A fairly strong backdoor cold front for the end of July was moving slowly southward through east and central Georgia. Unstable northwest flow was present aloft around the eastern periphery of a strong subtropical ridge centered over north Texas.
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 fairly strong backdoor cold front for the end of July was moving slowly southward through east and central Georgia. Unstable northwest flow was present aloft around the eastern periphery of a strong subtropical ridge centered over north Texas. A very hot, humid air mass remained in place across much of the state, but especially central Georgia south of the front. This along with the added upper-level support provided ample support for scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorm development. However, the most significant thunderstorm activity occurred during the late afternoon and evening when a complex of strong to severe thunderstorms developed across northeast Georgia between Gwinnett and Clarke counties and moved southeast toward Hancock and Jefferson counties before diminishing. This thunderstorm complex produced damaging downburst winds and small hail.
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 Jul 31, 12:40 PM EST, 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 140 PM EDT SAT JUL 31 2010 .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED AT 402 AM EDT SAT/ SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH MONDAY/... WEAK TROUGHINESS REMAINS IN PLACE OVER THE AREA AT THE SURFACE... WITH NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT BETWEEN THE UPPER HIGH IN TEXAS AND THE UPPER LOW IN SOUTHEAST CANADA. SURFACE HIGH WORKING ITS WAY EAST ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES THIS MORNING WILL RIDGE DOWN INTO THE SOUTHEAST...ALLOWING SURFACE FLOW TO TURN BACK TO THE SOUTHWEST. SHORTWAVE EMBEDDED IN THE FLOW ALOFT WILL CROSS THE OHIO VALLEY THIS MORNING...AND IS SCHEDULED TO IMPACT OUR WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. UPPER RIDGE IS SUFFICIENTLY STRONG THAT WEST AND SOUTH SECTIONS OF THE STATE WILL NOT SEE AS MUCH ACTIVITY. HOWEVER...SHORT-TERM MODELS INDICATING THE POSSIBILITY OF AN MCS ACROSS THE CAROLINAS...WITH PLENTY OF CONVECTION INTO OUR AREA AS WELL. WITH PW VALUES OVER 2" AND CAPES PROGGED OVER 3000 J/KG...THE INTRODUCTION OF LARGER-SCALE LIFT WILL HELP TO ENHANCE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. AM NOT OVERLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER...ALTHOUGH ISOLATED SEVERE CANNOT BE RULED OUT. TIMING WILL MOSTLY BE LATE EVENING AND NATURALLY DIURNALLY DRIVEN...BUT THE SHORTWAVE IS STILL MOVING THROUGH OVERNIGHT SO WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE STORMS LINGER INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON SUNDAY. HAVE INCREASED MOS POPS FOR EARLY SUNDAY FOR THIS REASON. OBVIOUSLY BEST CHANCES IN THE EAST AND NORTHEAST. UPPER RIDGE BUILDS TO THE EAST OVER OUR AREA INTO THE BEGINNING OF THE WORKWEEK. HOWEVER WITH SOUTHERLY SURFACE FLOW AND PLENTIFUL MOISTURE STILL IN PLACE...SLIGHT TO LOW CHANCE THUNDER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE SHORT TERM. TEMPERATURES MIGHT BE INTERESTING TODAY...DEPENDING ON HOW QUICKLY CLOUD COVER DEVELOPS. THE MET IS AGAIN MUCH COOLER THAN THE MAV THOUGH THE MASS FIELDS ARE SIMILAR...BUT THE NAM BRINGS CLOUD COVER IN A LITTLE MORE QUICKLY THUS LIMITING THE TEMPS SOMEWHAT. A BLEND HAS WORKED THE BEST OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS...SO HAVE CONTINUED THIS TREND WITH ADJUSTMENTS FOR MODEL BIASES. SAME STORY ON SUNDAY WITH 5-6 DEGREE DIFFERENCES IN HIGH TEMPS. IF CONVECTION STARTS EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON...IT MAY LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF HEATING ACROSS THE AREA. NONETHELESS...WILL LEAVE THE HEAT ADVISORY AND EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IN PLACE FOR NOW...AS ESPECIALLY CENTRAL GEORGIA SHOULD STILL BE HOT TODAY. SUNDAY IS A BIT MORE QUESTIONABLE...BUT SEE NO REASON TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS THIS FAR OUT. LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... NO REAL CHANGES THROUGH MOST OF THE EXTENDED...WITH UPPER RIDGE OVER THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. SLIGHT TO LOW CHANCE OF MAINLY DIURNAL CONVECTION CONTINUES WITH HIGHS REMAINING ABOVE NORMAL. STRONG TROUGH MOVING ACROSS CANADA BY MIDWEEK WILL HELP TO PUSH THE UPPER HIGH A LITTLE FURTHER SOUTH...AS AN ELONGATED COLD FRONT STRETCHES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE GFS AND YESTERDAY'S 12Z ECMWF DID BRING THE FRONT INTO THE SOUTHEAST...BUT THE 00Z ECMWF RUN KEEPS THE UPPER HIGH A LITTLE STRONGER WITH THE FRONT REMAINING TO OUR NORTH. WITH THESE DIFFERENCES...WILL CONTINUE SLIGHT TO LOW CHANCE WORDING THROUGH MOST OF THE WEEK WITH HIGHS REMAINING SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. 25 && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF DISCUSSION... STRATUS HAS DISSIPATED AND A WIDESPREAD CU FIELD HAS DEVELOPED WITH BASES OF 3000 TO 4000 FT. THIS WILL CONTINUE THRU THE AFTERNOON AND THEN DISSIPATE AFTER SUNSET. MAIN CONCERN IS THE SHORT WAVE MOVING OUT OF TN AND THE NORTH/SOUTH ORIENTED WARM FRONT ACROSS THE FA. THIS WILL PRODUCE SCATTERED TO WIDESPREAD CONVECTION ACROSS THE ATL/AHN AREAS WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED CONVECTION IN THE CSG/MCN AREAS. NAM SEEMS TO HAVE THE BEST HANDLE OF POSITION AND TIMING AND HAVE TRENDED TOWARD THE NAM. THIS SHORT WAVE WILL MOVE INTO CENTRAL GA THIS EVENING BUT AS DAYTIME HEATING FADES...SO WILL THE CONVECTION. AREA OF STRATUS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS EASTERN GA INTO CENTRAL GA BY 09Z SUN. WINDS WEST OF THE WARM FRONT WILL BE WESTERLY WHILE ON THE EAST SIDE WILL HAVE A SOUTHEAST COMPONENT. WINDS WILL GO CALM TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. //ATL...CONFIDENCE...MEDUIM TO HIGH ON ALL ELEMENTS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 94 73 93 72 93 / 50 40 30 20 20 ATLANTA 95 75 93 76 94 / 40 40 30 20 20 BLAIRSVILLE 86 68 87 70 85 / 50 50 30 20 20 CARTERSVILLE 95 71 96 73 95 / 40 50 20 10 20 COLUMBUS 101 77 97 76 98 / 30 40 30 20 20 GAINESVILLE 91 74 91 73 90 / 50 50 30 20 20 MACON 98 75 97 74 97 / 30 40 30 30 20 ROME 97 71 97 74 96 / 40 50 20 10 20 PEACHTREE CITY 96 71 94 72 95 / 30 40 30 20 20 VIDALIA 99 78 96 75 96 / 40 40 40 30 30 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING UNTIL 8 PM EDT SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BIBB...BLECKLEY...CHATTAHOOCHEE...CRAWFORD...CRISP... DODGE...DOOLY...EMANUEL...HARRIS...HOUSTON...JOHNSON...LAURENS... MACON...MARION...MONTGOMERY...MUSCOGEE...PEACH...PULASKI... SCHLEY...STEWART...SUMTER...TALBOT...TAYLOR...TELFAIR...TOOMBS... TREUTLEN...TWIGGS...UPSON...WEBSTER...WHEELER...WILCOX... WILKINSON. HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM EDT SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BALDWIN...BUTTS...CLAYTON...COWETA...FAYETTE...GLASCOCK... GREENE...HANCOCK...HEARD...HENRY...JASPER...JEFFERSON...JONES... LAMAR...MERIWETHER...MONROE...MORGAN...NEWTON...PIKE...PUTNAM... ROCKDALE...SPALDING...TALIAFERRO...TROUP...WARREN...WASHINGTON... WILKES. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 630 AM EDT SAT JUL 31 2010 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-011030- 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- 630 AM EDT SAT JUL 31 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE. .SYNOPSIS... DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE ACROSS SOUTHEAST GEORGIA THIS MORNING WILL OVERSPREAD THE ENTIRE STATE THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF AN UPPER LEVEL WEATHER DISTURBANCE APPROACHING GEORGIA FROM THE NORTHWEST. .PRIMARY HAZARDS... ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING...ESPECIALLY THIS EVENING INTO OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. .OTHER HAZARDS... AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL GEORGIA...WITH A HEAT ADVISORY COVERING THE REST OF CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF NORTH GEORGIA. REFER TO THE LEAST WARNING AND ADVISORY STATEMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS. .DISCUSSION... INSTABILITY WILL REMAIN SOMEWHAT LIMITED THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON...THOUGH SHARPLY INCREASING BY EVENING WITH CAPES CLIMBING TO AROUND 2000. VERTICAL WIND SHEAR WILL ALSO MODESTLY INCREASE BY THIS EVENING AS A SHORTWAVE TROUGH CROSSES NORTH GEORGIA THIS EVENING. THE COMBINATION OF THESE FACTORS SHOULD RESULT IN ENHANCED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THIS EVENING WITH A FEW STORMS BECOMING SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY DANGEROUSLY HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH AT LEAST SUNDAY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE EACH DAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST INFORMATION FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 147 PM EDT SAT JUL 31 2010 GAZ085-097-311830- 147 PM EDT SAT JUL 31 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR DIME SIZED HAIL AND 45 MPH WINDS IN LAURENS AND JOHNSON COUNTIES UNTIL 230 PM EDT... AT 146 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM AROUND WRIGHTSVILLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 5 MPH. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DIME SIZED HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH AS IT MOVES ACROSS LAURENS AND JOHNSON COUNTIES THROUGH 230 PM EDT. SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE SPANN...WRIGHTSVILLE...LOVETT...SCOTT AND MEEKS. HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT. CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO...WEATHER.GOV OR OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS ON THESE STORMS.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 154 PM EDT SAT JUL 31 2010 GAZ001>004-311900- 154 PM EDT SAT JUL 31 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND 40 MPH WINDS IN DADE...WALKER...WHITFIELD AND CATOOSA COUNTIES UNTIL 300 PM EDT... AT 1251 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM CHATTANOOGA BACK INTO NORTHEAST ALABAMA...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SIZED HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AS THEY MOVE ACROSS DADE...WALKER...WHITFIELD AND CATOOSA COUNTIES THROUGH 300 PM EDT. BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 157 PM EDT SAT JUL 31 2010 GAZ074-076-311845- 157 PM EDT SAT JUL 31 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR DIME SIZED HAIL AND 45 MPH WINDS IN WASHINGTON AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES UNTIL 245 PM EDT... AT 154 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM AROUND LOUISVILLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DIME SIZED HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH AS IT MOVES ACROSS WASHINGTON AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES THROUGH 245 PM EDT. SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE STAPLETONS CROSSROADS...DAVISBORO... LOUISVILLE...BARTOW...MOXLEY AND WADLEY. HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT. CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO...WEATHER.GOV OR OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS ON THESE STORMS.
The Robins AFB radar (KJGX), 23 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:59 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
The Laurens County Emergency Management Director reported that up to 10 trees were down across the county. Most of the trees were down across the southern half of the county from Dexter to Rentz. A few trees were also down in East Dublin.
The Dodge County Emergency Management Director reported that two trees and one power line were down near Eastman.
The Jackson County Fire Department observed quarter-sized hail at the intersection of Georgia Highway 60 and New Cut Road near Brasleton.
The Walton County 911 Center reported that at least a dozen trees were down across the eastern portion of the county.
The Morgan County 911 Center reported that six to seven trees were down across the county, but mostly in the Buckhead community. Trees were down near the intersection of Commerce Street and U.S. Highway 278.
The public reported that several trees were blown down around Eatonton. A portion of U.S. 441 Business Highway in the city of Eatonton was closed.
The Warren County 911 Center reported that a lightning strike rendered the emergency center's radios inoperative for several hours.
The Hancock County Emergency Management Director reported that several trees were down near Shoulderbone.
The Sumter County Emergency Management Director reported that hail of penny, perhaps slightly larger, fell in the southwest part of the county near Croxton Crossroads.
The Sumter County Emergency Management Director reported that three trees and one power line were down between Croxton Crossroads and the west side of Americus.
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, July 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: 252785, 252790, 252805, 252810, 252815, 253048, 253049, 253051, 253053, 253054.