Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Atlanta, GA

April 25, 1988Lamar County, Upson County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 25, 1988, 6:06 PM EDT for Lamar County, Upson County, Georgia. It was in force for 24 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: Apr 25, 1988, 6:06 PM EDT (22:06 UTC)
Expired: Apr 25, 1988, 6:30 PM EDT
In force: 24 min
Issued by: NWS Atlanta, GA
Area: Whole counties

Counties Lamar County, GA, Upson 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
Apr 25, 6:10 PM EDT	Hail 1	Lamar, GA
Apr 25, 6:12 PM EDT	Hail 1	Upson, 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

Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 278 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1827 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 65 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 88 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 437 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KATL 252207
SVRATL
GAC171-293-252230-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
606 PM EDT MON APR 25 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ATLANTA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  630 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN CENTRAL GEORGIA
          ...UPSON...LAMAR

AT 605 PM EDT RADAR WAS INDICATING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM FROM NEAR
THOMASTON TO SOUTHERN LAMAR COUNTY SOUTH OF BARNESVILLE. MOVEMENT WAS
TO THE EAST AT ABOUT 50 MPH. LARGE HAIL IS INDICATED WITH THIS STORM.
THOMASTON POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTED GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AT 6 PM EDT.

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 25, 5:29 PM EDT, 37 minutes before

STORM REPORT...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA, GA
530 PM EDT MON APR 25 1988

3/4 INCH DIAMETER HAIL REPORTED I-20 WEST AND THORNTON RD AT 525 PM.
1/4 INCH -1/2 INCH HAIL IN COBB COUNTY AT 520 PM.
GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN LAGRANGE AT 525 PM EDT.

Local storm report, Apr 25, 5:36 PM EDT, 30 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
530 PM EDT MON APR 25 1988

COUNTY........ MORGAN

SOURCE........ PUBLIC

TIME.......... 445 PM EDT

LOCATION...... 10 MILES WEST OF MADISON GEORGIA

TYPE STORM.... SVR TSTM

HAIL.......... ONE INCH

DAMAGE........ NONE

INJURIES...... NONE

WARNING....... SVR TSTM WARNING IN EFFECT

Special weather statement, Apr 25, 5:37 PM EDT, 29 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
535 PM EDT MON APR 25 1988

...TORNADO WATCH 84 AND 85 COVERS MUCH OF GEORGIA INCLUDING ALL OF
THE CENTRAL COUNTIES UNTIL 800 PM.

AT 530 PM THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR MONROE COUNTY EXPIRED.
THE FORSYTH STATE PATROL REPORTED MARBLE SIZE HAIL IN FORSYTH AT 515.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE BETWEEN FORSYTH AND MACON ALONG THE
BIBB AND MONROE COUNTY LINE. ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE WEAKENED THEY ARE STILL
STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...AND HEAVY RAINS.

PEOPLE IN THE AREA OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT UNTIL
THEY MOVE OUT OF THE AREA. MOTORISTS SHOULD AVOID DRIVING THROUGH
WATER STANDING ON ROADWAYS FROM HEAVY RAINS.

Local storm report, Apr 25, 5:40 PM EDT, 26 minutes before

STORM REPORT...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA, GA
539 PM EDT MON APR 25 1988

1 1/4 INCH DIA HAIL REPORTED IN SOUTHEAST ATLANTA BY NWS EMPLOYEE
AT 535 PM.
TENNIS BALL SIZE HAIL NEAR THORNTON RD JUST INSIDE DOUGLAS COUNTY
AT 527 PM.
3/8 IN DIA HAIL AT FULTON COUNTY AIRPORT I-20 WEST AT 520 PM EDT.

Local storm report, Apr 25, 6:00 PM EDT, 6 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA, GA
600 PM EDT MON APR 25 1988

GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN THOMASTON BY UPSON COUNTY SHERIFF
DEPT. AT 6 PM EDT.

Special weather statement, Apr 25, 6:04 PM EDT, 2 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
6 PM EDT MON APR 25 1988

VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN NEWTON WALTON AND MORGAN COUNTIES AT
6PM EDT MOVING EASTWARD AT 60MPH..

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 83 AND TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 84
IN EFFECT UNTIL 9PM EDT...TORNADO WATCH 85 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM EDT.
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.

LISTEN TO YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO STATION FOR
THE LATEST WEATHER WARNINGS..

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 25, 3:05 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Carroll, Douglas	25 min
Apr 25, 3:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bibb, Monroe	53 min
Apr 25, 3:17 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Carroll, Coweta, Fulton	43 min
Apr 25, 3:38 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Clayton, Fayette	37 min
Apr 25, 3:55 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Carroll	35 min
Apr 25, 3:59 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Carroll	31 min
Apr 25, 4:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Henry, Rockdale	23 min
Apr 25, 4:09 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Morgan, Newton, Walton	66 min
Apr 25, 4:17 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Coweta, Fayette, Fulton	33 min
Apr 25, 4:50 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Haralson, Paulding, Polk	25 min
Apr 25, 4:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Lamar, Upson	25 min
Apr 25, 4:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Monroe	33 min
Apr 25, 5:10 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Meriwether, Troup	30 min
Apr 25, 5:10 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Heard	30 min
Apr 25, 5:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Cobb, Douglas, Fulton	27 min
Apr 25, 5:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	DeKalb	27 min
Apr 25, 5:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Clayton, DeKalb, Henry, Rockdale	30 min
Apr 25, 5:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Emanuel	65 min
Apr 25, 5:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Meriwether, Pike, Upson	28 min
Apr 25, 6:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bibb, Monroe	64 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 1988 Every 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.