A cold front and short wave trough were approaching Georgia from the northwest. A weakening mesoscale convective system and associated bow echo moved into northwest Georgia during the evening of May 1st producing a few severe thunderstorms and one funnel cloud report near Rome.
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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 cold front and short wave trough were approaching Georgia from the northwest. A weakening mesoscale convective system and associated bow echo moved into northwest Georgia during the evening of May 1st producing a few severe thunderstorms and one funnel cloud report near Rome.
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 May 1, 5:15 PM EST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 615 PM EDT FRI MAY 1 2009 .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... CURRENT SATELLITE LOOP SHOWS A WEAKENING WAVE MOVING INTO NW GA WITH CU FORMING ACROSS SOUTH AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE. THIS WEAK WAVE IS BRINGING SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO NW GA BUT AS THEY MOVE INTO THE STATE THEY KEEP DISSIPATING. THE PRECIP IS HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING SOUTH OF THE ATL AREA WITH DRIER DEWPOINTS THE FURTHER SOUTH YOU GO INTO THE STATE. FORECAST MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT SHOWING THE WEAK RIDGE OVER FL/GA KEEPING GA IN NEAR ZONAL FLOW THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THIS RIDGE CONTINUES TO WEAKEN THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND ITS AXIS SLOWLY MOVES SOUTH ALLOWING BETTER MOISTURE TO CREEP INTO NORTH AND CENTRAL GA THROUGH SUN. THERE WILL BE A SERIES OF WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES THAT WILL PASS MAINLY THROUGH NORTH GA BUT THE RIDGE SHOULD KEEP THEM FROM CREATING ANY SEVERE WEATHER. THESE WAVES WILL COMBINE WITH DIURNAL HEATING AND INSTABILITY (CAPES IN THE 1500-3000 RANGE AND PWS NEAR 1.4 INCH THROUGH THE WEEKEND) TO PRODUCE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS IN THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING EACH DAY. TEMPS WILL STAY NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE SEASONAL NORMS. .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... THE RIDGE FINALLY WEAKENS AND SINKS FAR ENOUGH SOUTH THAT THE SOUTHERN TIP OF THE LINGERING FRONTAL SYSTEM ACROSS THE TN VALLEY SWEEPS THROUGH GA LATE MON/TUE MORNING. THE FRONT APPEARS TO BE VERY WEAK BY THIS POINT BUT THERE STILL APPEARS TO BE A DECENT AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY WITH IT. ONCE IT MOVES THROUGH ANOTHER WEAK RIDGE TRIES TO BUILD IN FROM THE GREAT LAKES REGION TUE/WED BUT IT GETS PUSHED OUT QUICKLY BY A SECOND FRONT WHICH PUSHES INTO NE GA THU. AS FOR NOW THE BEST CHANCES FOR STRONG TSTMS OVER GA WILL BE MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...OTHERWISE DUE TO DIURNAL HEATING AND AMPLE GULF MOISTURE...EXPECT SCATTERED TSTMS OVER NORTH AND CENTRAL GA EACH DAY. THE PREDOMINATE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST SURFACE FLOW WILL ALLOW TEMPS TO BE FROM 2 TO 5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD. && .AVIATION... FEW TO SCATTERED 4 TO 5THSD DISSIPATING DURING NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS...OTHERWISE LAYERS OF MID/HIGH CLOUDS OVERNIGHT. SOME MVFR STRATOCU POSSIBLE 09Z TO 13Z...BECOMING SCT 4 THSD AFTER 14Z. VISIBILITY UNRESTRICTED. WINDS SOUTHWEST 5KT OVERNIGHT. SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY MOVE INTO NORTHWEST GA BY 00Z AND DISSIPATE BEFORE MIDNIGHT. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 61 83 61 82 62 / 20 30 30 20 20 ATLANTA 63 80 63 81 65 / 20 30 30 20 20 BLAIRSVILLE 57 72 57 75 58 / 30 50 40 40 40 CARTERSVILLE 60 79 60 80 60 / 20 40 30 30 30 COLUMBUS 63 86 66 86 66 / 10 20 20 20 10 GAINESVILLE 62 77 62 80 62 / 20 40 30 30 30 MACON 63 87 63 88 64 / 10 20 20 10 5 ROME 63 80 62 83 64 / 30 40 30 40 40 PEACHTREE CITY 60 81 60 83 61 / 20 20 20 20 20 VIDALIA 61 87 63 87 62 / 10 20 10 10 5 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 01/41
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 700 PM EDT FRI MAY 1 2009 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-021530- 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- 700 PM EDT FRI MAY 1 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA MAINLY THIS EVENING. SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. .SYNOPSIS... SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER THE TENNESSEE VALLEY WILL ALLOW AREAS OF THUNDERSTORMS TO MOVE ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA TONIGHT. .PRIMARY HAZARDS... THE PRIMARY HAZARDS WILL BE PENNY TO NICKEL SIZED HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED. THE MAIN THREAT IS EXPECTED BETWEEN 7 PM AND MIDNIGHT WEST OF A COLUMBUS TO ATLANTA TO BLUE RIDGE LINE. .DISCUSSION... INSTABILITY AND VERTICAL WIND SHEAR SHOULD REMAIN SUFFICIENT FOR A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING ESPECIALLY ALONG THE FAR WESTERN COUNTIES OF GEORGIA. THE STRONGEST PART OF THE THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX CURRENTLY IN NORTHERN ALABAMA AND FAR NORTHWEST GEORGIA SHOULD PROPAGATE MORE SOUTH THAN EAST TOWARDS MORE FAVORABLE MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY. VERTICAL WIND SHEAR IS MARGINALLY FAVORABLE FOR ROTATING THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA THIS EVENING. A BRIEF TORNADO WITHIN THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS CANNOT BE RULED OUT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED BUT SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH THE WEB BY GOING TO WEATHER.GOV/ATLANTA.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 724 PM EDT FRI MAY 1 2009 GAZ004-005-020000- 724 PM EDT FRI MAY 1 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND 50 MPH WINDS IN WHITFIELD AND MURRAY COUNTIES UNTIL 800 PM EDT... AT 721 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM GREGORY TO 5 MILES WEST OF MILL CREEK... MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. WIND GUSTS OF 50 MPH ARE LIKELY AS THESE STORMS MOVE ACROSS WHITFIELD AND MURRAY COUNTIES THROUGH 800 PM EDT. SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE TUNNEL HILL...VARNELL...COHUTTA...ROCKY FACE... BEAVERDALE...TENNGA...CISCO...GREGORY...MILL CREEK...SUMAC... DALTON...DAWNVILLE...CRANDALL AND ETON.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 754 PM EDT FRI MAY 1 2009 GAZ005>007-012-020045- 754 PM EDT FRI MAY 1 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR 50 MPH WINDS IN GORDON...GILMER... FANNIN AND MURRAY COUNTIES UNTIL 845 PM EDT... AT 751 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM COHUTTA WILDERNESS IN FAR NORTHWEST FANNIN COUNTY TO 5 MILES WEST OF SUGAR VALLEY IN NORTHWEST GORDON COUNTY...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. WIND GUSTS OF 50 MPH ARE LIKELY AS THESE STORMS MOVE ACROSS GORDON... GILMER...FANNIN AND MURRAY COUNTIES THROUGH 830 PM EDT. SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE COHUTTA WILDERNESS... NORTH GEORGIA SPEEDWAY...CHATSWORTH...ETON...CRANDALL...SUGAR VALLEY...CONASAUGA LAKE...NICKELSVILLE...RESACA...RAMHURST...FORT MOUNTAIN STATE PARK...OOSTANAULA...JONES MILL...CALHOUN AND AUDUBON.
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 107 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:07 UTC.
1 funnel cloud, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Floyd County Emergency Management Director reported that funnel clouds had been observed near the Rome High School. Radar data showed a mesocyclone in the northeast part of the county between Rome and Shannon during this time frame.
The Floyd County Emergency Management Director reported that several trees were blown down by strong straight-line winds.
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, May 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: 169294, 169293.