Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 87, NWS Atlanta, GA

June 9, 1988Crisp County, Dooly County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 9, 1988, 6:43 PM EDT for Crisp County, Dooly County, Georgia. It was in force for 47 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 9, 1988, 6:43 PM EDT (22:43 UTC)
Expired
Jun 9, 1988, 7:30 PM EDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Crisp County, GA, Dooly 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 9, 6:50 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Dooly, GA
Jun 9, 7:00 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Crisp, 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, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 217 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 1988-06-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 49 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 1988-06-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 3 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
49 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-207 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1690 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
41 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 092244
SVRMCN
GAC081-093-092330-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
643 PM EDT THU JUN 9 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MACON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN CENTRAL GEORGIA
          ...CRISP...DOOLY
 
AT 640 PM WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WEST OF VIENNA
GEORGIA AND JUST WEST OF CORDELE GEORGIA. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 30 MPH.
 
 
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 9, 4:58 PM EDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AMD RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
455 PM EDT THU JUN 9 1988

A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED NEAR SOCIAL CIRCLE IN EXTREME
SOUTHERN WALTON COUNTY AND WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 35 MPH.

THIS VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL BE MOVING ACROSS SOUTHERN WALTON
COUNTY AND MORGAN COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE VICINITY OF THIS VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM SHOULD BE ALERT
FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE
SMALL HAIL.

ELSEWHERE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW STRONG WERE INDICATED OVER NORTH
GEORGIA EXTENDING INTO ADJACENT AREAS OF EAST ALABAMA...NORTHWEST SOUTH
CAROLINA. AND NORTH TO NEAR SHELBY A	ND CHARLOTTE NORTH CAROLINA.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 35 MPH.
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 4:59 PM EDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
500 PM EDT THU JUN 9 1988

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PORTION OF
   CENTRAL AND SOUTH GEORGIA AND PARTS OF ALABAMA UNTIL 10 PM...

IN THE ATLANTA METROPOLITAN AREA...THE WATCH INCLUDES
THE COUNTIES OF FULTON...CLAYTON...DEKALB...DOUGLAS...FAYETTE...
COWETA...CARROLL...ROCKDALE...AND HENRY COUNTIES.

AT 455 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING FROM JUST SOUTH OF ATLANTA NEAR JONESBORO EAST ACROSS
HENRY COUNTY TO NEAR COVINGTON AND LAKE JACKSON.  BRIEF HEAVY RAINS
ALONG WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THESE STORMS AS THEY
MOVE EAST AT 40 MPH.  DANGEROU
S LIGHTNING WILL ALSO OCCUR.

PEOPLE TO THE EAST AND SOUTH OF THE METRO ATLANTA AREA SHOULD BE ALERT
AND TAKE PRECAUTIONS AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ON TO THE EAST.
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 5:00 PM EDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
500 PM EDT JUNE 9 1988

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN PORTIONS
OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA UNTIL 10 PM EDT...

AT 450 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN NORTHEAST
GEORGIA JUST EAST OF SOCIAL CIRCLE. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT NEAR
35 MILES AN HOUR.

PERSONS IN SOUTHERN WALTON AND MORGAN COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA
SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR THE NEXT HOUR AS THIS STROM MOVE THROUGH.

DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...GUSTY SURFACE WINDS AND
POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 5:02 PM EDT, 1 hour 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
502 PM EDT THU JUNE 9 1988

...THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 211 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM...

WEATHER RADAR LOCATED IN COLUMBUS GA WAS TRACKING A FEW VERY STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS FROM AROUND LANETT AL. TO NEAR HURTSBORO AL. ALSO THERE
WAS THUNDERSTOM ACTIVITY LOCATED FROM THOMASTON GA. TO BUENA VISTA GA.
THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO NOTED IN THE GEORGETOWN TO CUTHBERT GA. AREA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT ABOUT 35 MPH.  IF YOU ARE
IN OR NEAR THESE THUNDERSTORMS YOU MAY EXPERIENCE...HAIL...LIGHTNING
GUSTY WINDS AND TOAD STRANGLING RAINS.

PLEASE REMAIN ALERT DURNING THE FEW HOURS FOR FAST CHANGING WEATHER
CONDITIONS AND STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO AND NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR
THE LATEST IN STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 5:46 PM EDT, 57 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
545 PM EDT THU JUN 9 1988

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR CENTRAL GEORGIA UNTIL 10 PM TONIGHT...

AT 540 PM EDT MACON RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST
35 MILES AN HOUR THROUGH JASPER..PUTNAM..AND BALDWIN COUNTIES JUST EAST
OF THE TOWN OF MONTICELLO AND ANOTHER JUST WEST OF EATONTON AND NORTH
AND WEST OF MILLEDGEVILLE.
THESE STORMS WILL HAVE FREQUENT LIGHTNING..STRONG GUSGTY WIND AND HAIL.
BRIEF HEAVY RAIN COULD QUICKLY FLOOD LOW AREAS OF URBAN STREETS.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD WATCH OUT FOR RAPID
CHANGES IN THE WEATHER AND GET READY TO MOVE QUICKLY TO A SAFE PLACE.
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 6:30 PM EDT, 13 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
625 PM EDT THU JUN 9 1988

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING
NORTHWEST GEORGIA COUNTIES...CARROLL...DOUGLAS...FULTON...AND DEKALB.
THERE COULD BE ANOTHER THUNDERSHOWER IN THIS AREA THIS EVENING...BUT
THE STRONGER STORMS HAVE MOVED ON TO THE SOUTH AND EAST.

THE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT ACROSS THE AREA TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF
ATLANTA UNTIL 10 PM THIS EVENING.

AT 625 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER RADAR SHOWED THE STRONGEST STORMS SCATTERED
ACROSS THE NORTH-CENTRAL PART OF THE STATE FROM THE LAGRANGE AREA EAST
TO AUGUSTA.

PEOPLE ACROSS A LARGE PART OF CENTRAL GEORGIA AND ADJACENT SECTIONS
OF ALAB}AMA AND SOUTH CAROLINA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR STRONG
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THIS EVENING.  THIS INCLUDES SEVERAL
COUNTIES IN THE SOUTHERN SUBURBS OF METRO ATLANTA INCLUDING COWETA...
FAYETTE...CLAYTON...HENRY...SPALDING...AND ROCKDALE.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 9, 4:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMcDuffie52 min
Jun 9, 5:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCColumbia, Richmond46 min
Jun 9, 6:18 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCColumbia, McDuffie57 min
Jun 9, 6:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCRichmond55 min
Jun 9, 7:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCTurner48 min
Jun 9, 7:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBibb49 min
Jun 9, 7:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHouston46 min
Jun 9, 7:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCTwiggs49 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.