Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 18, NWS Atlanta, GA

April 11, 1988Burke County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 11, 1988, 8:16 PM EDT for Burke County, Georgia. It was in force for 44 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 11, 1988, 8:16 PM EDT (00:16 UTC)
Expired
Apr 11, 1988, 9:00 PM EDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Burke County, GA

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Athens Municipal, GA (KAHN), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 156 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 1988-04-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 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 1988-04-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 96 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-16 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
595 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
96 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
73 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 KAGS 120017
SVRAGS
GAC033-120100-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUGUSTA GA
816 PM EDT MON APR 11 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUGUSTA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA
          ...WESTERN BURKE
 
WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT 810 PM WAS DETECTING AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM
IN WESTERN BURKE COUNTY GEORGIA...IN THE VICINITY OF VIDETTE. THIS
STORM IS MOVING TO THE NORTH AT ABOUT 15 MPH. PUBLIC REPORTS OF HAIL
HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED BY BURKE COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT.
 
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
 
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 YOUR 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

Local storm report, Apr 11, 5:10 PM EDT, 3 hours 6 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
508 PM EDT MON APR 11 1988

COUNTY..... MONROE
SOURCE..... MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF DEPT.
TIME......  300 PM EDT
LOCATION... NEAR FORSYTH IN MONROE COUNTY
TYPE STORM. THUNDERSTORM
WIDTH...... N/A
LENGTH..... N/A
HAIL....... QUARTER SIZE
DAMAGE..... UNKNOWN
TREES...... UNKNOWN
INJURES.... UNKNOWN
COST....... UNKNOWN
WATCHES.... WW 56 AND WW 57
WARNINGS... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR MONROE COUNTY IN EFFECT
            FROM 230 PM EDT TIL 330 PM EDT.
Special weather statement, Apr 11, 5:18 PM EDT, 2 hours 58 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
518 PM EDT MON APR 11 1988

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL GA...

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHS UNTIL 600 PM EDT MONDAY EVENING
   FOR A LARGE PART OF GEORGIA...

AT 510 PM RADAR LOCATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO
EAST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE EAST OF JEFFERSONVILLE ON THE WILKINSON COUNTY
LINE AND NORTHEAST OF DUBLIN IN LAURENS COUNTY.  THEY WERE MOVING
NORTHEAST 25 MILES AN HOUR.
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING AND DEVELOPING OVER CENTRAL
AND EAST CENTRAL GA DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS.  FLOODING MAY BECOME A
PROBLEM NEAR SLOW MOVING HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS.
DRIVERS SLOW DOWN AND DRIVE CAREFULLY WHEN NEAR THUNDERSTORMS. PEOPLE IN
THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA REMAIN ALERT TO CURRENT WEATHER AND
LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.
MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO SLOW DOWN AND DRIVE CAREFULLY WHEN IN THE
VICINITY OF THUNDERSTORMS.

PERSONS WITHIN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT
TO CURRENT WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN TO RADIO...TELEVISION...AND
NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Apr 11, 5:23 PM EDT, 2 hours 53 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
518 PM EDT MON APR 11 1988

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL GA...

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHS UNTIL 600 PM EDT MONDAY EVENING
   FOR A LARGE PART OF GEORGIA...

AT 510 PM RADAR LOCATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO
EAST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE EAST OF JEFFERSONVILLE ON THE WILKINSON COUNTY
LINE AND NORTHEAST OF DUBLIN IN LAURENS COUNTY.  THEY WERE MOVING
NORTHEAST 25 MILES AN HOUR.
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING AND DEVELOPING OVER CENTRAL
AND EAST CENTRAL GA DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS.  FLOODING MAY BECOME A
PROBLEM NEAR SLOW MOVING HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS.
DRIVERS SLOW DOWN AND DRIVE CAREFULLY WHEN NEAR THUNDERSTORMS. PEOPLE IN
THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA REMAIN ALERT TO CURRENT WEATHER AND
LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Apr 11, 6:14 PM EDT, 2 hours 2 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
600 PM EDT MON APRIL 11 1988

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 57 HAS EXPIRED AND IS NO LONGER
IN EFFECT.

ATHENS RADAR INDICATED RAIN AND A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER
NORTHEAST AND CENTRAL GEORGIA.  IN NORTHEAT GEORGIA, STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER WALTON, OCONEE, AND OGLETHORPE COUNTIES.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH AT 15 MILES AN HOUR
AND WILL BE MOVING INTO THE ATHENS AREA DURING THE NEXT HOUR.
Special weather statement, Apr 11, 6:35 PM EDT, 1 hour 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
635 PM EDT MON APR 11 1988

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBERS 56 AND 57 EXPIRED AT 6 PM EDT.

RAINFALL DURING THE AFTERNOON HAS COOLED THE AIR THUS REDUCING
THE POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING.

AT 630 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN ATLANTA WAS
SHOWING NUMEROUS SHOWERS OVER NORTHWEST GEORGIA. SOME APPEARED
TO BE PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. HEAVIEST RAIN WAS OCCURRING
ALONG THE GEORGIA/ALABAMA BORDER SOUTHWEST OF ATLANTA FROM NEAR
LA GRANGE TO NEAR CARROLLTON.

SHOWERS WERE MOVING NORTH AT AROUND 15 MPH.
Special weather statement, Apr 11, 7:26 PM EDT, 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
725 PM EDT MON APR 11 1988

...THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY RAINSHOWERS MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL GEORGIA...

AT 715 PM RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS FROM WEST OF FORT VALLEY IN PEACH
COUNTY TO EASTERN PULASKI COUNTY. THEY WERE MOVING NORTH 20 MILES AN
HOUR.

NUMEROUS HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS SPREAD ACROSS THE CENTRAL ONE-THIRD OF THE
STATE WITH THE HEAVIEST RAIN IN A BROAD BAND FROM NORTH OF COLUMBUS TO
ATLANTA TO ATHENS AND TO STATESBORO.

THESE HEAVY SHOWERS COVERED A BROAD AREA AND WERE MOVING NORTH 10 MILES
AN HOUR SO WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF LOW AREAS NEAR UNDERPASSES AND HILLS.
DRIVERS SHOULD NOT TRY CROSSING ROADS THAT ARE UNDER WATER.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR TO TV AND OTHER RADIO STATIONS FOR
THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.