S. A very narrow northeast-southwest oriented line of showers and thunderstorms accompanied the front through north and central Georgia during the day.
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 strong cold front was moving through the area supported by yet another deep trough into the eastern U.S. A very narrow northeast-southwest oriented line of showers and thunderstorms accompanied the front through north and central Georgia during the day.
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 Jan 28, 10:20 AM EST, 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 1020 AM EST WED JAN 28 2009 .UPDATE... WEAK COLD FRONT IS PUSHING SOUTH AND EAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. CURRENTLY IT STRETCHES FROM NEAR BLUE RIDGE TO MARIETTA TO FRANKLIN. RAIN WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA BEHIND THE FRONT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AS COOLER AIR FILTERS INTO THE PEACH STATE. HAVE MADE MINOR TWEAKS TO TEMPERATURES BASED UPON CURRENT TRENDS...WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING ACROSS NORTH GEORGIA. CENTRAL AREAS COULD SEE TEMPERATURES RISE FOR A FEW HOURS AHEAD OF THE FRONTS ARRIVAL LATER THIS AFTERNOON. OTHERWISE NO CHANGES TO POPS/WEATHER GRIDS. .SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... WEAK BOUNDARY STRETCHING ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...PROGD TO LIFT NORTHWARD LATER THIS MORNING AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE TENNESSEE VALLEY MOVES NORTHEAST PULLING A COLD FRONT TOWARD GEORGIA. MODELS SIMILAR WITH THE COLD FRONT PUSHING INTO NORTHWEST GEORGIA BY MIDMORNING...NEARING A LAGRANGE TO ATHENS LINE BY EARLY AFTERNOON THEN PUSHING SOUTH OF THE COUNTY WARNING AREA BY DAYS END. LOOK FOR THE AREA OF RAIN WITH EMBEDDED HEAVIER SHOWERS TO SPREAD ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA TODAY AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH AND WILL CONTINUE PREVIOUS FORECAST TREND WITH LIKELY TO CATEGORICAL POPS ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION TODAY. WITH BOUNDARY PUSHING INTO SOUTH GEORGIA TONIGHT...WILL BEGIN TO TAPER POPS OFF FROM THE NORTHWEST DURING THE EVENING...WITH BEST CHANCES ACROSS CENTRAL SECTIONS. PLAN TO END ALL PRECIP AT OR SHORTLY AFTER 12Z THURSDAY AS BOUNDARY CONTINUES TO PUSH THROUGH SOUTH GEORGIA AND HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS EAST FROM TEXAS. LATEST GFS RUN CONTINUE TO SHOW WEAK IMPULSE SKIRTING ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY THURSDAY NIGHT/EARLY FRIDAY. MOISTURE VERY LIMITED OVER OUR AREA AS THIS FEATURE MOVES THROUGH...BUT MAY BE ENOUGH TO SQUEEZE OUT A FEW FLURRIES IN THE MOUNTAINS. NAM AND GFS MOS FAIRLY SIMILAR THROUGH THE PERIOD AND PLAN TO USE A MAV/MET BLEND AS A GENERAL RULE. .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS DOMINATE OVER THE SOUTHEAST U.S. THROUGH THE WEEKEND...PRODUCING DRY WEATHER AND TEMPS NEAR OR SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL. EXTENDED PROGS SIMILAR WITH THE HIGH BEGINNING TO SHIFT OFF THE SOUTHEAST U.S. COAST LATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES PULLING A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE TENNESSEE/MISSISSIPPI VALLEY REGION. RAIN CHANCES BACK ON THE INCREASE MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT AS THE FRONT APPROACHES AND THEN MOVES THROUGH. SOME QUESTION TO PRECIP TYPE ACROSS THE NORTH MONDAY NIGHT WITH LATEST MODEL TEMPS COLDER THAN PREVIOUS. PLAN TO KEEP ALL PRECIP LIQUID FOR NOW WITH SEVERAL MODEL RUNS YET TO GO. && .AVIATION... PREDOMINATELY MVFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL ACROSS FORECAST AREA THIS MORNING...EXCEPT ALONG THE EASTERN FRINGES WHERE STUBBORN WEDGE CONTINUES TO HOLD IFR TO LIFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES IN PLACE. WEDGE HAS BEEN ERODING AT AN INCREASING PACE THIS MORNING...ENTIRE AREA SHOULD BE PREDOMINATELY MVFR BY 12Z OR SHORTLY THEREAFTER. I EXPECT GENERALLY MVFR CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY...IMPROVING AFTER THE PASSAGE OF A SHARP COLD FRONT AND ITS ASSOCIATED BAND OF SHOWERS. TRACKING THE CURRENT POSITION AND MOVEMENT OF THIS FEATURE WOULD HAVE IT CLEARING THE ATLANTA TAF SITES SOMETIME AROUND 18Z TO 20Z...KCSG AND KAHN AROUND 20Z TO 22Z AND KMCN AROUND 21Z TO 23Z. WINDS ARE ALREADY PICKING UP OUT OF THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA AND THIS TREND WILL CONTINUE AHEAD OF THE FRONT. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO NORTHWEST AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE. WIND SPEEDS WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE MORNING WITH MOST AREAS SEEING AROUND 10 TO 15 KTS BY 14Z...CONTINUING THROUGH 00Z. GUST IN THE 20 TO 25 KT RANGE CAN BE EXPECTED JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT...CONTINUING FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 55 33 59 32 51 / 60 40 10 10 10 ATLANTA 55 33 52 32 48 / 70 30 5 10 10 BLAIRSVILLE 49 30 54 26 41 / 80 10 5 10 10 CARTERSVILLE 56 30 53 27 46 / 80 20 5 10 10 COLUMBUS 61 37 59 34 53 / 70 40 5 10 10 GAINESVILLE 52 30 57 32 47 / 70 20 5 10 10 MACON 64 36 60 33 54 / 60 50 10 10 10 ROME 55 33 57 30 49 / 90 10 5 10 10 PEACHTREE CITY 57 34 58 29 48 / 70 30 5 10 10 VIDALIA 71 44 61 35 54 / 60 60 20 5 10 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 49
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 530 AM EST WED JAN 28 2009 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-291030- 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- 530 AM EST WED JAN 28 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SYNOPSIS... A STRONG COLD FRONT WAS APPROACHING THE STATE EARLY THIS MORNING AND WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 1016 AM EST WED JAN 28 2009 GAZ006>008-013>015-021-022-032>034-043-044-052-053-066-078-281600- 1016 AM EST WED JAN 28 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR 40 MPH WINDS IN HARRIS...TROUP... HEARD...COWETA...DOUGLAS...COBB...GWINNETT...FORSYTH...CHEROKEE... PICKENS...DAWSON...LUMPKIN...GILMER...UNION...FANNIN AND FULTON COUNTIES UNTIL 1100 AM EST... AT 1010 AM EST/910 AM CST/...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH A STRONG COLD FRONT FROM MCCAYSVILLE-COPPERHILL TO 27 MILES WEST OF WEST POINT...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. WINDS ALONG THIS LINE WERE GUSTING TO NEAR 40 MPH. THESE WIND GUSTS MAY PRODUCE MINOR DAMAGE TO TREE LIMBS AND BLOW LIGHT...UNSECURED OBJECTS AROUND.
The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 16 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:44 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
The Times Herald of Newnan reported that lightning struck the Coweta County 911 Center. Damage to the center was minor and service was only briefly disrupted.
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, January 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: 150263.