Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 149, NWS Atlanta, GA

July 9, 1988Hart County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 9, 1988, 8:34 PM EDT for Hart County, Georgia. It was in force for 56 min. 1 report 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
Jul 9, 1988, 8:34 PM EDT (00:34 UTC)
Expired
Jul 9, 1988, 9:30 PM EDT
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Hart 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
Jul 9, 8:59 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Hart, 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, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 54 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 1988-07-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 523 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 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 1988-07-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 114 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 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
523 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-66 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2038 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
114 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
102 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 KAHN 100034
SVRAHN
GAC147-100130-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
834 PM EDT  JUL 9 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ATHENS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  930 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA
          ...HART
 
AT 830 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM EAST OF HARTWELL
GEORGIA NEAR LAKE HARTWELL. LITTLE MOVEMENT WAS INDICATED.
 
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

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

Local storm report, Jul 9, 6:29 PM EDT, 2 hours 5 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
625 PM EDT SAT JUL 9 1988

COUNTY........ HABERSHAM

SOURCE........ HABERSHAM CIVIL DEFENSE OFFICE

TIME.......... 558 PM EDT

LOCATION...... TALLULAH FALLS

TYPE STORM.... THUNDERSTORM

HAIL.......... NONE

DAMAGE........ SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN

INJURIES...... NONE

WARNING....... SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT ISSUED AT 525 PM EDT FOR THIS STORM                                             v                    ]
Special weather statement, Jul 9, 7:16 PM EDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
715 PM EDT SAT JUL 9 1988

...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN PARTS OF NORTHWEST GEORGIA...

ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED IN THE LATE AFTERNOON HEAT
ACROSS NORTHWEST GEORGIA. AT 710 PM RADAR SHOWED A FEW STORMS
BETWEEN THE ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND BUFORD IN GWINNETT
COUNTY...AND BETWEEN MARIETTA AND CHATTANOOGA. THE STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORM WAS NEAR STONE MOUNTAIN.

SINCE THESE STORMS WERE MOVING VERY SLOWLY...SMALL AREAS MAY RECEIVE
HEAVY RAINFALL FOR UP TO AN HOUR. BRIEF LOCALIZED STREET FLOODING
IS POSSIBLE WHERE STORMS OCCUR. IN ADDITION FREQUENT STROKES OF CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG WITH GUSTY WINDS.

PEOPLE IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY
OF SUDDEN CHANGES IN THE WEATHER. A STRONG THUNDERSTORM COULD
DEVELOP RAPIDLY AT ANY LOCATION. THOSE PLANNING EVENING ACTIVITIES
OUTDOORS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY.
Special weather statement, Jul 9, 7:27 PM EDT, 1 hour 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
725 PM EDT SAT JULY 9 1988

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED AT 604 PM EDT FOR WALTON
COUNTY IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA HAS EXPIRED...

HOWEVER SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER NORTHEAST GEORGIA WITH
THE STRONGEST LOCATED JUST NORTHEAST OF ATHENS.

PERSONS IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA SHOULD EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS TO CONTINUE
TO AFTER SUNSET AND POSSIBLY FOR A LITTLE WHILE LONGER BEFORE DECREASING.
Special weather statement, Jul 9, 7:53 PM EDT, 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
745 PM EDT SAT JULY 9 1988

SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER NORTH GEORGIA AND
THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHWEST SOUTH CAROLINA.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE EAST OF ATLANTA AND SOUTH OF
GAINESVILLE AND NORTH OF ROME GEORGIA. MOVEMENT SOUTH AT 5 MILES
AN HOUR.

PERSONS IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA SHOULD EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS TO CONTINUE
TO AFTER SUNSET AND POSSIBLY FOR A LITTLE WHILE LONGER BEFORE DECREASING.

IN THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORM HEAVY RAIN..STRONG GUSTY WINDS..
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED.
Local storm report, Jul 9, 8:02 PM EDT, 32 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
800 PM EDT SAT JUL 9 1988

COUNTY........ WALTON

SOURCE........ WALTON COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE

TIME.......... 622 PM EDT

LOCATION...... NORTH OF SOCIAL CIRCLE

TYPE STORM.... THUNDERSTORM

HAIL.......... NONE

DAMAGE........ REPORTS TREES DOWN

INJURIES...... NONE

WARNING....... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 604 TO 700 PM EDT
Local storm report, Jul 9, 8:06 PM EDT, 28 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
805 PM EDT SAT JUL 9 1988

COUNTY........ MADISON

SOURCE........ PUBLIC

TIME.......... 630 TO 700 PM EDT

LOCATION...... HULL ( 6 MILES NORTH OF ATHENS GEORGIA)

TYPE STORM.... THUNDERSTORM

HAIL.......... MARBLE SIZE

DAMAGE........ REPORTS TREES DOWN

INJURIES...... NONE

WARNING....... NONE ..SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

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.