIS AREA SHOULD STAY INDOORS. ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES AND TELEPHONES SHOULD NOT BE USED UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 444 PM EDT MON JUL 28 2008 GAZ076-282100- 444 PM EDT MON JUL 28 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR FREQUENT LIGHTNING IN JEFFERSON COUNTY UNTIL 500 PM EDT... AT 439 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM JUST NORTH OF MATTHEWS...MOVING SOUTH AT 4 MPH. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE PEA SIZED HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 35 MPH AS IT MOVES ACROSS PORTIONS OF JEFFERSON COUNTY THROUGH 500 PM EDT. SOME LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE STELLAVILLE...MATTHEWS AND WRENS. HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL 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.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 512 PM EDT MON JUL 28 2008 GAZ084-282130- 512 PM EDT MON JUL 28 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR FREQUENT LIGHTNING IN WILKINSON COUNTY UNTIL 530 PM EDT... AT 512 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER MCINTYRE THE THUNDERSTORM WAS NEARLY STATIONARY. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE PEA SIZED HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH IN PORTIONS OF WILKINSON COUNTY THROUGH 530 PM EDT. SOME LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE MCINTYRE...IVEY...IRWINTON AND GORDON. HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL 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.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 530 PM EDT MON JUL 28 2008 GAZ076-282200- 530 PM EDT MON JUL 28 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING IN JEFFERSON COUNTY UNTIL 600 PM EDT... AT 530 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM JUST SOUTH OF WRENS...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 11 MPH. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE PEA SIZED HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH AS IT MOVES ACROSS JEFFERSON COUNTY THROUGH 600 PM EDT. SOME LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE STELLAVILLE...MATTHEWS...WRENS...STAPLETON...AVERA AND LOUISVILLE. HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL 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.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 537 PM EDT MON JUL 28 2008 GAZ084-282200- 537 PM EDT MON JUL 28 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR FREQUENT LIGHTNING IN WILKINSON COUNTY UNTIL 600 PM EDT... AT 536 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER MCINTYRE THE THUNDERSTORM WAS NEARLY STATIONARY. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE PEA SIZED HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH IN PORTIONS OF WILKINSON COUNTY THROUGH 600 PM EDT. SOME LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE MCINTYRE...IVEY...IRWINTON AND GORDON. HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL 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 national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
The Fayette County Emergency Management Director reported penny-sized hail on the west side of Fayetteville.
The Walker County 911 Center reported that a tree was blown over onto a home resulting in some structural damage.
The Forsyth County Emergency Management Director reported that a tree was blown down onto a home on Lake Lanier causing damage to the structure. The tree also brought down power lines when it fell.
The public observed penny-sized hail south of Carrollton.
The Gwinnett Extra portion of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that caused nine structural fires in the Buford area. The most significant incident was a home set on fire in the 900 block of Creekview Bluff Way in Buford. The roof of the two-story home was completely destroyed.
The Meriwether County 911 Center reported that four trees were down between Alvaton and Wooster involving Strickland, Alvaton, and Rocky Mountain Roads.
Two separate thunderstorm cells produced severe hail. The first cell occurred south-southeast of Commerce around 710 pm EDT where the public observed nickel-sized hail. The second cell moved along the Banks/Jackson county line north of Commerce where the public observed quarter-sized hail in the Banks Crossing area around 720 pm EDT.
An amateur radio operator relayed a report of quarter-sized hail in the Banks Crossing area of southern Banks county. This thunderstorm cell also impacted extreme northern Jackson county north of Commerce.
The Butts County Emergency Management Director reported penny-sized hail.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, July 2008
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: 128659, 128657, 128886, 128658, 129470, 128660, 128884, 128885, 128887.