A drier spell during the end of April combined with gusty winds and low relative humidity resulted in two additional wildfires in the northeast Georgia mountain county of Union. Both were human caused, labeled Sharp Top and Copper Gap, respectively.
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 FFC wrote it up.
A drier spell during the end of April combined with gusty winds and low relative humidity resulted in two additional wildfires in the northeast Georgia mountain county of Union. Both were human caused, labeled Sharp Top and Copper Gap, respectively. Damages were $850 and $2800, respectively.
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 Apr 27, 2:43 PM EST, 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 343 PM EDT MON APR 27 2009 .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/... CURRENT SATELLITE LOOP SHOWS CU FORMING ACROSS THE AREA ASSOCIATED WITH ONSHORE FLOW FROM THE GA COAST. LARGE STRONG HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE IS STILL CENTERED JUST OFF THE CAROLINA COAST AND CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE WEATHER ACROSS THE AREA. THIS RIDGE IS BEGINNING TO WEAKEN AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO THROUGH THU. THE RIDGE IS STILL STRONG ENOUGH TO SUPPRESS ANY SHRA/TSRA DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TUE BUT WE WILL SEE SOME INCREASING CLOUDS TUE. THERE ARE A SERIES OF WEAK LOW PRESSURE CENTERS MOVE NE OUT OF THE CENTRAL PLAIN TODAY AND THEY ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION TONIGHT. THE SOUTHERN END OF THERE ASSOCIATED FRONTAL SYSTEM PUSHES INTO THE SOUTHERN MS VALLEY TUESDAY WITH THE NORTHERN END MOVING INTO THE NEW ENGLAND STATES TUE NIGHT. WITH THE WEAKENING HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. IT DOES NOT ALLOW THIS FRONT TO MOVE INTO GA. THE SOUTHERN END OF THE FRONTAL SYSTEM EVENTUALLY ROTATES AROUND THE TOP OF THE RIDGE MOVING EAST THROUGH THE OH AND TN VALLEYS WED. MOISTURE FROM THIS FRONTAL SYSTEM BEGINS TO CREEP INTO NW GA LATE TUE NIGHT/WED MORNING SO WILL CONTINUE WITH CURRENT FORECAST BRINING IN SHRA/TSRA TO NW GA WED. DAY TIME HIGH TEMPS IN THE SHORT TERM WILL BE SLIGHTLY ABOVE SEASONAL NORMS WITH NIGHT TIME LOWS NEAR NORMALS. .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... THIS FRONTAL SYSTEM CONTINUES TO ROTATE AROUND THE TOP OF THE RIDGE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK BEFORE LIFTING NE FRI. BY THEN THE RIDGE AXIS OVER GA WILL HAVE MOVED SOUTH INTO N FL ALLOWING A SECOND COLD FRONT TO SWEEP INTO THE STATE SAT. WITH THE RIDGE SLOWLY WEAKENING NORTH GA WILL BEGIN TO SEE SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WED WITH THE PRECIP MOVING SOUTH INTO CENTRAL GA THROUGH SUN. TEMPS IN THE EXTENDED SHOULD BE NEAR SEASONAL NORMS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 56 80 55 82 57 / 0 0 5 10 20 ATLANTA 59 79 60 79 60 / 0 0 5 10 20 BLAIRSVILLE 50 78 52 76 52 / 5 0 10 30 20 CARTERSVILLE 56 81 55 80 56 / 5 0 5 20 20 COLUMBUS 61 85 62 84 61 / 0 0 5 10 10 GAINESVILLE 58 79 58 79 57 / 5 0 5 10 20 MACON 58 84 57 85 58 / 0 0 5 10 10 ROME 59 84 59 84 59 / 5 5 10 30 20 PEACHTREE CITY 55 80 54 81 54 / 0 0 5 10 20 VIDALIA 57 84 55 84 57 / 0 0 0 10 10 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 01
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 1134 AM EDT MON APR 27 2009 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-280930- 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- 1134 AM EDT MON APR 27 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...REST OF TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SYNOPSIS... A RIDGE OF DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE REGION THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Georgia Forestry Commission reported a human-caused wildfire. The fire was labeled Sharp Top and consumed 3.5 acres.
The Georgia Forestry Commission reported a human-caused wildfire. The fire was labeled Cooper Gap and consumed 3.5 acres.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, April 2009
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: 168565, 168566.