A cold front pushed through the area on the 9th, and high pressure was in control of the area on the 10th. Cool and dry conditions prevailed, though fuel moistures remained too high for high fire danger conditions.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 cold front pushed through the area on the 9th, and high pressure was in control of the area on the 10th. Cool and dry conditions prevailed, though fuel moistures remained too high for high fire danger conditions.
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 Mar 10, 12:26 PM EST, 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 1226 PM EST SAT MAR 10 2012 .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1020 AM EST SAT MAR 10 2012/ UPDATE... CURRENT FORECAST APPEARS TO BE ON TRACK. I HAVE ADJUSTED THE HOURLY TEMPERATURE AND DEW POINT GRIDS FOR TODAY BASED ON THE CURRENT TRENDS BUT FORECAST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES STILL LOOK GOOD. CHANGES MADE TO THE GRIDS DO NOT AFFECT THE TEXT-BASED FORECAST PRODUCTS SO I WILL NOT BE SENDING ANY UPDATES. 20 PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 635 AM EST SAT MAR 10 2012/ SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY REMAINS IN CONTROL OF THE EASTERN SEABOARD THIS MORNING. FRONT THAT PUSHED THROUGH THE AREA YESTERDAY IS STRETCHED ACROSS FLORIDA...WITH COOLER AND MUCH DRIER AIR IN PLACE ACROSS GEORGIA. WILL CONTINUE FREEZE WARNING FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH GEORGIA THROUGH 8 AM. EASTERLY WINDS REMAIN STRONG ENOUGH THAT...AT THIS TIME...DO NOT SEE A NEED TO EXTEND THE WARNING ANY FURTHER SOUTH. UPPER RIDGING WILL BUILD INTO THE AREA TODAY BUT COOL HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN THE DOMINANT FEATURE. SHORT-TERM MODELS SEEM TO BE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT BUT HAVE SIDED WITH THE COOLER MET GUIDANCE AS IN GENERAL IT HAS HAD A BETTER HANDLE ON TEMPERATURES THE LAST FEW DAYS. OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS...TEMPERATURES SATURDAY NIGHT WERE LOOKING TO BE COLD ENOUGH TO WARRANT ANOTHER FREEZE WARNING. HOWEVER NEW GUIDANCE OF TIMING OF INCREASING MOISTURE PLUS PRESSURE GRADIENT KEEPING WINDS FROM GOING CALM HAVE LOWERED CONFIDENCE IN OCCURRENCE OF FREEZING TEMPS. WILL HOLD OFF ON ISSUING FREEZE WARNING...OR WATCH...AT THIS TIME. FLOW SHIFTS TO SOUTHERLY ON SUNDAY AS THE AFOREMENTIONED SURFACE HIGH SLIPS OFF THE EASTERN SEABOARD. MOISTURE WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE SUNDAY MORNING AND WITH THAT AND RIDGING ALOFT SHOULD SEE A CONTINUED GRADUAL WARM UP WITH TEMPS. MEANWHILE...THE UPPER LOW OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST WILL LIFT NORTHEAST DURING THE DAY... PUSHING A COLD FRONT INTO THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. SHORT-TERM POPS...IN THE FORM OF SHOWERS ONLY...BEGIN AFTER 00Z MONDAY WITH SLIGHT TO LOW CHANCES MAINLY NORTH. LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... CONTINUED DECENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GFS AND ECMWF FOR THE EXTENDED...ESPECIALLY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD. BOTH MODELS HAVE THE FRONT PUSHING INTO NORTHWEST GEORGIA EARLY MONDAY. AS THE UPPER LOW PHASES WITH AND IS ABSORBED BY THE LONGWAVE TROUGH IN CANADA...THE FRONT WEAKENS. WITH SURFACE HIGH STILL CENTERED OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC...WARM MOIST AIR WILL CONTINUE TO FLOW INTO THE REGION. NEAR ZONAL FLOW WILL TREND TO SLIGHTLY RIDGING ALOFT. THIS PATTERN VERY MUCH LIKE A SUMMERTIME PATTERN ESPECIALLY WITH TEMPS INCREASING INTO THE 70S AND APPROACHING 80. AFTERNOON CAPES PROGGED ABOVE 1000 J/KG JUST ABOUT EVERY AFTERNOON...BUT JUST ABOUT ZERO SHEAR TO WORK WITH. THUS...HAVE CONTINUED TREND OF AFTERNOON THUNDER WITH A SUMMER-LIKE DIURNAL SIGNAL BUT WITH ONLY ENOUGH MOISTURE TO WARRANT SLIGHT TO LOW CHANCES FOR POPS. TDP FIRE WEATHER... DESPITE LOW DEWPOINTS RESULTING IN RELATIVE HUMIDITIES NEAR OR BELOW CRITICAL LEVELS FOR PORTIONS OF THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON... DO NOT EXPECT ANY FIRE DANGER CONDITIONS AS FUEL MOISTURES REMAIN ABOVE 10 PERCENT EVERYWHERE. MOISTURE WILL BE ON THE INCREASE BY SUNDAY THUS CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE NOT A CONCERN AT THIS TIME. TDP && .AVIATION... 18Z UPDATE... LOOKS LIKE A PREDOMINANT VFR FORECAST IN STORE...ESPECIALLY THROUGH THIS EVENING. THEREAFTER...MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN BRINGING ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IN WITH DEVELOPING MVFR FOR EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. HAVE DELAYED THE ONSET TIME PER LATEST GUIDANCE BY SEVERAL HOURS...ESPECIALLY FOR ATL AREA TERMINALS WHERE MVFR SHOULD HOLD OFF UNTIL 14Z. //ATL CONFIDENCE...18Z UPDATE... MEDIUM ON CIG TIMING AND HEIGHT. HIGH ON REMAINING ELEMENTS. DEESE && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 64 37 68 47 / 0 0 5 20 ATLANTA 64 42 65 51 / 0 0 5 30 BLAIRSVILLE 60 32 62 44 / 0 0 5 30 CARTERSVILLE 64 36 65 49 / 0 0 5 30 COLUMBUS 68 46 69 55 / 0 0 5 20 GAINESVILLE 63 38 64 49 / 0 0 5 20 MACON 67 41 69 53 / 0 0 5 20 ROME 66 35 67 50 / 0 0 5 40 PEACHTREE CITY 65 36 65 50 / 0 0 5 30 VIDALIA 67 46 72 52 / 0 0 5 10 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 23
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 452 AM EST SAT MAR 10 2012 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-111000- 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- 452 AM EST SAT MAR 10 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE MID ATLANTIC WILL CONTINUE TO BRING A COOL...DRY AND STABLE AIRMASS TO THE REGION. FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED IN FAR NORTH GEORGIA THIS MORNING. PLEASE REFER TO THE CURRENT FREEZE WARNING OUT FOR THAT AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS EACH AFTERNOON FROM TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The National Forest Service reported that a human-caused wildfire labeled Campbell Mtn. burned 105 acres and resulted in $24,000 in damages.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, March 2012
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: 427536.