While the majority of the wild fires occurred during the first part of the month, three additional wild fires were observed during the later half of the month. Again, these were all human caused.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
While the majority of the wild fires occurred during the first part of the month, three additional wild fires were observed during the later half of the month. Again, these were all human caused. The most significant wildfire of the month occurred during this period in Walker county on March 22nd, resulting in $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 20, 6:43 PM EST, 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 743 PM EDT FRI MAR 20 2009 .UPDATE... WILL UPDATE THE FIRE WEATHER PRODUCTS TO REMOVE THE RED FLAG WARNING THAT WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM. NO OTHER CHANGES PLANNED AT THIS TIME. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 630 PM EDT FRI MAR 20 2009/ SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... H5 NORTHWEST FLOW WILL REMAIN OVER THE CWA THROUGH THE SHORT TERM KEEPING US DRY FOR THE MOST PART. A WEAK SHORT WAVE WILL MOVE OUT OF THE UPPER MIDWEST AND INTO THE MID ATLANTIC. THE CWA WILL BE ON THE TAIL END OF THE SHORT WAVE...BUT WITH MOISTURE LIMITED EXPECT ONLY A FEW CLOUDS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... STILL SOME TIMING ISSUES FROM RUN TO RUN OF THE MODELS ON THE MID WEEK SYSTEM. CURRENT FORECAST IS HANDLING THE SYSTEM WELL AND SEE NO NEED FOR CHANGES AT THIS TIME. FIRE WEATHER... WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY...DO NOT EXPECT WIDESPREAD HUMIDITIES BELOW 25 PERCENT...HOWEVER BUT COULD NOT RULE OUT ISOLATED AREAS DROPPING BELOW 25 PERCENT FOR 2 OR 3 HOURS. FOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON CENTRAL GEORGIA WILL DROP BELOW 25 PERCENT BUT NOT EXPECTED TO MEET TIME CRITERIA. AT THIS TIME WILL NOT ISSUE A FIRE WEATHER WATCH OR WARNING. HOWEVER THIS WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED AND A FIRE WEATHER WATCH MAY BE NEEDED IF DEW POINTS DROP BELOW WHAT IS CURRENTLY FORECAST. WILL CONTINUE THE CURRENT RED FLAG WARNING AND ALLOW IT TO EXPIRE AT 8 PM TONIGHT. AVIATION... NO MAJOR AVIATION WEATHER CONCERNS THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY. OVER THE NEXT 2 TO 3 HOURS...SFC WINDS WILL CONTINUE FROM 330-360 DEGREES AT KATL AT 5 TO 10KT BEFORE SWITCHING BACK TO NE FROM 010-050 DEGREES DURING THE NIGHT AND FROM 090-120 AFTER 12Z. SPEEDS WILL DECREASE TO LESS THAN 6KTS OVERNIGHT THEN BACK UP TO 10KTS AFTER 14Z. NO CIG OR VSBY RESTRICTIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE FCST. SNELSON && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 40 63 40 69 41 / 0 0 0 0 0 ATLANTA 41 63 42 67 47 / 0 0 0 0 0 BLAIRSVILLE 32 59 33 64 39 / 0 0 0 0 0 CARTERSVILLE 34 64 36 68 39 / 0 0 0 0 0 COLUMBUS 43 70 44 71 47 / 0 0 0 0 0 GAINESVILLE 39 61 39 67 44 / 0 0 0 0 0 MACON 41 68 41 71 40 / 0 0 0 0 0 ROME 34 65 37 69 42 / 0 0 0 0 0 PEACHTREE CITY 36 65 38 68 38 / 0 0 0 0 0 VIDALIA 46 67 45 71 40 / 0 0 0 0 0 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 17
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 632 PM EDT FRI MAR 20 2009 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-212245- 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- 632 PM EDT FRI MAR 20 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SYNOPSIS... DRY AND STABLE CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
A wildfire, labeled Narrows, burned 0.50 acres. The fire was human caused.
A second wildfire, labeled Gore, was observed in Chattooga county. This fire burned 3.9 acres. As with the others, this fire was human caused.
A wildfire, labeled Bowater Road, burned 6.4 acres in Walker county. This was the most significant wildfire observed during the month resulting in $10,000 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: 163674, 163684, 163675.