The remnants of Tropical Depression Number Five (TD5) were drifting into the region from the southwest around a subtropical ridge located over north Florida. The deep tropical moisture combined with a backdoor cold front across northeast Georgia to generate scattered to numerous afternoon and evening thunderstorms across north and especially northeast Georgia.
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.
The remnants of Tropical Depression Number Five (TD5) were drifting into the region from the southwest around a subtropical ridge located over north Florida. The deep tropical moisture combined with a backdoor cold front across northeast Georgia to generate scattered to numerous afternoon and evening thunderstorms across north and especially northeast Georgia. The thunderstorms were very efficient rain producers and were also accompanied by intense cloud-to-ground lightning. Damaging downburst winds and several lightning incidents were reported with the thunderstorms.
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 Aug 13, 12:40 PM EST, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 140 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2010 .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 732 AM EDT FRI AUG 13 2010/ SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... MODELS ARE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT WITH BRINGING THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF LOW INLAND OVER SOUTHERN ALABAMA AND KEEPING IT JUST TO OUR WEST THROUGH SUNDAY. GFS IS MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH THE MOISTURE AS EVIDENT BY THE NEARLY 17 INCHES OF RAIN IT PUTS OVER CENTRAL GEORGIA FROM TODAY THROUGH 00Z MON. FEEL THIS IS A BIT OVER DONE...HOWEVER ALSO FEEL THE NAM IS TOO DRY. SREF SEEMS TO BE A GOOD COMPROMISE AT THIS TIME WITH 2+ INCHES IN THE SAME PERIOD FROM ATL-MCN-CSG. FOR TODAY...MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL BE SPREADING OVER THE CWA WITH CHANCE TO LIKELY POPS OVER THE CWA...LIKELY POPS ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA. THE GULF/TROPICAL MOISTURE SPREADING OVER THE CWA SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...WILL GO WITH LIKELY. ALTHOUGH THE GFS SEEMS WAY OVER DONE ON QPF...IT WILL BE TROPICAL IN NATURE AND THEREFORE WITH THE LOW JUST TO OUR WEST...THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF HEAVY RAIN... PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES RANGE FROM 2.00 TO 2.50 SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. WILL THEREFORE ADD RAIN HEAVY AT TIMES BEGINNING SATURDAY AND CONTINUING THROUGH SUNDAY. WITH ADDITIONAL CLOUDS/PRECIP TODAY...EXPECT MAX TEMPS TO BE JUST SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN THURSDAYS MAX TEMPS. COOLER TEMPS ARE EXPECT SATURDAY AND SUNDAY DUE TO CLOUDS AND PRECIP. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE SHORT TERM. ALTHOUGH TEMPS WILL BE SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN YESTERDAY...DEW POINTS WILL INCREASE AND THIS WILL PUSH HEAT INDEX VALUES TO 105+ OVER MUCH OF THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL THEREFORE MAINTAIN THE HEAT ADVISORY WHICH WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM TODAY. LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... LONG TERM WILL BE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON WHAT HAPPENS TO THE NORTH GULF LOW. GFS AND ECMWF DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY ON THE RESOLUTION WITH THE GFS KEEPING THE LOW OVER THE SOUTHEAST AND CONTINUING TO KEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE OVER THE CWA. THE ECMWF TAKES THE LOW BACK INTO THE NORTHERN GULF MONDAY AND THEN MOVES IT WESTWARD TOWARD TEXAS. ALTHOUGH THIS SOLUTION REMOVES THE LOW FROM OUR AREA...IT DOES KEEP MOISTURE OVER THE CWA THRU MUCH OF THE LONG TERM. WITH THIS IN MIND WILL KEEP CHANCE POPS GOING THROUGH THE ENTIRE LONG TERM AND KEEP TEMPS NEAR CLIMO. CONFIDENCE WITH THE LONG TERM IS LOW. 17 .AVIATION...UPDATED 18Z... GENERALLY HIT AND MISS THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING FOR THE TAFS WITH THE EXCEPTION BEING CSG WITH BETTER CHANCES. VFR CEILINGS/CLOUDS EXPECTED. INCREASING POTENTIAL LATER TONIGHT FOR MVFR/IFR CEILINGS AND CHANCES FOR MVFR VSBYS DUE TO SHOWERS/FOG. SURFACE WINDS GENERALLY VARIABLE AROUND 5 KTS. //ATL CONFIDENCE...UPDATED 18Z... HIGH CONFIDENCE FOR VFR CEILINGS THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. LOW CONFIDENCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTING ATL THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. LOW CONFIDENCE ON WHICH SIDE OF S WINDS WILL BE THIS AFTERNOON. MEDIUM CONFIDENCE FOR LIGHT SSW WINDS THIS EVENING. BDL && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 98 75 90 75 88 / 30 40 70 60 60 ATLANTA 93 76 87 75 87 / 40 40 70 60 60 BLAIRSVILLE 88 72 84 70 84 / 40 40 60 60 60 CARTERSVILLE 96 75 89 75 89 / 30 40 70 60 60 COLUMBUS 93 77 90 77 90 / 70 40 70 60 60 GAINESVILLE 94 75 86 74 87 / 30 40 70 60 60 MACON 94 76 90 77 90 / 60 40 70 60 60 ROME 97 74 91 74 91 / 30 40 60 60 60 PEACHTREE CITY 91 74 87 74 87 / 50 40 70 60 60 VIDALIA 95 77 92 76 92 / 60 30 60 60 60 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BALDWIN...BANKS...BARROW...BARTOW...BIBB...BLECKLEY... BUTTS...CARROLL...CATOOSA...CHATTAHOOCHEE...CHATTOOGA... CHEROKEE...CLARKE...CLAYTON...COBB...COWETA...CRAWFORD...CRISP... DADE...DEKALB...DODGE...DOOLY...DOUGLAS...EMANUEL...FAYETTE... FLOYD...FORSYTH...GLASCOCK...GORDON...GREENE...GWINNETT...HALL... HANCOCK...HARALSON...HARRIS...HEARD...HENRY...HOUSTON... JACKSON...JASPER...JEFFERSON...JOHNSON...JONES...LAMAR... LAURENS...MACON...MADISON...MARION...MERIWETHER...MONROE... MONTGOMERY...MORGAN...MURRAY...MUSCOGEE...NEWTON...NORTH FULTON...OCONEE...OGLETHORPE...PAULDING...PEACH...PIKE...POLK... PULASKI...PUTNAM...ROCKDALE...SCHLEY...SOUTH FULTON...SPALDING... STEWART...SUMTER...TALBOT...TALIAFERRO...TAYLOR...TELFAIR... TOOMBS...TREUTLEN...TROUP...TWIGGS...UPSON...WALKER...WALTON... WARREN...WASHINGTON...WEBSTER...WHEELER...WHITFIELD...WILCOX... WILKES...WILKINSON. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 530 AM EDT FRI AUG 13 2010 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-140930- 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- 530 AM EDT FRI AUG 13 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .SYNOPSIS... AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ASSOCIATED WITH REMNANTS OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION FIVE HAS MOVED OVER SOUTHERN ALABAMA...AND WILL SPREAD MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .PRIMARY HAZARDS... THE PRIMARY HAZARDS WILL BE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS...AND HEAVY RAIN. .DISCUSSION... LOW PRESSURE OVER SOUTHERN ALABAMA WILL SPREAD MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY ACROSS THE AREA. WITH CAPE VALUES BETWEEN 1200 AND 1800 AND LIFTED INDEX VALUES AROUND -2...THE MODERATE INSTABILITY IS ENOUGH TO PRODUCE SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS. THE MOST LIKELY AREA FOR NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS IS SOUTH OF A LINE FROM LAGRANGE...TO MACON...TO SWAINSBORO...WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ELSEWHERE. SOME THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE STRONG...BUT ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE LIMITS. WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES HOVERING ABOVE TWO INCHES...HEAVY RAIN CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED EACH DAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 251 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2010 GAZ033-034-045-131915- 251 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN IN DEKALB...GWINNETT AND FULTON COUNTIES UNTIL 315 PM EDT... AT 247 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CENTERED NEAR NORCROSS...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 5 MPH. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE VERY HEAVY...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AS IT MOVES ACROSS DEKALB...GWINNETT AND FULTON COUNTIES THROUGH 315 PM EDT. SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE PLEASANT HILL...LILBURN...DULUTH...JOHNS CREEK...TUCKER...DORAVILLE AND NORCROSS. MOTORISTS SHOULD SLOW DOWN AND BE PREPARED FOR REDUCED VISIBILITY.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 310 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2010 GAZ027-038-131945- 310 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FREQUENT LIGHTNING IN OGLETHORPE AND MADISON COUNTIES UNTIL 345 PM EDT... AT 308 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CENTERED NEAR COMER AND WATSON MILL BRIDGE STATE PARK...MOVING NORTH AT 5 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 OGLETHORPE AND MADISON COUNTIES THROUGH 345 PM EDT. SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE SANDY CROSS...SMITHONIA...WATSON MILL BRIDGE STATE PARK...COLBERT...CARLTON...COMER AND PAOLI.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 335 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2010 GAZ032>034-045-132000- 335 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR VERY HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING IN DEKALB...COBB...GWINNETT AND FULTON COUNTIES UNTIL 400 PM EDT... AT 333 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CENTERED NEAR SANDY SPRINGS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 5 MPH. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL... FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AS IT MOVES ACROSS DEKALB...COBB...GWINNETT AND FULTON COUNTIES THROUGH 400 PM EDT. SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE TUCKER...CHAMBLEE... DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE...SMYRNA...MARIETTA ...SANDY SPRINGS... DORAVILLE...MOUNT BETHEL...NORCROSS AND LILBURN. MOTORISTS ENCOUNTERING HEAVY RAIN SHOULD SLOW DOWN AND BE PREPARED FOR NEAR ZERO VISIBILITY.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
345 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0338 PM TSTM WND GST 4 ESE MARIETTA 33.93N 84.49W
08/13/2010 M53 MPH COBB GA TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
SNELSONSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 348 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2010 GAZ030-132015- 348 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR VERY HEAVY RAIN...WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING IN POLK COUNTY UNTIL 415 PM EDT... AT 347 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CENTERED NEAR CEDARTOWN...MOVING NORTH AT 5 MPH. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH AS IT MOVES ACROSS POLK COUNTY THROUGH 415 PM EDT. SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE ANTIOCH AND CEDARTOWN.
The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 136 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:59 UTC.
6 lightning, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Clarke County 911 Center reported that at least 10 trees and a half-a-dozen power lines were down from northwest of Winterville to south of Athens near the Oconee county line. One tree was down on Simonton Bridge Road, blocking the road.
The Clarke County 911 Center reported that lightning set a commercial business on fire on Voyles Road, approximately two miles northwest of Winterville in northeast Clarke county. The business suffered significant damage from the resulting fire.
The Clarke County Emergency Management Director reported that a lightning strike caused minor damage to a home on Sing Tree Lane.
The Clarke County Emergency Management Director reported that a home on Danielsville Road suffered minor damage from a lightning strike.
The Cherokee County Emergency Management Director reported that three commercial buildings in the John T. Pettit Drive area sustained roof damage. One of the buildings lost nearly its entire roof. The other two only sustained minor shingle damage. Eight residential structures sustained minor damage. The garage of one home suffered major damage when a large tree fell on the structure. One vehicle was also destroyed by a large downed tree. Dozens of large old hardwood trees were snapped off in the downtown Canton area, including several near Canton City Hall and on the grounds of the Board of Education Administrative Complex. Many other small trees and tree limbs were also down in the area. Widespread power outages were observed. Much of the city of Canton was left without power. The damage was the clearly the result of a pulse thunderstorm downburst.
The Clarke County 911 Center reported that lightning struck an apartment complex approximately three miles northeast of Athens on Rolling Ridge Drive. Damage from the lightning-related fire was minor to moderate.
The Clarke County Emergency Management Director reported that lightning struck a home on Old Pittard Road causing minor damage to the structure.
The Jackson County 911 Center reported that a portion of a roof was blown off one home and a chimney was blown off another home on Jameston Drive near Jefferson. One tree was also down on Ralph Garrison Road.
The Cherokee County Emergency Management Director reported that three homes in unincorporated Cherokee county were struck by lightning and sustained minor to moderate damage. The public reported that a 60 foot live oak tree at the Department of Education building was struck by lightning. The lightning strike caused the tree to fall on an adjacent Nissan Xterra, crushing the vehicle.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, August 2010
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: 256425, 256426, 256968, 256969, 256980, 256428, 256970, 256972, 257697.