A strong low-level jet ahead of a deep upper-level trough brought a period of strong, gusty winds to the higher elevations of the north Georgia mountains during the early morning hours, resulting in numerous reports of trees blown down. 5 inches or less, a band of 2 to 3 inches of rain was observed from Paulding county through Lumpkin and northern Hall counties.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 strong low-level jet ahead of a deep upper-level trough brought a period of strong, gusty winds to the higher elevations of the north Georgia mountains during the early morning hours, resulting in numerous reports of trees blown down. Although the majority of north Georgia received only 1.5 inches or less, a band of 2 to 3 inches of rain was observed from Paulding county through Lumpkin and northern Hall counties. Isolated areas north of this band also received 2 to 3 inches of rainfall. This quickly accumulating rainfall, in combination with already wet soils resulted in a debris flow in Whitfield county.
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 Feb 19, 9:59 PM EST, 2 hours 31 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Peachtree City GA 959 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019 .UPDATE... Has been another active evening across the forecast area as another area of frontogentic forcing and strong isentropic lift allowed for banded convection at times. In addition, with such low freezing levels, was not difficult at all to get hail with the convection, the latest case being the cluster that move through Dade county. Things have settled down now and expect a quieter night with rain still around but forcing less. Temps now safely above freezing across the NE mountains but not by much. Models agree in keeping outside any freezing rain thresholds overnight but will certainly bear watching. Went ahead and edited pops for the Wed timeframe keeping lower pops for all but the far northern sections until prefrontal activity moves in toward evening. Deese && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 708 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019/ PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 258 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019/ .Afternoon Forecast Package... SHORT TERM /Tonight through Wednesday Night/... Showers and isolated thunderstorms mainly across North and portions of central GA as good East to Southeasterly flow continues across the area. The increased easterly flow is helping to push the high pressure wedge down into our area as the axis of highest QPF looks to stay north and west of our area. With rain expected to continue into the extended periods we are still looking for some flooding across N GA with 6 day totals in the 3-6 inch range. Have added a few more counties into the current flood watch and will keep it going through Saturday morning. The watch extends from Haralson...to Cherokee...to White counties and all areas north of that line. Winds will be elevated and gusty at times tonight and Wednesday with some places at the higher elevations gusting to around 30kts. Temperatures...especially under the wedge will stay a bit cool with lows tonight in the 30s and highs in the 40s Wed. Locations not under the influence of the wedge will see temps get up into the 60s and 70s Wednesday which will be mainly across central portions of the state. 01 LONG TERM /Thursday through Tuesday/... Overall, only minimal changes to the extended period. The only addition is another wedge front system that will move into the area Friday Night into Saturday as a strong New England surface high pressure quickly moves off into the Atlantic. This extra lift could further enhance rainfall totals for North Georgia during that time frame. Otherwise, the preceding discussion follows. Following this continuous bout of rain through Sunday, the next wave looks just as strong and begins to move into the area on Monday. A fairly active pattern looks likely afterwards with low pressure waves causing trouble in the forecast area every few days. Thiem PREV DISCUSSION... /Issued 635 AM EST Tue Feb 19 2019/ LONG TERM /Wednesday Night through Monday/... The long term period picks up with another period of possible heavy rainfall late Wednesday as the wedge breaks down and a cold front pushes towards the area. Current models don't show the front making much progress into the area before becoming more parallel to the flow and stalling. With the front stalled somewhere in the vicinity, likely to categorical pops have been included for northern Georgia through Saturday as multiple waves of precipitation move through the area. With instability present, thunder has also been included for multiple days of the forecast. Also, with such high PW values forecast Wednesday through the rest of the long term, heavy rain is expected at times over multiple days continuing concerns for flash flooding and river flooding. Portions of northwestern GA already has a few rivers in flood. The Flood Watch is still in effect for portions of northeast Georgia through early [Saturday]. Make sure to stay updated to the forecast for any changes to the watch. The next more organized system looks to impact the area late Saturday into Sunday as a surface low develops across the midwest and pushes a cold front into the state on Sunday. With good instability across central Georgia and high PW values, this system will bring another round of heavy rain and thunderstorms to the area. Overall, with the bulk of the precipitation expected to fall in the short term, current QPF totals from Thursday through Sunday is about 1 to 3+ inches with the highest amounts across northern Georgia. For more information on the excessive rainfall refer to the latest ESF. Temperatures through the extended are mostly above average, with highs generally in the 60s and 70s with lows in the 40s to lower 60s. Some areas are even pushing low 80s across central Georgia through the weekend. Reaves AVIATION... 00Z UPDATE... Another challenging forecast as IFR cigs have arrived much earlier than model projections. Thinking now is that they will just remain down for the duration and go straight ti LIFR around 08Z for the ATL sites. Not much change throughout the day on Wed with a steady state forecast in order. We will see a line of SHRA/TSRA arrive late in the period requiring a Prob30 for the TS for ATL. Winds will continue to be gusty through the first part of tonight before we lose the gusts Wed morning. //ATL CONFIDENCE...00Z UPDATE... Medium on LIFR timing. High on remaining elements. Deese && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Athens 37 48 46 65 / 60 60 80 50 Atlanta 39 53 51 64 / 60 50 90 70 Blairsville 36 47 47 61 / 100 100 100 80 Cartersville 39 52 51 60 / 70 80 100 80 Columbus 46 65 62 74 / 40 40 70 70 Gainesville 37 45 45 63 / 100 70 90 70 Macon 43 60 58 75 / 40 30 40 70 Rome 40 53 51 60 / 90 100 100 80 Peachtree City 41 57 54 66 / 50 40 80 70 Vidalia 47 70 62 80 / 40 40 40 30 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flood Watch through Saturday morning for the following zones: Bartow...Catoosa...Chattooga...Cherokee...Dade...Dawson... Fannin...Floyd...Gilmer...Gordon...Haralson...Lumpkin...Murray... Paulding...Pickens...Polk...Towns...Union...Walker...White... Whitfield. && SHORT TERM...Deese LONG TERM....Thiem AVIATION...Deese
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Peachtree City GA 240 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-201945- 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- 240 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of North and Central Georgia. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight... A line of thunderstorms has been advancing across North Georgia this afternoon which has caused periods of heavy rain and localized flooding across portions the Atlanta metro. A Flood Watch is in effect through Saturday morning for portions of north and northwest Georgia. As a result of multiple periods with heavy rainfall, some localized flooding of creeks and streams may be possible across portions of northern Georgia. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday... The Flood Watch remains in effect through early Saturday. Multiple rounds of rain are expected across much of the area through Sunday, with 2 to as much as 6 inches possible by the end of the week. The highest rainfall amounts at this time are expected across northwest Georgia. An increased threat for river and stream flooding will continue through the week as rain falls over saturated grounds. Localized flash flooding will also be possible, especially over the complex terrain of north Georgia. Make sure to stay tuned to the latest forecasts and updates each day for any changes to the forecast. In addition, there is a chance of thunderstorms on Wednesday afternoon through Sunday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed through tonight.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Peachtree City GA
846 PM EST TUE FEB 19 2019
GAZ001>004-200215-
Whitfield GA-Catoosa GA-Walker GA-Dade GA-
846 PM EST TUE FEB 19 2019
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WHITFIELD...CATOOSA...WALKER AND
DADE COUNTIES UNTIL 915 PM EST...
At 844 PM EST...a strong thunderstorm was near Trenton, moving
northeast at 65 mph.
HAZARD...Up to 40 mph wind, frequent cloud-to-ground lightning and
heavy rain.
IMPACT...Expect minor damage to tree limbs and blowing around of
light, unsecured objects. Heavy rain will cause temporary
street flooding, especially in poor drainage areas.
Some locations in the path of this storm include
Dalton, Lafayette, Ringgold, Trenton, Fort Oglethorpe, Rossville,
Chickamauga, Varnell, Lookout Mountain, Tunnel Hill, Cohutta, Blue
Spring, Fairview, Linwood, Chattanooga Valley, Cloudland Canyon
State Park, Hooker, Cooper Heights, Rock Spring and Rising Fawn.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
People outdoors should seek shelter immediately. If you can hear
thunder...you are close enough to be struck by lightning. Motorists
should slow down and be prepared for possible loss of control due to
hydroplaning.
LAT...LON 3483 8491 3460 8553 3498 8560 3499 8499
TIME...MOT...LOC 0144Z 239DEG 57KT 3488 8552
WIND...40MPHThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 strong wind, 1 debris flow. Local standard time, as filed.
The Georgia Department of Transportation reported a tree blown down near the intersection of Highway 52 and Faucetts Lake Road. The falling tree brought down power lines.
The Georgia Department of Transportation reported a tree blown down on Highway 61. The falling tree brought down power lines.
The Georgia Department of Transportation reported a tree blown down near the intersection of Highway 136 and Price Creek Road. The falling tree brought down power lines. Another tree was blown down near the intersection of Highway 53 and Crossbow Road.
The Georgia Department of Transportation reported a tree blown down on Luna Lake Road.
The Union County Emergency Manager numerous trees and power lines blown down across the county. One tree fell onto a trailer home on Codey Drive in Blairsville causing extensive damage. No injuries were reported.
Emergency Manager reported a small debris flow on Dug Gap Battle Road near Dalton. Trees, dirt, and rocks were blocking a portion of the roadway. Radar estimates indicate that only 1 to 2 inches of rainfall occurred over the area, but this rain fell on already saturated soils from heavy rainfall leading up to this event.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, February 2019
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: 803550, 803552, 803556, 803559, 803561, 803706.