An upper low over the region shifted east, allowing flow to transition to nearly zonal aloft. A large surface ridge dominated the eastern United States, continuing to bring dry air to the region.
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.
An upper low over the region shifted east, allowing flow to transition to nearly zonal aloft. A large surface ridge dominated the eastern United States, continuing to bring dry air to the region. Fuels dried significantly through this dry period, with relative humidity values dropping below 25 percent, leading to widespread 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 Nov 18, 1:05 AM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 105 AM EST SUN NOV 18 2012 .UPDATE... NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES PLANNED THIS EVENING. SOME LOW TO MID LEVEL CLOUDS ARE SHOWING UP IN THE MILLEDGEVILLE AREA THAT WILL BEAR SOME WATCHING...OTHERWISE TEMPERATURES...DEWPOINT TEMPERATURES AND SKY ARE ON TRACK. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 156 PM EST SAT NOV 17 2012/ SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... MODELS IN SIMILAR AGREEMENT THROUGH 36 HOURS. NAM AND GFS HAVE BACK OFF ON LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ACROSS NORTH GA AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT AND KEEPS MOST OF IT IN SOUTH GEORGIA AND WILL THEREFORE GO WITH MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES ACROSS SOUTH GA TONIGHT. WINDS WILL STAY IN THE 10 TO 20 MPH RANGE TONIGHT AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS IN RESPONSE TO THE SURFACE WAVE DEVELOPING OFF THE GA COAST UNDER THE UPPER SHORT WAVE. CONCERNING TEMPS FOR TONIGHT...BOTH MODELS HAVE BEEN RUNNING 1 TO 3 DEGREES TOO COLD WITH THE NAM BEING CLOSER TO REALITY. WITH WINDS STAYING UP AND ADDITIONAL CLOUDS TONIGHT...DO NOT EXPECT ANY FREEZING TEMPS. ACROSS EXTREME NORTH GA THE STORY IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT. WINDS WILL DROP OFF AND COULD GO CALM IN SOME AREAS. WITH TEMPS DROPPING INTO THE MID 30S...SOME FROST COULD OCCUR AND WILL ISSUE A FROST ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT ACROSS PARTS OF NORTH GEORGIA. ATLANTIC MOISTURE COMES BACK INTO THE CWA SUNDAY NIGHT WITH AN INCREASE IN CLOUDS BUT AT THIS TIME DO NOT EXPECT ANY PRECIP THROUGH 36 HOURS. /17 LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... LATEST ECMWF AND GFS ARE STILL IN GOOD AGREEMENT SHOWING LOW PRESSURE OFF THE EAST COAST AND A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY COMBINING TO BRING A LOW CHANCE OF RAIN TO NORTH AND PARTS OF CENTRAL GEORGIA TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY TIME-FRAME. THEN HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES OVER THE AREA AND PROVIDES FOR A CLEAR AND MILD FORECAST FOR THANKSGIVING. A MOSTLY DRY...REINFORCING COLD FRONT WILL TRAVERSE THE STATE LATE FRIDAY AND MAINTAIN DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. /39 PREV LONG TERM DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 340 AM EST SAT NOV 17 2012/ NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS TRENDS THROUGH THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD. BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF CONTINUE TO SHOW A FAIRLY PROGRESSIVE UPPER-LEVEL PATTERN THROUGH THE PERIOD. DRY THROUGH MONDAY BEHIND EXITING SYSTEM. GFS DOES LINGER SOME LOW QPF ALONG THE EASTERN FRINGES OF THE FORECAST AREA MONDAY...BUT RIGHT NOW IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS OVERDONE. NEXT SHORT WAVE QUICKLY APPROACHING THE REGION BY TUESDAY. BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF ARE NOW MORE CONSISTENT IN KEEPING THIS WAVE OPEN UNTIL IT SWEEPS PAST AND MOVES OUT OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC BY LATE WEDNESDAY. BOTH MODELS ARE ALSO STILL GENERATING SOME LOW QPF OVER THE STATE ALTHOUGH THE TIMING IS A BIT DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE TWO. GFS IS LEANING TOWARD TUESDAY WITH THE ECMWF FAVORING WEDNESDAY. HAVE CONTINUED OUR PREVIOUS TRENDS TOWARD THE EARLIER GFS SOLUTIONS...BUT HAVE STRETCHED PRECIPITATION INTO LATE TUESDAY/EARLY WEDNESDAY AS PER THE EURO BENT. BOTH MODELS KEEP THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK DRY AS NORTHWEST UPPER FLOW TAKES SHAPE AND SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE RE-STRENGTHENS OVER THE REGION. TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE NEAR SEASONAL NORMALS THROUGH THE PERIOD...TENDING TOWARD SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. /20 && AVIATION... 06Z UPDATE... MIXTURE OF LOW VFR/HIGH MVFR CEILINGS EXPANDING WEST INTO THE FORECAST AREA WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 15Z. I EXPECT AT LEAST TEMPO MVFR CEILINGS AT KAHN AND KMCN FROM AROUND 08Z THROUGH 14Z. OTHER TAF SITES SHOULD SEE SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW VFR CLOUDS FROM AROUND 08/10Z THROUGH 15Z. VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED AREA WIDE 15Z THROUGH 00Z WITH MVFR CEILINGS DEVELOPING ONCE AGAIN BY 06Z. WINDS WILL REMAIN NORTHEAST 3-8KT THROUGH 14Z...INCREASING TO 7-12KT WITH GUSTS 14-20KT AFTER 14Z. //ATL CONFIDENCE...06Z UPDATE... MEDIUM CONFIDENCE ON CLOUDS. HIGH CONFIDENCE ALL OTHER ELEMENTS. 20 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 37 63 44 60 / 0 10 10 10 ATLANTA 41 61 45 60 / 0 5 5 10 BLAIRSVILLE 32 61 38 61 / 0 5 5 10 CARTERSVILLE 34 63 39 60 / 0 0 5 10 COLUMBUS 45 65 49 65 / 0 0 5 10 GAINESVILLE 39 60 42 59 / 0 5 10 10 MACON 40 64 47 61 / 5 5 5 10 ROME 34 65 37 65 / 0 0 5 10 PEACHTREE CITY 35 64 38 59 / 0 0 5 10 VIDALIA 45 63 48 64 / 5 10 10 10 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FROST ADVISORY FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM EST SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BARTOW...CARROLL...CATOOSA...CHATTOOGA...CHEROKEE... CLAYTON...COBB...COWETA...DADE...DAWSON...DEKALB...DOUGLAS... FANNIN...FAYETTE...FLOYD...FORSYTH...GILMER...GORDON... HARALSON...HEARD...HENRY...LUMPKIN...MERIWETHER...MURRAY...NORTH FULTON...PAULDING...PICKENS...PIKE...POLK...SOUTH FULTON... SPALDING...TOWNS...TROUP...UNION...WALKER...WHITE...WHITFIELD. && SHORT TERM...ATWELL LONG TERM....39 AVIATION...ATWELL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 252 PM EST SAT NOV 17 2012 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-181200- 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- 252 PM EST SAT NOV 17 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... A FROST ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MUCH OF NORTH AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA FOR EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. .SYNOPSIS... A LARGE...COOL DOME OF HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES WILL RESULT IN A DRY AIR MASS AND MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES CONTINUING OVER MOST OF NORTH AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA THROUGH TONIGHT. .PRIMARY HAZARDS... THE PRIMARY HAZARD WILL BE NEAR FREEZING TEMPERATURES THAT ALLOW FOR FROST DEVELOPMENT DURING THE EARLY SUNDAY MORNING HOURS. THE FROST COULD DAMAGE OR KILL SENSITIVE PLANTS. .DISCUSSION... MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS WILL ALLOW OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES TO DIP INTO THE MID AND UPPER 30S OVER MUCH OF NORTH AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... A FROST THREAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 9 AM SUNDAY MORNING FOR PARTS OF NORTH AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED 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-cased wildfire labeled Turkey burned 108 acres and resulted in $12,000 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, November 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: 428219.