Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 124, NWS Atlanta, GA

June 25, 1988Baldwin County, Jones County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 25, 1988, 9:23 PM EDT for Baldwin County, Jones County, Georgia. It was in force for 52 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 25, 1988, 9:23 PM EDT (01:23 UTC)
Expired
Jun 25, 1988, 10:15 PM EDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Baldwin County, GA, Jones 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 25, 9:45 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Baldwin, GA
Jun 25, 10:05 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Jones, 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 00:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 101 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Athens Municipal, GA at 00:00Z on 1988-06-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1135 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Athens Municipal, GA at 00:00Z on 1988-06-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 18 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1135 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1239 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
18 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
14 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KMCN 260124
SVRMCN
GAC009-169-260215-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
923 PM EDT  JUN 25 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MACON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1015 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN CENTRAL GEORGIA
          ...BALDWIN...JONES
 
AT 915 PM EDT RADAR AT MACON SHOWED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHERN
JASPER COUNTY MOVING SOUTH 20 MILES AN HOUR TOWARDD MILLEDGEVILLE IN
BALDWIN COUNTY AND HADDOCK IN JONES COUNTY. THESE STORMS COULD
PRODUCE WIND GUSTS OVER 55 MILES AN HOUR AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING ALONG WITH BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN. THEY WILL BE MOVING
ACROSS HADDOCK AND MILLEDGEVILLE IN 20 MINUTES OR LESS.
 
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YO?UR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

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 25, 7:30 PM EDT, 1 hour 53 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
727 PM EDT SAT JUNE 25 1988

AT 725 PM EDT...A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS INDICATED OVER
NORTHEAST GEORGIA.  THIS LINE OF STORMS EXTENDED EAST FROM HALL COUNTY
...ACROSS JACKSON AND MADISON COUNTIES INTO ELBERT COUNTY.  THESE STORMS
WERE MOVING SOUTH AT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL BE MOVING ACROSS BARROW...
CLARK...OCCONEE AND OGLETHORPE COUNTIES DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY SURFACE WINDS...HEAVY DOWNPOURS...
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTING AND SMALL HAIL.
Local storm report, Jun 25, 8:15 PM EDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE ATLANTA GA
815 PM EDT SAT JUN 25 1988

REPORTS ON THUNDERSTORMS THAT OCCURRED IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA
THIS AFTERNOON...

HEARD COUNTY...........FRANKLIN POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTED TREES
                       DOWN AND ONE LIGHTNING FATALITY AROUND
                       510 PM EDT.

IN MERIWETHER COUNTY...WOODBURY POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTED POWER
                       LINES DOWN IN THE COMMUNITY OF GAY AROUND
                       534 PM EDT.

IN COWETA COUNTY.......COWETA SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTED TREES
                       DOWN MAINLY IN THE NORTHERN END OF THE
                       COUNTY BETWEEN 630 PM AND 700 PM EDT.
Local storm report, Jun 25, 8:24 PM EDT, 59 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
820 PM SAT JUN 25 1988

COUNTY........ CLARKE

SOURCE........ JACKSON EMC...AMATURE RADIO OPERATOR

TIME.......... 1935-2015 EDT SAT JUNE 25 1988

LOCATION...... ATHENS GEORGIA

TYPE STORM.... THUNDERSTORM

HAIL.......... PEA SIZE

DAMAGE........ SEVERAL LARGE TREES DOWN SOME ON CARS...POWER LINES DOWN.

INJURIES...... NONE REPORTED

WARNING....... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1935-2035 EDT.
                                               ]
Special weather statement, Jun 25, 8:32 PM EDT, 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
832 PM EDT FRI JUN 24 1988

AT 825 PM MACON RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN NORTH BLECKLEY
COUNTY 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF COCHRAN. IT WAS NEARLY STATIONARY AND
BEGINNING TO DECREASE IN STRENGTH.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE NORTH OF THE CENTRAL GEORGIA COUNTIES
OF JASPER AND PUTNAM BUT THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST 20 MILES
AN HOUR AND WILL BE IN JASPER AND PUTNAM COUNTIES IN TEN MINUTES AND
APPROACH MONTICELLO AND EATONTON IN 30 MINUTES.

VERY STRONG GUSTY WIND HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH THE STORMS NORTH OF
PUTNAM COUNTY.

STAY AWARE OF APPROACHING THUNDERSTORMS AND LISTEN TO NOAA  WEATHER
RADIO OR OTHER RADIOS FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS ABOUT THESE STORMS.
Special weather statement, Jun 25, 9:03 PM EDT, 20 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
905 PM EDT SAT JUNE 25 1988

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR OCONEE AND GREENE COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST
GEORGIA HAVE BEEN CANCELLED.

THUNDERSTORM$S CONTINUE ACROSS TALIAFERRO...GREENE...MORGAN AND NEWTON
COUNTIES...HOWEVER THE INTENSITY OF THE STORMS HAVE DECREASED.

THESE STORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE TO THE SOUTH AT 15 MILES AN HOUR AND ARE
SLOWLY WEAKENING.
Local storm report, Jun 25, 9:19 PM EDT, 4 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
920 PM SAT JUN 25 1988

COUNTY........ OCONEE OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA

SOURCE........ OCONEE COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE

TIME.......... 2015-2030 EDT SAT JUNE 25 1988

LOCATION...... WATKINSVILLE GEORGIA...8 SSW AHN

TYPE STORM.... THUNDERSTORM

HAIL.......... NONE REPORTED

DAMAGE........ SEVERAL LARGE TREES DOWN.

INJURIES...... NONE REPORTED

WARNING....... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IN EF;FECT FROM 2015-2115 EDT.
                                               ]

The office that day

Everything else NWS Atlanta, GA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 25, 8:07 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBleckley68 min
Jun 25, 8:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGreene, Oconee48 min
Jun 25, 8:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCFulton46 min
Jun 25, 9:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDeKalb, Fulton47 min
Jun 26, 3:21 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBleckley69 min
Jun 26, 3:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCobb, Douglas31 min
Jun 26, 3:48 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCDooly27 min
Jun 26, 4:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGlascock, Warren41 min
Jun 26, 4:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCTroup54 min
Jun 26, 4:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCLaurens68 min
Jun 26, 5:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJohnson54 min
Jun 26, 6:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJones62 min
Jun 26, 6:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCScreven50 min
Jun 26, 7:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMonroe57 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.