An axis of enhanced moisture and instability coupled with cold temperatures aloft and embedded within a west to northwest steering flow initially supported numerous thunderstorms with large hail across northern and central Georgia. These upstream thunderstorms transitioned to a mesoscale convective system which advanced southeastward and into portions of southeast Georgia with damaging wind gusts.
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 CHS wrote it up.
An axis of enhanced moisture and instability coupled with cold temperatures aloft and embedded within a west to northwest steering flow initially supported numerous thunderstorms with large hail across northern and central Georgia. These upstream thunderstorms transitioned to a mesoscale convective system which advanced southeastward and into portions of southeast Georgia with damaging wind gusts.
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 Charleston, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 31, 7:46 PM EST, 1 hour 59 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 846 PM EDT TUE MAR 31 2015 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL SHIFT SOUTH INTO THE AREA TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING WHILE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS FROM THE NORTH. THE HIGH WILL QUICKLY MOVE OFF THE EASTERN SEABOARD BY THURSDAY. A STRONGER COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE REGION LATE FRIDAY NIGHT OR SATURDAY...FOLLOWED BY COOLER HIGH PRESSURE THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING/... MID-EVENING WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS POTENT SHORTWAVE ENERGY UPSTREAM WHICH IS PROMOTING STEADY CONVECTIVE GROWTH ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA. CLUSTER OF TSTMS WILL PROPAGATE SOUTHEAST THIS EVENING...IMPACTING MAINLY SOUTHEAST GEORGIA FROM LATE EVENING THROUGH EARLY MORNING WEDNESDAY. POPS HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED UPWARDS TO 60 PERCENT ACROSS INTERIOR SOUTHEAST GEORGIA WITH THE MID- EVENING UPDATE...ESPECIALLY IN THE METTER AND REIDSVILLE AREAS SOUTHEAST TO LUDOWICI AND CLAXTON. INSTABILITY OFF THE 01/00Z KCHS RAOB WAS NOT OVERLY IMPRESSIVE...ALTHOUGH THE SOUNDING LOOKS TO HAVE BEEN CONTAMINATED BY THE STABILIZING SEA BREEZE CIRCULATION. HOWEVER...01/00Z RAP FORECAST SOUNDINGS AT METTER AND STATESBORO INDICATE MODEST INSTABILITY REMAINS AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING CONVECTIVE CLUSTER WITH SBCAPES NEARING 1200 J/KG WITH LIFTED INDICES OF -4 TO -7C. THIS WILL SUPPORT ONGOING CONVECTION FOR SEVERAL MORE HOURS. COLD MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES COUPLED WITH DRY MID-LEVEL AIR (DCAPE OF 600-800 J/KG) WILL SUPPORT A CONTINUED RISK FOR AN ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE TSTM THROUGH MIDNIGHT...MAINLY SOUTH OF THE I-16 CORRIDOR. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS WILL BE LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. SO FAR UPSTREAM SEVERE REPORTS HAVE BEEN PRIMARY LARGE HAIL...BUT 0-6KM BULK SHEAR IN EXCESS OF 35-40 KT WILL SUPPORT A RISK FOR OCCASIONAL BOWING SEGMENTS. WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT A RISK FOR ISOLATED SEVERE TSTMS IN THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST IS ON TRACK. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY/... WEDNESDAY...THE BACK DOOR COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY SLIDE SOUTH OF THE AREA...THOUGH IT WILL BE SLOW TO CLEAR OUR FAR SOUTHEAST GA ZONES BEFORE MID AFTERNOON. PRIOR TO THAT...MODERATE SURFACE HEATING AND DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 50S TO AROUND 60 MAY ALLOW FOR ISOLATED SHOWERS IN THE MORNING OR PERHAPS A THUNDERSTORM IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON BEFORE DRIER AIR SHIFTS IN FROM THE NORTH. MOST AREAS WILL REMAIN DRY WITH DECREASING CLOUDINESS AND ONLY WEAK LATE-DAY COLD AIR ADVECTION. THUS HIGHS WILL BE IN THE MIDDLE 70S ACROSS SOUTHERN SC AND UPPER 70S TO AROUND 80 IN SOUTHEAST GA. WEDNESDAY NIGHT WILL BE COOLER ACROSS SOUTHERN SC WHERE MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND DIMINISHING WINDS WILL OCCUR. ELSEWHERE...INCREASING STRATOCUMULUS LATE NIGHT WITH DEVELOPING ONSHORE FLOW WILL KEEP TEMPS A FEW DEGREES WARMER. ON THURSDAY THE UPPER RIDGE WILL SHIFT OFFSHORE AND THE SURFACE HIGH WILL MOVE INTO THE WESTERN ATLANTIC. LOW LEVEL FLOW BECOMES ONSHORE AND SURFACE DEWPOINTS INCREASE INTO THE LOWER 60S ACROSS SOUTHEAST GA. MEANWHILE ALOFT A SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE IN DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS...POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING ISOLATED SHOWERS AND TSTMS LATE IN THE DAY ACROSS WESTERN ZONES. HIGHS WILL BE IN THE UPPER 70S EXCEPT NEAR THE COAST WHERE A ROBUST SEA BREEZE WILL KEEP TEMPS IN THE UPPER 60S. FRIDAY...AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT...THERMAL RIDGING/ COMPRESSIONAL HEATING SHOULD PUSH TEMPERATURES INTO THE MID 80S. AN ISOLATED SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM CANNOT BE RULED OUT IF/WHERE LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE DEVELOPS EAST OF I-95...BUT THE POTENTIAL FOR CONVECTION APPEARS TOO LOW TO JUSTIFY A MENTION WITHIN PUBLIC FORECASTS. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE REGION EITHER LATE FRIDAY NIGHT OR DURING THE DAY SATURDAY. 31/00 UTC GUIDANCE TIMING DIFFERENCES PERSIST...RANGING FROM A FAST OPERATIONAL GFS WHICH PUSHES THE FRONT COMPLETELY THROUGH THE REGION EARLY SATURDAY WITH LIMITED CHANCE FOR CONVECTION TO A SOMEWHAT SLOWER OPERATIONAL EURO WHICH DEPICTS THE FRONT BISECTING THE FORECAST AREA EARLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON... SUPPORTING A GREATER CHANCE FOR SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS AND PERHAPS EVEN A POTENTIAL FOR SOME SEVERE WEATHER ESPECIALLY SOUTH/EAST. MAINTAINED SLIGHT CHANCE/CHANCE POPS FOR SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS LATE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY...BUT FURTHER ADJUSTMENTS COULD BE NEEDED WITHIN SUBSEQUENT FORECASTS. IN ANY CASE...POST FROPA HIGH PRESSURE WILL PROVIDE SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES BY SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY...FOLLOWED BY A WARMING TREND AS HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS OFFSHORE EARLY NEXT WEEK. ALSO...INTRODUCED SLIGHT CHANCE/CHANCE POPS EARLY NEXT WEEK AS MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE DEPICTS INCREASING MOISTURE SPREADING INTO THE REGION FROM THE WEST. HOWEVER...MODEL AGREEMENT REGARDING FORECAST DETAILS OF ANY PRECIPITATION REMAINS POOR EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION /01Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... VFR. WATCHING UPSTREAM TSTM ACTIVITY...WHICH MAY MAKE A RUN FOR KSAV 02-06Z. RIGHT NOW IT APPEARS ACTIVITY THAT HOLDS TOGETHER WILL LIKELY REMAIN SOUTH OF THE TERMINAL. WILL NOT INCLUDE A MENTION OF TSRA JUST YET...BUT THIS WILL BE WATCHED CAREFULLY. WIND SHIFT WILL A BACKDOOR FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH KCHS ROUGHLY 14Z...BUT WASHOUT BEFORE REACHING KSAV AND GETTING ENTANGLED WITH THE DEVELOPING ONSHORE FLOW. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...ISOLATED SHOWERS AND TSTMS COULD AFFECT EITHER TERMINAL LATE THURSDAY AND SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS EXPECTED SATURDAY. OTHERWISE...MAINLY VFR. && .MARINE... THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT...HIGH PRESSURE WILL PREVAIL OVER THE COASTAL WATERS EARLY...BUT THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL BECOME MORE ENHANCED THIS EVENING INTO EARLY TONIGHT AS A COLD FRONT ADVANCES CLOSER TO THE AREA. A BRIEF PERIOD OF SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LEVEL WINDS COULD OCCUR IN NORTHERN SC WATERS AND OFFSHORE GEORGIA WATERS AS THE FROPA OCCURS...BUT CONDITIONS SHOULD FALL JUST SHORT OF CRITERIA. HAVE MAINTAINED A CAP OF 15 KT WINDS IN THE CHARLESTON HARBOR AND 20 KT WINDS OFF THE CHARLESTON COUNTY COAST AND OFFSHORE GEORGIA WATERS. SOUTHWEST WINDS SHOULD ALSO BECOME NORTHWEST BEHIND THE FRONT LATE. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS COULD IMPACT THE GEORGIA WATERS TONIGHT. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE STRONG WITH GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES. WINDS WILL BRIEFLY SURGE OUT OF THE NE WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT IN WAKE OF A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT BUT WINDS/SEAS EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THRESHOLDS. MODERATE ONSHORE FLOW EXPECTED THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY AS THE SURFACE HIGH SHIFTS OFF THE COAST. THE SEA BREEZE WILL BLOW AT 10-15 KT ALONG THE COAST BOTH DAYS. SEAS COULD BUILD TO NEAR SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LEVELS LATE FRIDAY OR FRIDAY NIGHT ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE CHARLESTON NEARSHORE AND GA OFFSHORE WATERS. IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT...COLD ADVECTION AND BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE WILL PRODUCE A SURGE OF NORTHEAST WINDS AND ELEVATED SEAS DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES APPEAR LIKELY WITH THIS EVENT. MEANWHILE...HIGHER DEWPOINTS IN THE 60S ADVECTING OVER THE WATERS COULD SUPPORT SOME SEA FOG BEGINNING THURSDAY/THURSDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUING UNTIL COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE OCCURS SATURDAY. PROBABILITIES CURRENTLY TOO LOW TO INCLUDE IN FORECAST. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && ST
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 858 PM EDT TUE MAR 31 2015 AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ087-088-101-SCZ040-042>045-047>052-020100- CHARLESTON HARBOR- WATERS FROM SOUTH SANTEE RIVER TO EDISTO BEACH SC OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM EDISTO BEACH SC TO SAVANNAH GA OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA OUT 20 NM...INCLUDING GRAYS REEF NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA EXTENDING FROM 20 TO 60 NM-JENKINS-SCREVEN-EFFINGHAM-ALLENDALE-HAMPTON-INLAND COLLETON- DORCHESTER-INLAND BERKELEY-INLAND JASPER-BEAUFORT-COASTAL COLLETON- CHARLESTON-COASTAL JASPER-TIDAL BERKELEY- 858 PM EDT TUE MAR 31 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS...SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED. GAZ099-100-114>119-137>141-020100- CANDLER-BULLOCH-TATTNALL-EVANS-INLAND BRYAN-COASTAL BRYAN- INLAND CHATHAM-COASTAL CHATHAM-LONG-INLAND LIBERTY-COASTAL LIBERTY- INLAND MCINTOSH-COASTAL MCINTOSH- 858 PM EDT TUE MAR 31 2015 ...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A LARGE CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING QUICKLY SOUTHEAST ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS EVENING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO INTERIOR SOUTHEAST GEORGIA OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS AND PUSH TO THE COAST. A FEW OF THE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL COULD ALSO OCCUR. THE RISK FOR ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE THE HIGHEST ROUGHLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 16...WHICH INCLUDES CLAXTON... REIDSVILLE...HINESVILLE AND LUDOWICI. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE SAVANNAH METRO AREA AT THIS TIME. PEOPLE ACROSS SOUTHEAST GEORGIA SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH OR IF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... PLEASE RELAY ANY REPORTS OF HAZARDOUS WEATHER INCLUDING...BUT NOT LIMITED TO LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON AT 1-888-383-2024.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 854 PM EDT TUE MAR 31 2015 GAZ099-100-114>116-118-137-138-140-010300- CANDLER-BULLOCH-TATTNALL-EVANS-INLAND BRYAN-INLAND CHATHAM-LONG- INLAND LIBERTY-INLAND MCINTOSH- 854 PM EDT TUE MAR 31 2015 ...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE THIS EVENING... A LARGE CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING QUICKLY SOUTHEAST ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS EVENING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO INTERIOR SOUTHEAST GEORGIA OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS AND PUSH TO THE COAST. A FEW OF THE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL COULD ALSO OCCUR. THE RISK FOR ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE THE HIGHEST ROUGHLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 16...WHICH INCLUDES CLAXTON... REIDSVILLE...HINESVILLE AND LUDOWICI. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE SAVANNAH METRO AREA AT THIS TIME. PEOPLE ACROSS SOUTHEAST GEORGIA SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH OR IF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL HAZARDS OR THE INTERNET FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. &&
The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:45 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Tattnall County dispatch reports multiple trees down and damage to property near the corner of Pinegrove Church Road and Highway 23.
A metal roof was blown off a large chicken coop at the end of George McLeod Road.
A tree was blown down onto a car and numerous other trees were snapped near Highway 121 and Pineview Baptist Church. Trees were also blocking Thomas Lane.
One tree down at Bobtown Road and Tibet Road.
Three trees blown down across Tibet Road near King Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, March 2015
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: 566882, 566883, 566884, 566885, 566886.