{ "id": "2025-03-31-university-of-georgia-severe-thunderstorm", "slug": "university-of-georgia-severe-thunderstorm-2025-03-31", "institution": { "name": "University of Georgia", "shortName": "UGA", "state": "GA", "type": "public-r1", "alertSystemName": "UGA Alert", "enrollment": 40000 }, "incident": { "date": "2025-03-31", "type": "severe-storm", "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification", "resolution": "confirmed-threat", "headline": "First automated severe thunderstorm warning issued through a new pilot system", "headlinePublic": "First automated severe thunderstorm warning issued through a new pilot system", "summary": "On March 31, 2025, [UGA Alert issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning at 1:23 PM EDT](https://www.redandblack.com/uganews/severe-thunderstorm-warning-issued-by-uga/article_bea855ef-3d4b-4e18-b2d3-31d41da133f7.html) for the Athens Campus, warning of wind gusts up to 60 mph and expected damage to roofs, siding, and trees. The warning was part of a [broader severe weather system](https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/03/31/live-updates-storms-set-roll-through-thunderstorm-watch-issued-northwest-georgia/) that swept across North Georgia, leaving damage and power outages in its wake, including a confirmed EF-1 tornado in Henry County.", "outcome": "The severe thunderstorm warning expired at 2:15 PM EDT. The Athens area experienced high winds and heavy rain. The broader North Georgia region saw significant damage, with more than 7,000 Georgia Power customers losing power." }, "alerts": [ { "sequence": 1, "type": "initial", "timestamp": "2025-03-31T13:23:00-04:00", "channel": "email", "verbatimText": "UGA Alert — Athens Campus: Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued March 31 at 1:23PM EDT until March 31 at 2:15PM EDT by NWS Peachtree City GA. Wind gusts are predicted to reach 60 mph. Expect damage to roofs, siding and trees. Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. If you see wind damage, hail or flooding, wait indoors until the storm has passed.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://www.redandblack.com/uganews/severe-thunderstorm-warning-issued-by-uga/article_bea855ef-3d4b-4e18-b2d3-31d41da133f7.html", "sourceDescription": "Red & Black student newspaper coverage of the March 31, 2025 UGA Alert (article quotes the alert text directly)", "annotations": [ "Red & Black's article quotes the UGA Alert verbatim, including the standardized NWS-issued timestamp formatting that the new automated pilot pulls directly from the NWS feed", "This was among the first automated severe thunderstorm warnings sent through UGA Alert's pilot program (launched March 2025) that auto-publishes NWS warnings to the campus community without manual triage", "UGA Weather Alerts are sent to everyone by email by default, with opt-in available for voice and text" ], "characterCount": 366 } ], "context": "On Monday, March 31, 2025, a severe line of storms rolled through North Georgia, prompting multiple tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings. The [University of Georgia's UGA Alert system sent a Severe Thunderstorm Warning to the Athens Campus community at 1:23 PM EDT](https://www.redandblack.com/uganews/severe-thunderstorm-warning-issued-by-uga/article_bea855ef-3d4b-4e18-b2d3-31d41da133f7.html), warning of wind gusts up to 60 mph with expected damage to roofs, siding, and trees. The alert instructed everyone to move to an interior room on the lowest floor. The Red & Black separately reported that, under the new warning system, faculty and supervisors are asked to work with students and employees who miss instruction or work time due to a severe weather warning. This alert was notable as part of a [new pilot program launched by the UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness in March 2025](https://www.redandblack.com/uganews/updates-made-to-uga-weather-warning-system/article_743e348f-325a-46eb-9765-cdbe020ec42a.html) to send automated severe thunderstorm warnings through UGA Alert. The broader storm system caused significant damage across North Georgia, with [Atlanta News First reporting an EF-1 tornado confirmed in Henry County and more than 7,000 Georgia Power customers losing power](https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/03/31/live-updates-storms-set-roll-through-thunderstorm-watch-issued-northwest-georgia/).", "keyFindings": [ "This was among the first automated severe thunderstorm warnings sent through UGA Alert's new pilot system launched in March 2025", "The warning was in effect for 52 minutes, from 1:23 PM EDT on March 31, 2025 to 2:15 PM EDT", "Per Red & Black reporting on the warning system, faculty and supervisors are asked to work with students and employees who miss instruction or work time due to a severe weather warning", "The broader storm system produced an EF-1 tornado in Henry County and knocked out power to over 7,000 customers" ], "sources": [ { "title": "Severe thunderstorm warning issued by UGA (Red and Black)", "url": "https://www.redandblack.com/uganews/severe-thunderstorm-warning-issued-by-uga/article_bea855ef-3d4b-4e18-b2d3-31d41da133f7.html", "type": "student-newspaper" }, { "title": "Updates made to UGA weather warning system (Red and Black)", "url": "https://www.redandblack.com/uganews/updates-made-to-uga-weather-warning-system/article_743e348f-325a-46eb-9765-cdbe020ec42a.html", "type": "student-newspaper" }, { "title": "Severe weather threat ends, leaving behind damage across north Georgia (Atlanta News First)", "url": "https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/03/31/live-updates-storms-set-roll-through-thunderstorm-watch-issued-northwest-georgia/", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "UGA Alert system information (UGA Emergency Preparedness)", "url": "https://prepare.uga.edu/campus-emergencies/uga-alert/", "type": "official-archive" } ], "confidence": "high", "tags": [ "severe-storm", "thunderstorm-warning", "georgia", "athens", "pilot-program", "automated-alert", "wind-damage", "ef-1-tornado-nearby" ], "dateAdded": "2026-05-03", "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16", "addedBy": "ingestion" }