The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for north and central Georgia on Tuesday, June 10, warning of morning fog and the potential for scattered thunderstorms through the week.

Bonus for the more weather-curious among you … To read an article about interpreting a weather news report with some of the typical terminology defined, follow this link.

The statement from the National Weather Service gives the following details:

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north and central Georgia

. . DAY ONE…Today and Tonight… Areas of fog this morning across north Georgia may reduce visibility to one half mile or less and impact travel. Scattered thunderstorms are expected across central Georgia this afternoon and evening, capable of producing brief gusty winds, frequent lightning, and heavy rain. Severe weather is not anticipated

. . DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…Wednesday through Monday… Isolated to scattered thunderstorms will linger in parts of north and central Georgia through next weekend. A couple of stronger storms are possible, but confidence in the timing of any severe weather is low at this time.

The following counties are included in the hazardous weather outlook:

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

What is meant by “isolated” and “scattered”?

The NWS defines “isolated” as follows:
A National Weather Service convective precipitation descriptor for a 10 percent chance of measurable precipitation (0.01 inch). Isolated is used interchangeably with few.

“Scattered” has the following definition:
When used to describe precipitation (for example: “scattered showers”) – Area coverage of convective weather affecting 30 percent to 50 percent of a forecast zone(s).

Isolated thunderstorms and scattered thunderstorms are two terms used to describe different distributions of thunderstorm activity within a particular area. The main difference lies in the extent of coverage and how the thunderstorms are spatially distributed:

• Isolated Thunderstorms:
  • Relatively rare occurrences that happen sporadically and are generally confined to a limited area.
  • Characterized by being few and far between, with significant gaps between individual storm cells.
  • Typically cover less than 20% of the forecast area.
  • Despite their isolated nature, they can still be intense and may produce heavy rain, lightning, gusty winds, and possibly hail.
• Scattered Thunderstorms:
  • More widespread than isolated thunderstorms and cover a larger portion of the forecast area.
  • Numerous individual thunderstorms develop but are not continuous or widespread enough to be classified as a “line” or “cluster”.
  • Generally cover between 30% to 50% of the forecast area.
  • Still leave considerable gaps between storm cells, so not everyone will necessarily experience a thunderstorm.

In summary, isolated thunderstorms are fewer in number and more localized, while scattered thunderstorms are more widespread, with numerous individual storms occurring somewhat randomly across the forecast area.