A deep upper trough was digging southward from the Great Lakes toward the southeast. This was pushing a cold front toward Georgia from the northwest.
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 deep upper trough was digging southward from the Great Lakes toward the southeast. This was pushing a cold front toward Georgia from the northwest. Southwest to northeast oriented bands of thunderstorms developed across mainly north central and northwest Georgia during the afternoon and evening. These thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall of two to four inches in some north central and northwest Georgia counties. One storm in Gilmer county produced damaging wind gusts. Considerable cloud-to-ground lightning was observed with these thunderstorms, resulting in several house fires in the north Atlanta metropolitan area.
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 20, 2:53 PM EST, 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 353 PM EDT THU AUG 20 2009 .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... NORTH AND CENTRAL GA REMAINING IN TROPICAL AIR MASS. BEST MOISTURE AXIS CONTINUING TO OUR NORTHWEST AND WEST AHEAD OF SURFACE COLD FRONT. THIS BOUNDARY SHOULD SINK SOUTHWARD FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT AS UPPER TROUGH DEEPENS INTO MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. HAVE SHADED POPS FROM LIKELY NORTHWEST TO SLIGHT CHANCE EAST CENTRAL TONIGHT. LIKELY ACROSS THE AREA ON FRIDAY AS THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY CROSSES THE CWA. WITH PW VALUES NEAR TWO INCHES...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED. STILL SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MODELS ON FRONTAL PASSAGE AND ONSET OF DRYING. HAVE HELD ON TO LOW POPS IN THE NORTHWEST AFTER MIDNIGHT FRIDAY...WITH MAIN DRYING BEGINNING SATURDAY MORNING. SOME LOW POPS CONTINUE IN LAST TIER OF ZONES FOR SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. MAV/MET TEMPERATURES LOOKED OKAY AND ONLY MADE A FEW TWEAKS. .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... NO CHANGES MADE TO THE LONG TERM. EAST COAST TROUGH BEGINNING TO FILL BY THE END OF THE PERIOD WITH MOISTURE WORKING ITS WAY BACK NORTHWARD INTO THE CWA BY MID WEEK. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 71 90 68 90 65 / 40 70 30 20 10 ATLANTA 72 85 68 88 64 / 40 70 30 10 5 BLAIRSVILLE 70 79 61 85 59 / 60 60 30 20 10 CARTERSVILLE 71 85 61 87 59 / 50 60 30 10 10 COLUMBUS 73 89 71 91 66 / 40 70 30 20 5 GAINESVILLE 71 85 66 87 65 / 40 60 30 20 10 MACON 72 91 70 93 64 / 30 70 50 20 10 ROME 71 89 64 88 62 / 60 60 30 10 10 PEACHTREE CITY 71 85 63 88 60 / 40 70 30 10 5 VIDALIA 74 90 72 91 65 / 20 70 50 30 10 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 41
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 620 AM EDT THU AUG 20 2009 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-211030- 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- 620 AM EDT THU AUG 20 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTH GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE REMAINDER OF CENTRAL GEORGIA THROUGH THIS EVENING. .SYNOPSIS... A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE PERSISTS ACROSS THE SOUTH ATLANTIC SEABOARD AND IT...TOGETHER WITH A TROF OF LOW PRESSURE ACROSS THE CENTRAL U.S. WILL CONTINUE TO BRING TROPICAL MOISTURE ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. .PRIMARY HAZARDS... THE PRIMARY HAZARD FROM THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE HEAVY RAIN AND OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING. BRIEF WIND GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE FROM THE STRONGER STORMS. DUE TO THE TROPICAL NATURE OF THIS ENVIRONMENT...THE STRONGER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA TODAY...BUT MOST OF THE ACTIVITY WILL OCCUR NORTH OF A LINE FROM COLUMBUS TO MACON TO ATHENS...BETWEEN NOON AND 7 P.M. .DISCUSSION... A WEAK UPPER-LEVEL IMPULSE EMBEDDED IN THE SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL LIFT ACROSS ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST GEORGIA TODAY...AIDING IN TRIGGERING THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. INSTABILITY IS MODERATE...WITH CAPE VALUES AT 1500 OR LESS AND LIFTED INDICES AROUND -2. MODERATELY HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES SUGGEST THE POSSIBILITY OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. THE UPPER WIND PROFILE SUPPORTS THE POSSIBILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS THAT ARE SLIGHTLY BETTER ORGANIZED THAN THOSE OF THE PAST FEW DAYS...ESPECIALLY IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA. SOME TRAINING OF CELLS MAY BE POSSIBLE...WHICH WILL INCREASE THE THREAT FOR LOCALIZED FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY...SATURDAY AND WEDNESDAY ACROSS MOST OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE...BUT WILL OCCUR MAINLY OVER CENTRAL GEORGIA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED BUT SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER OR FLOODING THROUGH THE WEB BY GOING TO WEATHER.GOV/ATLANTA.
The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 115 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:18 UTC.
4 lightning, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
The Cherokee Tribune reported that lightning struck a home on Barron Road in the Salacoa Valley area north of Waleska. The fire burned the kitchen and attic. The remainder of the home suffered extensive smoke, heat, and water damage. The contents of the home were ruined. No injuries were reported, however.
The Gilmer County Emergency Management Director reported that one road along the Pickens/Gilmer county line was flooded as rainfall of up to 2.5 inches fell in the area in approximately 30 minutes. The road was temporarily closed.
The Gilmer County Emergency Management Director reported that at least 10 trees were down across mainly the western portion of the county from the southwest corner at the Pickens county line to just northeast of Ellijay.
The Whitfield County 911 Center reported that two trees were down, one near Cohutta and another near Dalton, as thunderstorms moved through the county. The tree near Cohutta also brought down a power line when it fell.
The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported that lightning struck a home on Lenora Church Road at Lee Road, just south of Snellville. The resulting fire, which started in the bedroom, was quickly extinguished. However, the remainder of the home suffered extensive heat and smoke damage. The three occupants escaped uninjured.
The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported that lightning struck a home in the 7000 block of River Island Circle. A portion of the roof and an exterior wall were set on fire before the fire was extinguished. The structure suffered minor structural damage.
The Cherokee Tribune reported that lightning struck a home on Eagle Drive in the Towne Lake area near Canton. A fire resulted, beginning in the floor truss between the first and second floors of the home. The fire was quickly extinguished. The home suffered minor damage to the exterior walls. No injuries were reported.
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, August 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: 195187, 193551, 193550, 193749, 195188, 195189, 195190.