S. as a very deep upper low closed off across the central and southern plains.
Every event with a place to put it; 14 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 major weather system was developing across the central U.S. as a very deep upper low closed off across the central and southern plains. An intense surface low attached to an occluded front track northeast from north Texas into the Ohio valley during this period. Blizzard conditions were reported across parts of north Texas and much of Oklahoma Christmas eve and early Christmas day. A strong pressure gradient developed in advance of the occluded front and tracked across north Georgia late on Christmas eve and into Christmas morning. Wind gusts of 45 to 50 mph were observed from the higher elevations of the north Georgia mountains during this time frame. These winds, combined with saturated ground from prior weeks of excessive rainfall, blew down hundreds of trees and dozens of power lines across this part of the state. A number of power outages were reported and some roads were blocked from downed trees. A few homes also sustained damage from downed trees. Dade, Murray, and Union counties along the Tennessee border were the hardest hit with the high winds.
The following is a summary by county of damage and wind gust information, where available.
Dade (High Wind) - The Dade County 911 Center reported that at least 20 trees and several power lines down along Interstate-59 near Sand Mountain.
Dawson (High Wind) - The Dawson County 911 Center reported that at least 15 trees were down across the west and northwest portion of the county.
Catoosa (Strong Wind) - The Catoosa County 911 Center reported that a couple of trees were down on Chapman Road and Dogwood Valley Road near Ringgold.
Chattooga (Strong Wind) - The Chattooga County 911 Center reported that at least eight trees were down across the county. A few power lines were also down as well. Scattered power outages were observed in the county.
Fannin (Strong Wind) - The Fannin County 911 Center reported that at least six trees were down across the county. The Georgia Mesonet station at Blue Ridge recorded a wind gust of 48 mph.
Floyd (Strong Wind) - The RAWS station at Armuchee recorded a wind gust of 42 mph. No damage was reported from this county.
Gilmer (Strong Wind) - The Gilmer County 911 Center reported that a few trees were blown down within the county.
Gordon (Strong Wind) - The Gordon County 911 enter reported that approximately 10 trees were down between Fairmount and Sugar Valley. Scattered power outages were observed in this area.
Lumpkin (Strong Wind) - The Lumpkin County 911 Center reported that three trees down in the county.
Murray (High Wind) - The Murray County 911 Center reported that over 60 trees and several power lines were down across the county. Several roads were blocked from downed trees and power lines. Wind gusts of 51 mph were measured at the Chatsworth RAWS station and 47 mph at the Cohutta RAWS station.
Pickens (High Wind) - The Pickens County 911 Center reported that about two dozen trees were down across the county. The public reported that two homes were damaged and two roads were blocked from downed trees west of Jasper where wind gusts of 50 mph were measured on a home weather station.
Towns (Strong Wind) - The Towns County 911 Center reported that a few trees were down near the North Carolina state line. The Brasstown RAWS site recorded a wind gust of 45 mph.
Union (High Wind) - The Union County 911 Center reported that at least a dozen trees were down near Mulkey Gap.
Walker (Strong Wind) - The Walker County 911 Center reported that at least 10 trees were down across the county.
Whitfield (Strong Wind) - The Whitfield County 911 Center reported that one tree was down on Georgia Highway 2 near Varnell.
Wind gusts of 30 to 35 mph were also common from Cherokee, Cobb, and Fulton counties. No damage was reported from these counties.
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 Dec 24, 3:45 PM EST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 345 PM EST THU DEC 24 2009 .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... CURRENT RADAR LOOP SHOWS LIGHT RAIN BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO WEST GEORGIA. THIS RAIN IS THE FIRST BATCH THAT IS WELL OUT AHEAD OF THE FRONT. THIS FIRST AREA IS VERY STABLE WITH VERY LITTLE INSTABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH IT. THE MAIN AREA OF INSTABILITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT WHICH IS MOVING INTO WESTERN MISSISSIPPI AT THE MOMENT. THE WARM FRONT IS STILL HANGING AROUND THE GULF COAST AND IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SLIGHTLY NORTHWARD INTO SOUTH GA TONIGHT. THIS WILL PUT SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE IN THE WARM SECTOR OF THIS SYSTEM WITH INSTABILITIES INCREASING OVER NIGHT AS WELL. LOOKS LIKE THE BEST PLACE FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL BE SOUTH OF A COLUMBUS TO VIDALIA LINE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. THERE IS A VERY STRONG LOW LEVEL JET ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM THAT WILL HELP TO BRING INCREASED MOISTURE OFF THE GULF/ATLANTIC TONIGHT. AS THE ATMOSPHERE MOISTENS AND DESTABILIZES THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BECOME MORE LIKELY ESPECIALLY AFTER 03Z-06Z. THIS LOW LEVEL JET WILL ALSO HELP TO ENHANCE VERTICAL SHEAR WHICH WILL BE SUPPORTIVE OF A FEW ROTATING STORMS AND AN ISOLATED TORNADO OR TWO. CURRENTLY THE MODELS ARE STILL SHOWING 1 TO 1.5 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION WITH THIS SYSTEM SO WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH ANY MAJOR FLOODING. CONTINUE MINOR FLOODING ESPECIALLY ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA SHOULD BE ALL WE SEE. LAST ITEM TO ADDRESS ARE THE WINDS. GUIDANCE INCREASES WINDS ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA INTO THE 20 TO 25KT RANGE WITH GUST IN THE 30S. IM SURE WITH THESE NUMBERS WE WILL SEE EVEN HIGHER GUST IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE N GA MOUNTAINS. HAVE DECIDED TO ISSUE A HIGH WIND WARNING BEGINNING AT 00Z FRI AND CONTINUING THOUGH 12Z FRI. THE COLD FRONT SWEEPS THROUGH THE CWA TONIGHT...AND BY 12Z- 14Z FRI THE LAST OF THE SHOWERS WILL BE EXITING THE EASTERN PART OF THE AREA. WRAP AROUND MOISTURE WILL RETURN TO EXTREME NORTH GA BRINGING CLOUDY SKIES...ELSEWHERE SKIES WILL BE CLEARING DURING THE DAY FRIDAY. IT WILL REMAIN A BIT WINDY BUT LOOKS LIKE AN ADVISORY WILL NOT BE NEEDED AT THE MOMENT. .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... THROUGH AT LEAST TUESDAY THE LARGE H5 LOW OVER THE MIDWEST WILL TAKE ITS TIME FILLING AND LIFTING NORTHEAST. THIS WILL KEEP THE CWA IN A DRY NORTHWEST FLOW. BY TUESDAY AN H5 TROUGH MOVES OUT OF THE PACIFIC AND INTO THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES...THEN INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS ON WEDNESDAY. GFS AND ECMWF DIFFER ON LOCATION AND STRENGTH OF THE MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FEATURE. GFS WEAKENS THE FIRST WAVE BY THE TIME IT GETS HERE WITH ANOTHER WAVE DEEPENING OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. ECMWF STRENGTHENS THE 1ST S/W AND SPREADS MOISTURE OVER THE CWA ON WEDNESDAY. WILL GO WITH SLIGHT CHANCE POPS WEDNESDAY. TEMPS WILL REMAIN SEASONAL THROUGH THE LONG TERM. && .AVIATION... -RA HAS MOVED INTO THE TAF SITES. GENERALLY MVFR CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA...WITH THE EXPECTATION OF CONDITIONS LOWERING TO IFR. WINDS WILL INCREASE OVERNIGHT WITH GUSTS 28 TO 30 KTS...AND THEN BEGIN TO SUBSIDE LATE MORNING. EXPECT A WIND SHIFT FROM E TO SW TOMORROW MORNING...AROUND 14Z AT THE ATL METRO SITES. RA TO CONTINUE THROUGH OVERNIGHT AND INSTABILITIES SUPPORT THE POSSIBILITY OF TS AT THE SOUTHERN TAF SITES...CSG AND MCN...SO WILL INCLUDE CB FOR NOW. BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NAM AND GFS TOMORROW EVENING WITH GFS SHOWING SCT250 CEILINGS AND NAM INDICATING OVC025. PLAN ON LEANING MORE TOWARD THE NAM SIDE AND SHOWING A GRADUAL INCREASE IN CEILINGS TOMORROW AND TOMORROW NIGHT. 11 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 43 54 30 53 31 / 100 50 0 5 10 ATLANTA 42 51 28 50 35 / 100 30 0 5 10 BLAIRSVILLE 39 44 25 48 23 / 100 40 5 5 10 CARTERSVILLE 42 51 26 50 29 / 100 20 0 5 10 COLUMBUS 48 56 30 54 35 / 100 10 0 5 10 GAINESVILLE 40 47 27 51 33 / 100 40 0 5 10 MACON 52 58 29 55 34 / 100 40 0 5 10 ROME 42 50 30 52 30 / 100 10 5 5 20 PEACHTREE CITY 45 54 27 52 26 / 100 20 0 5 10 VIDALIA 54 65 33 55 32 / 100 70 0 0 10 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM EST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BALDWIN...BANKS...BARROW...BIBB...BLECKLEY...BUTTS...CARROLL... CHATTAHOOCHEE...CLARKE...CLAYTON...COBB...COWETA...CRAWFORD... CRISP...DEKALB...DODGE...DOOLY...DOUGLAS...EMANUEL...FAYETTE... FORSYTH...GLASCOCK...GREENE...GWINNETT...HALL...HANCOCK... HARALSON...HARRIS...HEARD...HENRY...HOUSTON...JACKSON...JASPER... JEFFERSON...JOHNSON...JONES...LAMAR...LAURENS...MACON... MADISON...MARION...MERIWETHER...MONROE...MONTGOMERY...MORGAN... MUSCOGEE...NEWTON...NORTH FULTON...OCONEE...OGLETHORPE... PAULDING...PEACH...PIKE...POLK...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. HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 AM EST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BARTOW...CATOOSA...CHATTOOGA...CHEROKEE... DADE...DAWSON...FANNIN...FLOYD...GILMER...GORDON...LUMPKIN... MURRAY...PICKENS...TOWNS...UNION...WALKER...WHITE...WHITFIELD. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BARTOW...CATOOSA...CHATTOOGA...CHEROKEE...DADE...DAWSON... FANNIN...FLOYD...GILMER...GORDON...LUMPKIN...MURRAY...PICKENS... TOWNS...UNION...WALKER...WHITE...WHITFIELD. && 01
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 505 PM EST THU DEC 24 2009 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-251200- 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- 505 PM EST THU DEC 24 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...INCLUDING AN ISOLATED TORNADO...WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA LATE TONIGHT. STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA TONIGHT. .SYNOPSIS... A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL DEEPEN AS IT MOVES NORTH THROUGH TONIGHT. A COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM THE LOW WILL MOVE EAST THROUGH GEORGIA LATE TONIGHT. .PRIMARY HAZARDS... THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AFTER MIDNIGHT ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM LAGRANGE...TO FORSYTH...TO AUGUSTA. A FEW OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SEVERE...WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ISOLATED TORNADO. STRONG WINDS FROM THE EAST MAY CAUSE SOME DAMAGE TO TREE LIMBS OR WEAKENED TREES ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DISCUSSION... THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTHEAST AND THE DEEPENING LOW WILL GENERATE WIND SPEEDS AROUND 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS GREATER THAN 45 MPH EXPECTED...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS NORTH AND ALONG A LINE FROM ROME TO DAWSONVILLE TO CLEVELAND. HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES SHOULD USE CAUTION. INSTABILITY WILL INCREASE WITH CAPES TO 400 ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL GEORGIA...AS THE COLD FRONT APPROACHES TONIGHT. STRONG VERTICAL WIND SHEAR WITH EAST WINDS AT THE SURFACE AND SOUTHWEST WINDS ALOFT...MAY ALLOW AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM TO BECOME BRIEFLY SEVERE. STRONG DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT...BUT WITH THE STRONG SHEAR AN ISOLATED BRIEF TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT. ANY PROLONGED OR STEADY RAINFALL THAT DEVELOPS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT MAY LEAD TO ADDITIONAL RISES ON ALREADY FULL CREEKS AND RIVERS. A FEW LOCATIONS MAY EXPERIENCE SOME MINOR FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTINUE OVER PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA THROUGH EARLY CHRISTMAS DAY. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED IN PORTIONS OF CENTRAL GEORGIA LATE TONIGHT. SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH THE WEB BY GOING TO WEATHER.GOV/ATLANTA.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
9 strong wind, 5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Dade County 911 Center reported that at least 20 trees and several power lines were down along Interstate 59 near Sand Mountain.
The Walker County 911 Center reported that at least 10 trees were down across the county.
The Chattooga County 911 Center reported that at least eight trees were down across the county. A few power lines were also down as well. Scattered power outages were observed in the county.
The Murray County 911 Center reported that over 60 trees and several power lines were down across the county. Several roads were blocked from downed trees and power lines. Wind gusts of 51 mph were measured at the Chatsworth RAWS station and 47 mph at the Cohutta RAWS station.
The Catoosa County 911 Center reported that a couple of trees were down on Chapman Road and Dogwood Valley Road near Ringgold.
The Whitfield County 911 Center reported that one tree was down on Georgia Highway 2 near Varnell.
The Fannin County 911 Center reported that at least six trees were down across the county. The Georgia Mesonet station at Blue Ridge recorded a wind gust of 48 mph.
The Gilmer County 911 Center reported that a few trees were blown down within the county.
The Union County 911 Center reported that at least a dozen trees were down near Mulkey Gap. Wind gusts of 45 mph were measrued from the Brasstown Bald RAWS just across the eastern border of the county into Towns county.
The Towns County 911 Center reported that a few trees were down near the North Carolina state line. The Brasstown Bald RAWS site recorded a wind gust of 45 mph.
The Gordon County 911 enter reported that approximately 10 trees were down between Fairmount and Sugar Valley. Scattered power outages were observed in this area.
The Pickens County 911 Center reported that about two dozen trees were down across the county. The public reported that two homes were damaged and two roads were blocked from downed trees west of Jasper where wind gusts of 50 mph were measured on a home weather station.
The Dawson County 911 Center reported that at least 15 trees were down across the west and northwest portion of the county.
The Lumpkin County 911 Center reported that three trees down in the county.
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, December 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: 208145, 208146, 208148, 208151, 208147, 208150, 208152, 208153, 208154, 208155, 208156, 208157, 208158, 208166.