Campus Alert Archive
UGA

60 MPH Gusts Prompt First Automated Severe Thunderstorm Warning Through UGA Alert's New Pilot System

GAsevere stormemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

On March 31, 2025, UGA Alert issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning at 1:23 PM EDT 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 that swept across North Georgia, leaving damage and power outages in its wake, including a confirmed EF-1 tornado in Henry County.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Georgia
Public R1 · GA
~40,000 studentsUGA Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimRed & Black student newspaper coverage of the March 31, 2025 UGA Alert (article quotes the alert text directly)366 chars
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.
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
ALL CLEAREmail+52 min
Approximate reconstruction187 chars
UGA Alert Athens Campus: The Severe Thunderstorm Warning has expired. Normal campus operations may resume. Continue to stay weather-aware as additional storms are possible this afternoon.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed based on the reported warning expiration time of 2:15 PM EDT
The broader storm system continued to affect North Georgia throughout the afternoon with additional tornado and thunderstorm warnings
Context

Background

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, warning of wind gusts up to 60 mph with expected damage to roofs, siding, and trees. The alert instructed everyone to seek shelter indoors and away from windows, and asked faculty and supervisors to accommodate students and employees who missed time due to the warning. This alert was notable as part of a new pilot program launched by the UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness in March 2025 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.
Analysis

Key Findings

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 to 2:15 PM EDT
The alert included a directive for faculty and supervisors to work with students and employees who missed time
The broader storm system produced an EF-1 tornado in Henry County and knocked out power to over 7,000 customers
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.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Severe thunderstorm warning issued by UGA (Red and Black)
    redandblack.com
  2. Student Paper
    Updates made to UGA weather warning system (Red and Black)
    redandblack.com
  3. News
    Severe weather threat ends, leaving behind damage across north Georgia (Atlanta News First)
    atlantanewsfirst.com
  4. Official
    UGA Alert system information (UGA Emergency Preparedness)
    prepare.uga.edu
Tags
severe-stormthunderstorm-warninggeorgiaathenspilot-programautomated-alertwind-damageef-1-tornado-nearby
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion