An upper level shortwave moved across the area during the afternoon of May 6th. Meanwhile, two weak surface boundaries across the area served to enhance convection.
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 upper level shortwave moved across the area during the afternoon of May 6th. Meanwhile, two weak surface boundaries across the area served to enhance convection. One boundary was stretched across central Georgia, while another weak boundary sagged southward from the Tennessee Valley. Isolated thunderstorms developed during the late morning hours across west central Georgia, with additional thunderstorms developing in the afternoon across the rest of the area. Large hail was the main threat with these storms, with only a few storms producing wind damage in the form of downed trees.
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 6, 6:30 AM EST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 730 AM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012 .SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH MONDAY/... SEVERAL FEATURES REMAIN THE FOCUS FOR CONVECTION THROUGH THE NEXT 36 HOURS. FOR TODAY...THE OLD BOUNDARY ACROSS SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA WHERE BEST INSTABILITY REMAINS CONCENTRATED AND A NEW SURFACE BOUNDARY ENTERING THE NORTHEAST AND EAST AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN BEHIND THE LOW MOVING UP THE SOUTHEASTERN ATLANTIC COAST. GEORGIA REMAINS ON THE EDGE OF THE NORTHWESTERLY UPPER FLOW ALLOWING WEAK SHORT WAVES TO BRUSH ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. SATELLITE ANALYSIS SHOWS A WEAK MID AND UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER NORTHERN ALABAMA EARLY THIS MORNING AND MODELS ARE SHOWING A WEAKNESS IN THE UPPER RIDGE IN THAT VICINITY...BUT DO NOT DEVELOP THE LOW FURTHER AND KEEP THE MAIN INFLUENCE NORTH AND WEST OF THE FORECAST AREA. I HAVE KEPT POPS IN THE CHANCE RANGE FOR NOW WITH BEST CHANCES ACROSS THE FAR WEST...SOUTH AND NORTHEAST. BY MONDAY THE NEW BOUNDARY SETTLES INTO THE SOUTHERN REACHES OF THE FORECAST AREA RE-FOCUSING BETTER CHANCES FOR CONVECTION ACROSS THAT REGION... HOWEVER WITH THE UPPER PATTERN BASICALLY UNCHANGED THERE WILL STILL BE A CHANCE FOR CONVECTION AREAWIDE. MODELS SHOW 1500-2000 J/KG ML CAPE ALONG THE WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FRINGES OF THE FORECAST AREA TODAY WITH 500-1000 J/KG ELSEWHERE. THIS SHOULD KEEP THE CHANCES FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AT A MINIMUM FOR TODAY. 20 .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... A MOIST PATTERN WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE H5 TROUGH OVER THE WEST BEGINS DIGS INTO THE MIDWEST WHICH BOTH GFS AND ECMWF SHOW HAPPENING BY WEDNESDAY. TIMING DIFFERENCES OCCUR BY THURSDAY WITH THE GFS BEING THE FASTER OF THE TWO MODELS WHICH CLEARS THE MOISTURE OUT BY 12Z THU WITH THE ECMWF NOT CLEARING OUT UNTIL 00Z FRI. THE GFS HAS SHOWN MORE CONTINUITY THAN THE ECMWF AND WILL THEREFORE LEAN TOWARD THE GFS. A DRIER ATMOSPHERE WILL PREVAIL OVER THE CWA FOR THE END OF THE WEEK AND INTO NEXT WEEKEND. 17 && .AVIATION... 12Z UPDATE... ISOLATED MVFR VISIBILITIES WILL CONTINUE BETWEEN 12Z AND 14Z...BUT I DO NOT EXPECT ANY ISSUES AT THE TAF SITES...EXCEPT FOR A POSSIBLE BRIEF PERIOD AT KMCN. OTHERWISE VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH 08Z OUTSIDE OF CONVECTION. ISOLATED CONVECTION IS POSSIBLE AT ANY TIME...HOWEVER BEST CHANCES WILL BE BETWEEN 18Z AND 04Z AS COVERAGE BECOMES MORE SCATTERED. WINDS WILL TRANSITION FROM NORTHWEST TO NORTHEAST BETWEEN 12Z AND 20Z...STARTING ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS AND SPREADING SOUTH AND WEST. WIND SPEEDS WILL REMAIN 3-6KT THROUGH 14Z...INCREASING TO 7-12KT BY 18Z BEFORE DIMINISHING BACK INTO THE 4-7KT RANGE AFTER 00Z. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED MVFR CONDITIONS...BOTH CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES...ARE POSSIBLE AFTER 08Z. //ATL CONFIDENCE...06Z UPDATE... MEDIUM. 20 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 85 63 80 62 / 50 30 40 50 ATLANTA 86 66 82 64 / 40 30 40 50 BLAIRSVILLE 84 60 79 61 / 50 30 40 60 CARTERSVILLE 87 63 83 61 / 40 30 40 60 COLUMBUS 88 68 86 65 / 50 40 40 50 GAINESVILLE 84 64 80 61 / 50 30 40 50 MACON 88 66 83 62 / 40 40 50 40 ROME 87 63 84 63 / 40 30 40 60 PEACHTREE CITY 87 64 83 62 / 40 30 40 50 VIDALIA 89 68 83 68 / 50 40 50 40 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 423 AM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-070830- 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- 423 AM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .SYNOPSIS... AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND AN ASSOCIATED SURFACE TROUGH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TODAY. THIS WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE REGION. .PRIMARY HAZARDS... THE PRIMARY HAZARDS ARE DIME SIZED HAIL...WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 40 MPH...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. THE BEST TIMES FOR THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPMENT ARE BETWEEN NOON AND 10 PM TODAY. .DISCUSSION... DAYTIME HEATING AND A SIGNIFICANT SHORT WAVE MOVING OUT OF THE TENNESSEE AND OHIO VALLEYS THIS MORNING WILL RESULT IN SCATTERED SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. CAPES WILL INCREASE TO 1800 TO 2200 THIS AFTERNOON ALONG WITH LIFTED INDEX VALUES OF -4 TO -8. THIS WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO ALLOW A FEW STORMS TO BECOME STRONG. SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED BUT SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH THE WEB BY GOING TO WEATHER.GOV/ATLANTA.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1015 AM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012
GAZ042-052-061445-
1015 AM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR PEA SIZED HAIL AND 35 MPH WINDS
IN CARROLL AND HEARD COUNTIES UNTIL 1045 AM EDT...
AT 1013 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER CENTRALHATCHEE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE PEA SIZED HAIL...FREQUENT
CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 35 MPH AS IT MOVES ACROSS
CARROLL AND HEARD COUNTIES THROUGH 1045 AM EDT. SOME LOCATIONS IN THE
PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE ROOSTERVILLE...LOWELL...ROOPVILLE...PLANT
WANSLEY...CENTRALHATCHEE...FRANKLIN AND CORINTH. HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL
CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS.
&&
LAT...LON 3353 8508 3343 8499 3343 8501 3341 8501
3328 8496 3328 8495 3323 8494 3318 8508
3319 8510 3317 8512 3316 8515 3342 8525
TIME...MOT...LOC 1415Z 321DEG 16KT 3340 8509The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 51 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:46 UTC.
11 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Heard County 911 Center and the Family Dollar store reported that hail fell in Franklin. The hail started as dime size but within five minutes increased to quarter size.
The Broadcast Media reported that dime to quarter sized hail fell in Midland.
A Schley County Sheriff Deputy reported that seven trees were blown down at Highway 26 and Stevens Road about five miles west of Ellaville.
The public reported that dime sized hail fell just east of Cedartown.
The public reported that nickel sized hail fell near Jasper.
The public reported that dime sized hail fell near Lithia Springs and Sweetwater Creek State Park.
The public reported that quarter sized hail fell in Jasper.
The public reported that dime sized hail fell near Marietta.
The Polk County 911 Center and the public reported that large hail fell southeast of Cedartown, generally between Cedartown and Felton along U.S. Highway 27. The hail began as quarter size, lasting for several minutes, increasing to golf ball size before it ended.
The public reported quarter sized hail near Kennesaw, which lasted for about 10 minutes.
The public reported large hail, increasing to walnut size - 1.5 inches - at Nottely Dam. The hail lasted for 15 minutes.
The public reported dime to quarter sized hail in Holly Springs.
The Union County 911 Center reported that several trees were blown down along U.S. Highway 129 near Nottely Dam.
The Cobb County 911 Center reported that at least six trees were blown down off of Shallowford Road just east of Canton Road. One of the trees fell on a house.
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, May 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: 376844, 376845, 376855, 376846, 376847, 376848, 376849, 376850, 376851, 376852, 376853, 376854, 376856, 376857.