PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 1030 PM EST FRI FEB 28 2002 ...NO SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS IN FEBRUARY 2002 FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 14 YEARS... FEBRUARY 2002 MARKS THE FIRST FEBRUARY IN 14 YEARS THAT NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED AT LEAST ONE SEVERE WEATHER EVENT DURING THE MONTH. NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...TORNADOES...OR FLASH FLOODS WERE OBSERVED DURING THE ENTIRE MONTH. THE LAST TIME THAT THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY PASSED WITHOUT THE OCCURRENCE OF AT LEAST ONE OF THESE EVENTS WAS IN 1988. WHEN CONSIDERING JUST SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES...THIS IS THE FIRST FEBRUARY IN EIGHT YEARS (SINCE 1994) THAT NO SUCH EVENTS HAVE OCCURRED DURING THE MONTH. TO MAKE MATTERS EVEN MORE INTERESTING...NOT ONLY WERE THERE NO SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS REPORTED THIS FEBRUARY...BUT THIS OFFICE DID NOT ISSUE ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM...TORNADO...OR FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS. THIS ALSO MARKS THE FIRST FEBRUARY IN 14 YEARS THAT NO SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED DURING THE MONTH...AND THE FIRST FEBRUARY IN EIGHT YEARS THAT NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OR TORNADO WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED. FEBRUARY 2002 MARKED YET ANOTHER MONTH IN WHAT HAS BEEN A PROLONGED PERIOD OF QUIET WEATHER FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. THERE HAS BEEN A NOTICEABLE LACK OF SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA DURING THE LAST SIX MONTHS. SINCE SEPTEMBER 2001...THERE HAVE BEEN ONLY A HANDFUL OF SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS...WITH SEPTEMBER...DECEMBER...AND FEBRUARY EACH HAVING NONE. ONE EVENT EACH WAS EXPERIENCED IN OCTOBER AND JANUARY...AND THERE WERE SIX EVENTS IN NOVEMBER...ONE OF WHICH WAS A TORNADO IN DADE COUNTY. THE TABLE BELOW PROVIDES THE NUMBER OF SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS BY CATEGORY THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED DURING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY FOR THE PAST 16 YEARS. YEAR TORNADOES SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FLASH FLOODS 2002 0 0 0 2001 0 34 0 2000 0 6 0 1999 0 24 0 1998 0 25 7 1997 0 20 0 1996 0 3 0 1995 0 8 0 1994 0 0 2 1993 8 29 0 1992 0 5 0 1991 1 5 6 1990 11 117 48 1989 0 7 0 1988 0 0 0 1987 0 0 0 1986 0 0 0