Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 101, NWS Atlanta, GA
NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 18, 1988, 5:37 PM EDT for Barrow County, Walton County, Georgia. It was in force for 38 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Jun 18, 1988, 5:37 PM EDT (21:37 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 18, 1988, 6:15 PM EDT
- In force
- 38 min
- Issued by
- NWS Atlanta, GA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Barrow County, GA, Walton County, GA
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 5:50 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Walton, GA | |
| Jun 18, 5:55 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Barrow, GA |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.
The nearest sounding before it
Athens Municipal, GA (KAHN), launched 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 40 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 309 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -168 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1391 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 14 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 50 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 44 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KAHN 182138
SVRAHN
GAC013-297-182215-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
537 PM EDT SAT JUN 18 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ATHENS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 615 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA
...BARROW...WALTON
AT 535 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ON THE BARROW
AND WALTON COUNTIES BORDER. THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING TO THE
NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVES TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jun 18, 2:13 PM EDT, 3 hours 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA 210 PM EDT SAT JUN 18 1988 THUNDERSTORMS ARE BEGINNING TO DEVELOP OVER NORTHEAST GEORGIA. WITH ABUNDANCE OF HEAT THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE RAPIDLY WITH SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING STRONG SURFACE WINDS...HEAVY DOWNPOURS...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTING AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL. AT 2PM EDT THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE CONFINED TO THE NORTH SECTIONS OF NORTHEAST...NORTH OF A LINE FROM TOCCOA TO GAINSVILLE. HOWEVER... THE STORMS WILL GRADUALLY MOVE SOUTH DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. PEOPLE IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THE STORMS AND SEEK SAFE SHELTER AS THEY MOVE INTO THEIR AREA. BOATERS ON NORTHEAST GEORGIA LAKES SHOULD MAINTAIN A CLOSE WATCH AND SEEK SAFE HARBOR WELL AHEAD OF THE APPROACH OF THESE STORMS.
Special weather statement, Jun 18, 3:37 PM EDT, 2 hours before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA 335 PM EDT SAT JUN 18 1988 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 230 IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA...BANKS...FRANKLIN...HABERSHAM...HALL...LUMPKIN... RABUN...STEPHENS...TOWNS...UNION AND WHITE. THIS INCLUDES THE CITES OF TOCCOA...CORNELIA AND GAINSVILLE. AT 335 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTH GEORGIA...WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND EAST TENNESSEE. THE THUNDERSTORMS IN GEORGIA WERE MAIN TO THE NORTH OF A LINE FROM CARROLLTON TO TOCCOA. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP OVER CENTRAL GEORGIA. MOVEMENT NORTHEAST 20 MILES AN HOUR.
Local storm report, Jun 18, 4:05 PM EDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
405 PM EDT SAT JUN 18 1988
COUNTY........ UNION COUNTY GEORGIA
SOURCE........ CD OFFICE BLAIRSVILLE GEORGIA
TIME.......... 310-330 PM EDT...1910-1930Z
LOCATION...... BLAIRSVILLE GEORGIA
TYPE STORM.... THUNDERSTORM WITH WINDS ESTIMATED 40 PLUS
HAIL.......... NICKLE SIZE
DAMAGE........ NONE REPORTED
INJURIES...... NONE REPORTED
WARNING....... SEVERE TSTM VALID 300-345 PM EDT...1900-1945Z
]Special weather statement, Jun 18, 4:46 PM EDT, 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA 445 PM EDT SAT JUN 18 1988 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 230 IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA...BANKS...FRANKLIN...HABERSHAM...HALL...LUMPKIN... RABUN...STEPHENS...TOWNS...UNION AND WHITE. THIS INCLUDES THE CITES OF TOCCOA...CORNELIA AND GAINSVILLE. AT 435 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTH GEORGIA..SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE..WESTERN NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. IN NORTH GEORGIA THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED NEAR ROSWELL ..CLUSTERS OF STRONG' THUNDERSTORMS WERE BETWEEN ROME AND MADISON. MARBLE SIZE HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED IN FORSYTH COUNTY IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA DURING THE PAST HOUR. MOVEMENT NORTHEAST 20 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jun 18, 5:32 PM EDT, 5 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA 530 PM EDT SAT JUN 18 1988 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 230 IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING. AT 530 PM EDT...RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FORMING OVER OGLETHORPE..OCONEE..BARROW AND WALTON COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND MNAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL.
Local storm report, Jun 18, 5:36 PM EDT, 1 minute before
LOCAL STORM REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA 535 PM EDT SAT JUN 18 1988 COUNTY........ BARTOW COUNTY GEORGIA SOURCE........ STATE PATROL OFFICE CARTERSVILLE GEORGIA TIME.......... 430 PM EDT...2030Z LOCATION...... CASTLE ROAD NORTH OF CARTERSVILLE TYPE STORM.... TREES DOWN ACROSS THE ROAD HAIL.......... 1/4 INCH DAMAGE........ NONE REPORTED INJURIES...... NONE REPORTED WARNING....... SEVERE TSTM VALID 351-500 PM EDTR...1951-2100Z
The office that day
Everything else NWS Atlanta, GA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 3:01 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Union | 44 min |
| Jun 18, 3:51 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Bartow | 69 min |
| Jun 18, 4:34 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Gwinnett | 41 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 1988Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1988
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.