Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 82, NWS Atlanta, GA

June 8, 1988Wilkinson County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 8, 1988, 5:07 PM EDT for Wilkinson County, Georgia. It was in force for 68 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
Jun 8, 1988, 5:07 PM EDT (21:07 UTC)
Expired
Jun 8, 1988, 6:15 PM EDT
In force
68 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Wilkinson 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 8, 5:15 PM EDTHail 1Wilkinson, 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, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 128 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 12:00Z on 1988-06-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 474 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 12:00Z on 1988-06-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -5 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
474 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-155 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1271 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
15 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 082105
SVRMCN
GAC319-082215-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
507 PM EDT WED JUN 8 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MACON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  615 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN CENTRAL GEORGIA
          ...WILKINSON
 
AT 503 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN WILKINSON
COUNTY NEAR THE TOWN OF GORDON. MOVMEMENT WAS SLOWLY TO THE SOUTH.
 
 
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 MOVE 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 8, 12:26 PM EDT, 4 hours 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
1227 PM EST WED JUN 8 1988

   ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED IN CENTRAL GEORGIA...

AT 1220 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SEVERAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
DEVELOPED RAPIDLY IN SOUTH CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA.
THE STRONGEST WERE FROM SOUTH OF EASTMAN IN DODGE COUNTY TO
JUST NORTH OF MT. VERNON IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST 10 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARzE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS..
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..HEAVY RAINFALL AND HAIL.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A
SAFE PLACE IF NECESSARY.
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 2:11 PM EDT, 2 hours 56 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
210 PM EST WED JUN 8 1988

AT 200 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SEVERAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
CONTINUED MOVING NORTHEASTWARD 15 MILES AN HOUR THROUGH DODGE..
LAURENS..DOOLY..PULASKI..WHEELER..TELFAIR..AND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE IN A NARROW BAND FROM SOUTH OF HAWKINSVILLE
IN PULASKI COUNTY TO EASTMAN IN DODGE COUNTY TO DUBLIN IN LAURENS
COUNTY.

SMALL HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WIND HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH A FEW OF THESE
STORMS. BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WILL ACCOMPANY
THESE THUNDERSTORMS AS THEY CONTINUE MOVING NORTHEAST DURING THE NEXT
FEW HOURS.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A
SAFE PLACE IF NECESSARY.
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 4:06 PM EDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
305 PM EDT WED JUN 8 1988

AT 300 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SEVERAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL GEORGIA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED
FROM JUST EAST OF VIENNA GEORGIA IN DOOLY COUNTY AND EXTENDED
NORTHEAST TO NEAR HAWKINSVILLE IN PULASKI COUNTY. MOVEMENT WAS
TO THE EAST AT 10 MPH.

HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WIND HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH A FEW OF THESE
STORMS. BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WILL ACCOMPANY
THESE THUNDERSTORMS AS THEY CONTINUE MOVING EAST DURING THE NEXT
FEW HOURS.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO AT
SAFE PLACE IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 4:10 PM EDT, 57 minutes before
TTAA0S KATL 082010
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
410 PM EDT WED JUN 8 1988

A FEW WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED IN NORTH GEORGIA
THIS AFTERNOON. MOST WERE IN A BAND THAT STREACHED FROM WEST OF
COLUMBUS IN ABABAMA TO JUST SOUTH OF GRIFFIN IN SPALDING COUNTY.

AT 405 PM...THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 12 MILES EAST OF
LAGRANGE IN WESTERN MERIWETHER COUNTY. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING
VERY SLOWLY TO THE EAST.

WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING ACROSS
NORTH GEORGIA. ALTHOUGH SOME SPOTS MAY RECEIVE PERIODS OF HEAVY
RAIN FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS...MOST AREAS WILL RECEVE NONE.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALL PRODUCE GUSTY WINDSY...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
AND POSSIBLE SOME HAIL BESIDES THE HEAVY RAIN.
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 4:38 PM EDT, 29 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
437  PM WED JUNE 8, 1988

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE OCCURING OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA
THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS. MAINLY SOUTH OF I85 .

THE STRONGER OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...
AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS.

SEVERE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL ALSO BE OCCURING.

PERSONS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER AS THESE STORMS FORM IN THEIR AREA.

DO NOT TRY TO SECOND GUESS WHERE THE LIGHTNING IS GOING TO STRIKE
OR WHERE THE HAIL AND WIND WILL OCCUR...JUST SEEK SHELTER FROM THE
ELEMENTS.

...STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO ARE THE RADIO STATION YOU ARE
NOW LISTENING TO FOR FUTHER STATEMENTS...

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 8, 5:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCRichmond26 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.