An anomalous subtropical upper low evolved across the eastern Gulf during the May 20th through May 23rd period, then drifted northwest into the mid-south and Arklatex region by the 25th. A steady stream of Gulf moisture was transported across the area from the southeast on the east side of the northwestward moving low.
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.
An anomalous subtropical upper low evolved across the eastern Gulf during the May 20th through May 23rd period, then drifted northwest into the mid-south and Arklatex region by the 25th. A steady stream of Gulf moisture was transported across the area from the southeast on the east side of the northwestward moving low. Bands of showers and thunderstorms accompanied this system for several days. Because the atmosphere was overall rather stable, only a few storms became strong. Isolated storms became marginally severe.
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 24, 2:39 PM EST, 1 hour 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 339 PM EDT SUN MAY 24 2009 .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... THE LOW THAT WILL NOT LEAVE. IT CONTINUES SPIN AND ABUNDANCE OF MOISTURE INTO THE CWA TO SUSTAIN THE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THE LOW CONTINUES TO WOBBLE WESTWARD TO ARKANSAS MONDAY NIGHT AND FINALLY STARTS A EAST TO NORTHEAST MOVEMENT TUESDAY AS PER GFS...BUT NAM TAKES IT FURTHER NORTH INTO MISSOURI BEFORE STARTING THE EASTWARD TREK. .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... AGAIN BOTH MODELS SHOW A WEAK LOW OR WAVE ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COAST TUESDAY NIGHT THAT LINGERS...WHILE CONTINUING TO MAINTAIN THE AN ABUNDANCE OF MOISTURE. BUT AS IT LIFTS TO THE NORTHEAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...YET ANOTHER SERIES OF LOWS PUSH THROUGH TO CONTINUE THE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. BY FRIDAY...A FRONTAL STARTS TO SINK THROUGH THE CWA...BUT WEAK DISTURBANCES CONTINUE ALONG THE FRONT TO MAINTAIN OUR MOISTURE LEVEL THROUGH FRIDAY...BUT DRIER AIR MASS GLOOMS ON THE HORIZON FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY...AT LEAST FOR NORTH GEORGIA...BUT THE FRONT HANGS UP OVER THE SOUTH AS YET ANOTHER WAVE SLIDES THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY WHEN DRIER CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGHOUT. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 66 78 65 75 65 / 60 50 50 50 40 ATLANTA 67 78 66 77 65 / 50 50 40 50 40 BLAIRSVILLE 63 74 61 70 61 / 50 50 40 50 40 CARTERSVILLE 64 78 64 78 65 / 40 50 40 50 40 COLUMBUS 68 80 67 77 68 / 50 50 30 60 40 GAINESVILLE 65 77 64 73 64 / 50 50 40 50 40 MACON 68 82 66 80 68 / 40 50 40 50 40 ROME 68 80 66 81 67 / 30 50 40 50 30 PEACHTREE CITY 65 77 64 76 65 / 50 50 40 50 40 VIDALIA 67 82 67 79 68 / 30 50 40 50 40 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 37
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 1122 AM EDT SUN MAY 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- 1122 AM EDT SUN MAY 24 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .SYNOPSIS... A SUBTROPICAL AREA OF LOW PRESSURE THAT FORMED OVER THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO HAS MOVED NORTH INTO MISSISSIPPI. THE LOW WILL CONTINUE TO DRIFT NORTHWEST INTO ARKANSAS TODAY. .PRIMARY HAZARDS... THE PRIMARY HAZARD ASSOCIATED WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM THAT DEVELOPS WILL BE CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING. HOWEVER...BRIEF GUSTY WINDS CANNOT BE RULED OUT. .DISCUSSION... THE LOW OVER THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WILL CONTINUE TO DRIFT NORTHWEST TODAY...BUT MOISTURE FROM BOTH THE GULF AND THE ATLANTIC WILL CONTINUE TO FLOW INTO THE SOUTHEAST. CAPES THIS AFTERNOON WILL INCREASE TO BETWEEN 500 AND 1000...ESPECIALLY IN CENTRAL GEORGIA...AND THUS ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE. BECAUSE OF THE TROPICAL AIRMASS AND INCREASED SHEAR ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW PRESSURE...GUSTY WINDS ARE POSSIBLE IN SOME OF THE STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY AFTERNOON...AND TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT.
The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 53 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:52 UTC.
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A storm spotter observed nickel-sized hail west of Thomaston in the western and northwest part of Upson 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, 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: 173380.