Although drought conditions were dramatically improving across the state from generous winter and early spring rainfall, several wildfires were reported by the Georgia Forestry Commission, mostly across north Georgia. All of the wildfires in the Peachtree City, Georgia forecast area were human caused.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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.
Although drought conditions were dramatically improving across the state from generous winter and early spring rainfall, several wildfires were reported by the Georgia Forestry Commission, mostly across north Georgia. All of the wildfires in the Peachtree City, Georgia forecast area were human caused.
Wild fires were reported in Chattooga, Murray, Putnam, and Walker counties. There were actually three seperate wild fire incidents in Murray county during the month. Total combined damages from these wild fires was estimated to be nearly $22,000. The most significant wildfire to occur during the month was in Walker county on March 22nd, burning 6.4 acres and causing $10,000 in damages.
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 Mar 10, 4:32 AM EST, 4 hours 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR AVIATION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 532 AM EDT TUE MAR 10 2009 .UPDATE... AREAS OF DENSE FOG HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL GEORGIA AND A DENSE FOG ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE AREA SOUTH OF A LAGRANGE TO SANDERSVILLE AND VIDALIA LINE. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 356 AM EDT TUE MAR 10 2009/ SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... STATIONARY FRONT NEAR FAR NORTH GEORGIA ALREADY SHOWING SIGNS OF STARTING TO RETURN NORTH. UPPER RIDGE IS BACK UP IN STRENGTH OVER THE REGION AND TODAY SHOULD END UP WARM AND PARTLY SUNNY...ALTHOUGH PERIODS OF PATCHY LOW CLOUDS AND FOG WILL PERSIST EARLY THIS MORNING. THE UPPER RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT SOUTH AND EAST THOUGH THE BALANCE OF THE SHORT TERM FORECAST PERIOD ALLOWING SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT TO SET UP OVER THE REGION. ANOTHER FRONT IS EXPECTED TO SWEEP INTO THE STATE WEDNESDAY...BUT MODELS ARE NOW SHOWING LITTLE INSTABILITY AVAILABLE OVER THE FORECAST AREA AS TH FRONT PUSHES THOUGH. ALTHOUGH THE FRONT PUSHES SOUTH AND EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA BY THURSDAY...MODELS KEEP PLENTY OF MOISTURE OVER THE REGION WITH AN OVER RUNNING PATTERN UNDER THE PERSISTENT SOUTHWESTERLY UPPER FLOW. LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... APPEARS A MODERATELY STRONG WEDGE PATTERN SETS UP AS WE START THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD. COMBINED WITH CONTINUED SOUTHWEST UPPER FLOW...THE END OF THE WEEK IS LOOKING LIKE A FAIRLY COOL...CLOUDY AND DAMP PERIOD. BEST CHANCES FOR SIGNIFICANT RAIN APPEAR TO BE LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY AS A FAIRLY STRONG SHORT WAVE LIFTS INTO THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WITH AN ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW AND COLD FRONT SWEEPING INTO THE REGION. MODELS HAVE BEEN ANYTHING BUT CONFIDENCE INSPIRING IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS SO I DO NOT WANT TO GO NUTS WITH POPS YET. && .AVIATION... DENSE FOG HAS DEVELOPED ACROSS AREAS STRETCHING FROM AROUND CSG TO MCN THIS MORNING...BUT EXPECTED TO REMAIN SOUTH OF ATL AT THIS TIME. MAIN CONCERN IS POTENTIAL FOR LOW MVFR-IFR CIGS ADVECTING INTO THE ATLANTA AREA FROM THE SOUTH AND SW. CURRENT TAFS REFLECT THIS THREAT AND GO ALONG WITH PERSISTENCE FROM PAST FEW MORNINGS... DESPITE LATEST NAM AND MAV MOS GUIDANCE INDICATING VFR CIGS AND VIS WILL PREVAIL THIS MORNING. EXPECT AT LEAST A TEMPO PERIOD OF MVFR-IFR CIGS THIS MORNING... POSSIBLY RIGHT AT DAYBREAK AND ONLY LASTING A COUPLE HOURS BEFORE SCATTERING OUT. DAYTIME HEATING AND AMPLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN SCT-BKN CU DEVELOPING BY 18-19Z THIS AFTERNOON. GUIDANCE SHOWS BKN050 BY 18Z...BUT LEANING TOWARD 19Z WHICH IS MORE IN LINE WITH PERSISTENCE. OTHERWISE... EXPECT A PREVAILING SW WIND TODAY 10KTS OR LESS... ALTHO WIND DIRECTION THIS AFTERNOON WILL FLIRT WITH THE DREADED 180 DEGREE DIRECTION AT ATL... PLAN TO KEEP WIND DIRECTION ON THE WEST SIDE OF SOUTH FOR NOW AT ATL. /39 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 83 54 78 47 61 / 10 0 10 10 20 ATLANTA 80 56 75 47 57 / 0 5 20 20 30 BLAIRSVILLE 74 49 69 43 55 / 10 10 30 20 30 CARTERSVILLE 80 53 74 43 58 / 0 10 30 20 30 COLUMBUS 82 55 82 51 69 / 0 5 20 20 20 GAINESVILLE 80 53 74 46 57 / 10 5 20 20 30 MACON 83 53 83 51 69 / 0 0 10 10 20 ROME 82 52 72 42 57 / 0 10 30 20 30 PEACHTREE CITY 80 52 76 47 58 / 0 5 20 20 20 VIDALIA 85 58 84 54 74 / 0 0 5 10 10 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EDT THIS MORNING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BALDWIN...BIBB...BLECKLEY...CHATTAHOOCHEE... CRAWFORD...CRISP...DODGE...DOOLY...HARRIS...HOUSTON...JOHNSON... JONES...LAMAR...LAURENS...MACON...MARION...MERIWETHER...MONROE... MONTGOMERY...MUSCOGEE...PEACH...PIKE...PULASKI...SCHLEY... STEWART...SUMTER...TALBOT...TAYLOR...TELFAIR...TOOMBS... TREUTLEN...TROUP...TWIGGS...UPSON...WASHINGTON...WEBSTER... WHEELER...WILCOX...WILKINSON. && 20
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 531 AM EDT TUE MAR 10 2009 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-110945- 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- 531 AM EDT TUE MAR 10 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AREAS OF DENSE FOG WILL RESTRICT VISIBILITIES ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS MORNING. .SYNOPSIS... WEAK HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHEAST AND A MOIST AIRMASS IN PLACE WILL COMBINE TO PRODUCE AREAS OF FOG THIS MORNING. .PRIMARY HAZARDS... DENSE FOG WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES BELOW ONE QUARTER MILE AT TIMES ACROSS PARTS OF CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS MORNING. .DISCUSSION... AREAS OF DENSE FOG HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS MORNING. VISIBILITIES WILL FREQUENTLY BE REDUCED TO ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS...MAKING DRIVING EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS. REMEMBER TO SLOW DOWN...USE YOUR LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS AND LEAVE PLENTY OF DISTANCE BETWEEN YOU AND THE VEHICLE AHEAD. THE FOG SHOULD LIFT BETWEEN 9 AND 10 AM THIS MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ON SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
A wildfire, labeled Rocky Flats, burned 2.0 acres. The fire was human caused.
A wildfire, labeled Town Mountain, burned 1.5 acres. The fire was human caused.
A wildfire, labeled Rabbit, burned 0.25 acres. The fire was human caused.
A second fire was reported in Murray county. This fire, Labeled Old Highway 2 No. 2, burned 0.50 acres. The fire was human caused.
Yet a third wild fire was reportd in Murray county. This fire was labeled Old Highway 2 and burned 3.0 acres resulting in $5000 in damages. The fire was human caused.
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, March 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: 163654, 163652, 163656, 163673, 163672.