A broad upper trough was drifting south from the Ohio Valley region toward the southern Appalachians. A weak cold front was located from the Mid-Atlantic to the southern Appalachians.
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 broad upper trough was drifting south from the Ohio Valley region toward the southern Appalachians. A weak cold front was located from the Mid-Atlantic to the southern Appalachians. A tropical air mass was present across the southeast states. The upper trough and the front combined with the warm, very moist lower-level atmosphere to support scattered thunderstorms, mainly across northwest Georgia during the afternoon. A few of these storms became strong to severe, producing marginal severe hail and damaging downburst winds.
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 Sep 8, 4:30 AM EST, 9 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 530 AM EDT TUE SEP 8 2009 .SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... GFS/NAM/SREF IN CLOSE AGREEMENT WITH DRIFTING THE H5 LOW INTO WRN KY/SWRN VA THROUGH THURSDAY. FAIRLY DRY ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THURSDAY AND DO NOT EXPECT ANY CONVECTION THROUGH THE SHORT TERM. THE ONLY EXCEPTION WILL BE THE NORTHERN QUARTER OF THE CWA...NORTH OF ATLANTA AND ATHENS WHERE AFTERNOON HEATING...CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE UPPER LOW WITH WEAK SHORT WAVES ROTATING AROUND THE LOW COULD AID IN TSRA DEVELOPMENT AND WILL NEED TO KEEP A 20/30 POP GOING IN THE AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS. NO BIG TEMPERATURE SWINGS AS MEAN LOW LEVEL THICKNESS PATTERNS CHANGE VERY LITTLE THROUGH THURSDAY. .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... GFS/ECMWF PROG THE H5 LOW OVER KY/VA TO FILL AND MOVE NORTHEAST AS AN OPEN TROUGH BY THE END OF THE WEEK AS ANOTHER H5 LOW DROPS OUT OF CANADA AND INTO THE PLAINS. MODELS DIFFER ON POSITION WITH THE GFS FURTHER SOUTH. WHAT THEY DO AGREE ON IS A BAND OF MOISTURE/LINGERING SURFACE FEATURE ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF. AS THE UPPER LOW DROPS INTO THE MIDWEST THE MOISTURE ACROSS THE NORTH GULF DRIFTS NORTHWARD MOVING INTO THE CWA SATURDAY NIGHT AND LASTING INTO MONDAY. HOWEVER WITH THE WAY THE MODELS HAVE BEEN BEHAVING OVER THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS I DO NOT HAVE MUCH CONFIDENCE IN THE LONG TERM. THE PATTERN CURRENTLY IN THE SHORT TERM WILL CHANGE LITTLE OVER THE CWA THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK AND WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP LOW POPS ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS WITH LITTLE TEMPERATURE CHANGES. HOWEVER WILL HINT AT AN INCREASE IN MOISTURE TOWARD THE LATTER HALF OF THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. 17 && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO PREVAIL THROUGH TAF VALID PERIOD...WITH ONLY MINOR EXCEPTIONS. BROAD...WEAK UPPER LOW PERSISTS ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY. THIS FEATURE IS EXPECTED TO DRIFT TOWARD VA BY THE END OF THE WEEK. THE AIR MASS ACROSS GA REMAINS RELATIVELY STABLE AND DRY...WITH DEWPOINTS MOSTLY IN THE 58-62 RANGE. AS WAS NOTED YESTERDAY...HOWEVER...NW FLOW SHORT WAVES MAY SUPPORT THE MOVEMENT OF TSRA INTO THE FAR N GA COUNTIES DURING THE AFTERNOON/EVENING. AGAIN...AS WAS THE CASE MONDAY...THIS ACTIVITY IS NOT EXPECTED TO MAKE IT TO THE ATL TRACON...OR ANY OF THE OTHER FFC TAF SITES FOR THAT MATTER. MINIMAL CLOUD COVER EXPECTED THROUGH TAF VALID PERIOD. COMPARED TO RECENT DAYS...LITTLE MID/HIGH CLOUD COVER INDICATED AND ANY SUCH WOULD LIKELY BE CONFINED TO EVENING CONVECTIVE DEBRIS. FEW-SCT CU POSSIBLE DURING DAYTIME HEATING...BUT NO CIGS EXPECTED. FOR VSBY...MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES...CALM WINDS ALLOWING FOR THE USUAL MVFR BR AT THE USUAL SPOTS...I.E...MCN AND FTY THIS MORNING. SIMILAR CONDITIONS EXPECTED WED MORNING. MAV/MET MOS CONTINUES TO OVER ADVERTISE BR/HZ POTENTIAL FOR ATL AND IT WILL BE IGNORED. WIND DIRECTION QUITE PROBLEMATIC AND THE SITUATION ARGUES STRONGLY FOR VRB. ALL MODELS ADVERTISING INCONSISTENT WIND DIRECTIONS THROUGH TAF VALID PERIOD. RUC/GFS/NAM WANT TO SHOW A NE FLOW THROUGH 18Z...THEN CALM OR LIGHT NW THEREAFTER. 850MB FLOW REMAINS NW-WNW. MAV/MET MOS ALL OVER THE COMPASS. WEAK SFC HIGH PROGGED TO REMAIN NEAR ATL THROUGH TAF VALID PERIOD. I TEND TO LEAN TOWARD A NW-NNW FLOW AS MODELS SHOW THE AXIS OF HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE FROM NEW ENGLAND NW OF CWA MUCH OF TAF VALID PERIOD. AT ANY RATE...SPEEDS EXPECTED TO REMAIN LESS THAN 7KTS ALL SITES AND CALM 00Z-12Z. 19 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 88 63 88 63 87 / 0 5 10 10 10 ATLANTA 86 67 86 67 85 / 5 0 10 10 10 BLAIRSVILLE 79 61 79 61 78 / 30 20 30 20 30 CARTERSVILLE 86 62 86 63 85 / 10 5 10 10 10 COLUMBUS 89 67 89 68 88 / 0 0 10 10 10 GAINESVILLE 85 66 85 66 84 / 10 5 10 10 10 MACON 90 64 90 66 89 / 0 0 10 10 10 ROME 86 64 86 64 85 / 20 20 20 10 20 PEACHTREE CITY 87 62 87 63 86 / 0 0 10 10 10 VIDALIA 89 68 89 68 88 / 0 5 10 10 10 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 17/19
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 525 AM EDT TUE SEP 8 2009 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-091000- 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- 525 AM EDT TUE SEP 8 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE IN FAR NORTH GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .SYNOPSIS... A BROAD...WEAK UPPER LOW CONTINUES TO DRIFT VERY SLOWLY EAST THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY AND MID-ATLANTIC REGION. A WEAK TROPICAL LOW WAS LOCATED OFF THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST...WITH WEAK HIGH PRESSURE TO THE WEST FROM VIRGINIA INTO GEORGIA. .PRIMARY HAZARDS... THE PRIMARY HAZARD FROM ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL BE A FEW CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN NORTH OF A LINE FROM ROME...TO JASPER...TO CLEVELAND...AND SHOULD BE CONFINED TO THE HOURS OF 2 PM TO 10 PM EDT. .DISCUSSION... THE BROAD...WEAK UPPER LOW...THAT HAS BEEN IN PLACE NOW FOR SEVERAL DAYS ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY...WILL SHIFT VERY SLOWLY EAST TOWARD THE MID-ATLANTIC BY THE END OF THE WEEK. WEAK NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT MAY ALLOW THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED ACROSS KENTUCKY AND EASTERN TENNESSEE TO MOVE INTO FAR NORTH GEORGIA DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...BEFORE SUCH THUNDERSTORMS DISSIPATE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. OTHERWISE...THE AIR MASS ACROSS GEORGIA IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN TOO DRY AND STABLE FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL ONCE AGAIN BE POSSIBLE IN FAR NORTH GEORGIA DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED FRIDAY AT THIS TIME. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS ALL OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. 19
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 242 PM EDT TUE SEP 8 2009 GAZ002>004-081915- 242 PM EDT TUE SEP 8 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR FREQUENT LIGHTNING IN WALKER... WHITFIELD AND CATOOSA COUNTIES UNTIL 315 PM EDT... AT 238 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER NOBLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE PEA SIZED HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AS IT MOVES ACROSS WALKER...WHITFIELD AND CATOOSA COUNTIES THROUGH 315 PM EDT. SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE LINWOOD...ROCK SPRING... CHICKAMAUGA...NOBLE...BEAUMONT...LAFAYETTE...WOOD STATION...NAOMI... MILL CREEK...VILLANOW AND SUTTLES MILL. BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS.
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:03 UTC.
3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Walker County 911 Center reported that an apparent thunderstorm downburst blew down between 20 and 30 trees in the Lake Howard, Round Pound Road area east of Lafayette, between Noble and Naomi.
The Walker County 911 Center relayed reports of penny-sized hail from east of Lafayette, between Noble and Naomi.
A storm spotter observed penny to nickel-sized hail in the area between Armuchee and Shannon.
A storm spotter reported that a few trees were down in the area between Armuchee and Shannon.
The public observed penny-sized hail between Crandall and Gregory.
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, September 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: 195836, 195837, 195838, 195839, 195882.