Strong low-level shear and marginal instability ahead of a strong cold front sweeping through the region combined to produce a few strong to severe thunderstorms, and an tornado, across parts of north Georgia.
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.
Strong low-level shear and marginal instability ahead of a strong cold front sweeping through the region combined to produce a few strong to severe thunderstorms, and an tornado, across parts of north Georgia.
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 1, 4:15 AM EST, 58 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Peachtree City GA 415 AM EST Mon Mar 1 2021 ...Monday Morning Forecast Discussion... .SHORT TERM /Today through Tuesday/... An occluded upper level low is moving northeastward from the Great Lakes region towards eastern Canada, with an elongated cold front extending from this system pushing southeastward into north Georgia as the short term period begins. Showers are ongoing across much of north Georgia at the time of this writing, and will continue to spread southeastward as the cold front advances through the area. No thunder has been observed yet in north Georgia, but with marginal instability, an isolated thunderstorm cannot be ruled out. While some briefly gusty winds are also possible in the vicinity of the front through the early morning hours, severe weather is not anticipated with this system. Rainfall totals will be highest across far north Georgia, which could approach 1 inch, and progressively lower amounts will be observed to the south. With QPF forecasts continuing to lower, widespread flooding concerns are not expected across north Georgia. The cold front will continue to sink south and east into the forecast area throughout much of the day today, with cooler northwesterly flow filtering in behind the front. This will moderate high temperatures this afternoon to the upper 50s to mid 60s in north Georgia behind the front, although temperatures will still increase into the 70s ahead of the front. Rain ahead of the cold front is expected to diminish after noon as it pushes into central Georgia, steadily lowering to slight chance PoPs across central Georgia by sunset this evening. Modest but not entirely negligible instability will be in place across the southern portion of the forecast area during the afternoon hours, enough to warrant mention of a slight chance of thunderstorms in this area. However, severe weather is not anticipated with any thunderstorms that do occur. During the evening and overnight hours, the cold front continues to push southward into the northern Gulf of Mexico and the cooler northwesterly flow will overspread all of north and central Georgia. With a cooler airmass in place over the area a much cooler overnight period is anticipated, with morning lows ranging from the upper 30s in far north Georgia to the upper 40s in central Georgia on Tuesday morning. Another transition in the pattern is then expected on Tuesday. A surface low will develop over the northwestern Gulf as an upper level shortwave swings eastward into the ArkLaTex region and approaches Georgia during the later parts of the day. A conveyor belt of deep moisture will set up over the region, and widespread rain in advance of the approaching system will spread progressively northeastward into the forecast area throughout the day, with PoPs becoming categorical across central Georgia by Tuesday afternoon and the entire CWA that night. Instability will once again be sufficient to warrant mention of a slight chance of thunderstorms along with the rain. Rainfall totals throughout the day on Tuesday are furthermore expected to be between 3/4 to 1 inch during the day in central Georgia with lower amounts to the north. With dry soils across much of central Georgia, there does not appear to be an imminent flash flooding threat for Tuesday. However, rainfall totals will continue to accumulate during the extended period -- Tuesday night and into Wednesday. King .LONG TERM /Tuesday Night through Sunday/... The bulk of the precip with our next rain system is slated to occur on Tuesday night with a mid-level, shortwave trough moving through the Southeastern CONUS, and a strengthening surface low organizing near the MS/AL/Fl panhandles. A conveyer belt of warm, moist air will flow up and over a baroclinic zone, and dump several inches of rain over central Georgia as the surface low pressure sweeps eastward. There's still some uncertainty with storm total precip estimates, but the current forecast estimates one and a half to three inches of rain possible for areas south of I-20 when all is said and done by Wednesday morning. These estimates are towards the higher end of the possibilities, but nearly every model has a corridor somewhere through central and southern Georgia of 2.5-3.5 inches. Luckily, instability looks to be extremely limited, with only meager MUCAPE values expected if not nonexistent. If high-res guidance begins to back up these values, a Flash Flood Watch may need to be considered for these areas, with concerns for locally higher amounts despite generally favorable antecedent conditions in place through the region. Beyond the upcoming deluge, the forecast area looks to mostly dry out for the rest of the forecast period. Strong surface high pressure under upper-level northwest flow should slide into the forecast area from the Northern Plains over the course of several days. This surface high pressure will bring quite a bit of dry air to the region with PWATs expected to drop below half an inch. The only disturbance to this pattern is another approaching, mid-level shortwave Friday Night and Saturday. The broader synoptic pattern looks to deflect this system further south, and keeping drier air in place over the forecast area, but some guidance, like the ECMWF, is trending slightly wetter. Regardless, if we can squeeze any precip out of this next system, it should not compare to anywhere near what's expected over the next few days. Thiem && .HYDROLOGY... A low pressure system moving across the Southeastern CONUS will organize a warm, moist conveyer belt which will lift over a baroclinic zone near the Gulf coast. This flow of moisture will result in an extended period of heavy precipitation across central and southern Georgia that could bring a swath of two to three inches of rain over a 24 hour period beginning Tuesday morning. Model guidance so far is in relatively good agreement with this solution, and a marginal risk for excessive rainfall for central Georgia is included in WPC's Day 2 Outlook. Luckily, most model guidance has the heaviest rainfall south of the Fall Line, in the Coastal Plains area of the state which current Flash Flood Guidance indicates could handle up to three to four inches of rain, thanks to favorable antecedent conditions. However, with the possibility of widespread averages up to three inches, and locally higher amounts possible, flash flooding could still be a possibility, with runoff also likely to create some river flooding as well with some river gages already running higher than normal. Thiem && .AVIATION... 06Z Update... VFR conditions remain in place across all TAF sites as the period begins. A low cloud deck is expected to build in ahead of the advancing cold front, with MVFR ceilings arriving at ATL around 07-08Z and at CSG/MCN around 08-10Z. While lowest ceilings are expected to remain low-end MVFR at all sites except CSG (where IFR is forecast), some IFR is also possible in the metro ATL sites during the early morning hours. 12-16Z appears to be the primary window for -SHRA at the metro ATL sites, although some isolated showers will remain possible afterwards. Ceilings will begin to lift to VFR behind the frontal passage during the afternoon. SW winds this morning will shift to NW behind the front in the afternoon hours and through the end of the period. //ATL Confidence...06Z Update... Medium confidence on timing of lowering ceilings and potential for IFR ceilings. High confidence on all other elements. King && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Athens 66 43 53 39 / 60 20 70 90 Atlanta 65 44 51 41 / 70 20 80 100 Blairsville 57 35 51 36 / 90 5 40 90 Cartersville 61 40 53 38 / 80 20 70 90 Columbus 70 48 52 44 / 60 40 100 100 Gainesville 62 42 51 39 / 70 10 60 90 Macon 71 48 52 42 / 50 30 90 100 Rome 61 40 54 40 / 90 10 70 90 Peachtree City 65 44 51 40 / 70 20 90 100 Vidalia 75 50 53 45 / 40 30 90 100 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM...King LONG TERM....Thiem AVIATION...King
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Peachtree City GA 510 AM EST Mon Mar 1 2021 GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 089>098-102>113-021015- 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- 510 AM EST Mon Mar 1 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of North and Central Georgia. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight... As a cold front moves through the area, a line of showers could bring brief periods of heavy rain and strong winds gusts to portions of the forecast area as well as a few rumbles of thunder. This line of showers is expected to weaken throughout the morning, with only light rain accumulations expected from here on out. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday... The next rain system is expected to move through the forecast area Tuesday morning through Wednesday morning, with the bulk of the rainfall expected on Tuesday night. Forecast storm total accumulations are between one and a half to three inches for portions of central Georgia, with locally higher amounts possible. With these accumulations, isolated flash flooding may be possible for central Georgia Tuesday night with heavy runoff potentially leading to scattered river flooding as well. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not requested but spotters are encouraged to submit reports of severe weather through the web by going to weather.gov/atlanta. Please relay any information about observed severe weather to the NWS while following all local, state, and CDC guidelines.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Peachtree City GA
1240 AM EST Mon Mar 1 2021
GAZ001>003-010630-
Catoosa GA-Walker GA-Dade GA-
1240 AM EST Mon Mar 1 2021
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CATOOSA...WESTERN WALKER AND DADE
COUNTIES UNTIL 130 AM EST...
At 1239 AM EST...a line of strong thunderstorms was along a line
extending from near Flat Top Mountain to near Hytop...and moving
southeast at 30 mph.
HAZARD...40 mph wind and heavy rain.
IMPACT...Expect minor damage to tree limbs and blowing around of
light...unsecured objects. Heavy rain may cause temporary
street flooding especially in poor drainage areas.
Some locations in the path of these storms include
Ringgold, Trenton, Fort Oglethorpe, Rossville, Chickamauga, Lookout
Mountain, Blue Spring, Fairview, Chattanooga Valley, Hooker,
Cloudland Canyon State Park, Cooper Heights, Rock Spring, Rising
Fawn, Noble, Lakeview, Indian Springs, Graysville, Cole City and
Wildwood.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
People outdoors should seek shelter immediately. Motorists should
slow down and be prepared for possible loss of control due to
hydroplaning.
LAT...LON 3499 8498 3492 8501 3459 8553 3498 8560
TIME...MOT...LOC 0539Z 298DEG 28KT 3537 8520 3486 8605
WIND...40MPHSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Peachtree City GA
439 AM EST Mon Mar 1 2021
GAZ020-021-030>032-041-042-011015-
Polk GA-Cobb GA-Cherokee GA-Haralson GA-Bartow GA-Carroll GA-
Paulding GA-
439 AM EST Mon Mar 1 2021
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR POLK...NORTHERN COBB...
CHEROKEE...HARALSON...SOUTHEASTERN BARTOW...NORTHWESTERN CARROLL AND
PAULDING COUNTIES UNTIL 515 AM EST...
At 439 AM EST...a line of strong thunderstorms was along a line
extending from near Ball Ground to near Mars Hills...and moving east
at 40 mph.
HAZARD...Winds up to 40 mph and heavy rain.
IMPACT...Expect minor damage to tree limbs and blowing around of
light...unsecured objects. Heavy rain may cause temporary
street flooding especially in poor drainage areas.
Some locations in the path of these storms include
Marietta, Canton, Cartersville, Dallas, Buchanan, Roswell, Kennesaw,
Woodstock, Acworth, Powder Springs, Holly Springs, Bremen, Temple,
Rockmart, Euharlee, Hiram, Tallapoosa, Mount Zion, Emerson and
Aragon.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
People outdoors should seek shelter immediately. Motorists should
slow down and be prepared for possible loss of control due to
hydroplaning.
LAT...LON 3429 8463 3429 8426 3419 8426 3417 8435
3413 8436 3411 8442 3405 8441 3356 8532
3389 8539
TIME...MOT...LOC 0939Z 274DEG 35KT 3433 8444 3386 8533
WIND...40MPHSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Peachtree City GA
509 AM EST Mon Mar 1 2021
GAZ022-023-031>034-042>045-011100-
Hall GA-North Fulton GA-Douglas GA-Cobb GA-Carroll GA-DeKalb GA-
Forsyth GA-Gwinnett GA-Paulding GA-South Fulton GA-
509 AM EST Mon Mar 1 2021
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN HALL...NORTH FULTON...
DOUGLAS...COBB...CARROLL...NORTHWESTERN DEKALB...SOUTHERN FORSYTH...
NORTHERN GWINNETT...SOUTHERN PAULDING AND NORTHWESTERN SOUTH FULTON
COUNTIES UNTIL 600 AM EST...
At 508 AM EST...a line of strong thunderstorms was along a line
extending from near Birmingham to near Bowdon...and moving east at 45
mph.
HAZARD...40 mph wind and heavy rain.
IMPACT...Expect minor damage to tree limbs and blowing around of
light...unsecured objects. Heavy rain may cause temporary
street flooding especially in poor drainage areas.
Some locations in the path of these storms include
Atlanta, Marietta, Douglasville, Carrollton, Dallas, Cumming, Sandy
Springs, Roswell, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Smyrna, Dunwoody, Milton,
Kennesaw, Duluth, Sugar Hill, Suwanee, Villa Rica, Powder Springs and
Buford.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
People outdoors should seek shelter immediately. Motorists should
slow down and be prepared for possible loss of control due to
hydroplaning.
LAT...LON 3372 8505 3380 8505 3407 8458 3407 8442
3411 8442 3413 8436 3418 8435 3419 8426
3423 8426 3422 8371 3413 8382 3409 8383
3351 8483 3356 8532 3363 8533
TIME...MOT...LOC 1008Z 271DEG 40KT 3419 8432 3361 8529
WIND...40MPHThe Atlanta radar (KFFC), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:15 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
The Paulding County Emergency Manager reported several trees blown down and a fence damaged along Wayne Meadows Court. Debris from the fence was blown into, and embedded in, the siding of a home along Wayne Meadows Court.
The public reported several pine trees snapped or uprooted in the Wyckford subdivision.
A National Weather Service survey determined that an EF1 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 90 MPH and a maximum path width of 100 yards briefly touched down in Clayton County. Damage was first surveyed along Bethsaida Road near the intersection with Lakefield Forrest Drive where several trees were uprooted or snapped and several power lines were blown down. The tornado moved southeast reaching its maximum intensity as it crossed West Fayetteville Road snapping or uprooting numerous trees, including several which fell onto homes along Bethaven Road and Zebulon Court. The tornado continued southeast along Bethaven Road, lifting before it reached the intersection of Bethaven road and Monarch Drive. [3/1/21: Tornado #1, County #1/1, EF-1, Clayton, 2021:005].
The local print media reported a large limb fell onto a truck outside of a home on Lakeview Drive. A man getting into the truck was struck and killed by the falling limb.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind, Clayton | 2021-03-01 | 65 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Georgia, 2021Warnings in Georgia, March 2021
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: 941124, 941125, 941123, 941126.