Alert archive / Tennessee / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989

Flash Flood Warning 15, NWS Atlanta, GA

July 3, 1989Hamilton County, Tennessee

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this flash flood warning at Jul 3, 1989, 5:06 PM EDT for Hamilton County, Tennessee. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 3, 1989, 5:06 PM EDT (21:06 UTC)
Expired
Jul 3, 1989, 7:15 PM EDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Hamilton County, TN

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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 167 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1989-07-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 342 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1989-07-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 15 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
342 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
561 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
15 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
18 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 KCHA 032110
FFWCHA
TNC065-032315-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHATTANOOGA TN
506 PM EDT MON JUL 3 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHATTANOOGA HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  715 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE
          ...HAMILTON
 
RADAR INDICATES A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER CHATTANOOGA.
THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING EAST AND WILL CAUSE STREET FLOODING IN
CHATTANOOGA. THIS STORM WILL BE MOVING OVER EAST BRAINERD AND OOLTEWAH
SHORTLY ADDING TO THE HEAVY DOWNPOUR THAT DUMPED ABOUT TWO INCHES
ABOUT AN HOUR AGO. SEVERAL STREETS AND SOME BASEMENT AREA ALREADY
REPORTED AS BEING FLOODED IN EAST BRAINERD AND OOLTEWAH.
STREAMS AND CREEKS ARE ALREADY AT BANKFUL.
 
 
 
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRXIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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, Jul 3, 11:57 AM EDT, 5 hours 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
1200 PM EDT MON JUL 3 1989

AT 1155 AM COLUMBUS WEATHER RADAR WAS SHOWING LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN
AND A FEW HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS ALL ACROSS WEST CENTRAL
GEORGIA AND BECOMING SCATTERED ACROSS EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA. ALL THIS
ACTIVITY WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR

OVER 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN COLUMBUS GEORGIA SINCE 8AM THIS MORNING. SOME SMALL STREAMS AND
STREETS ARE FLOODING ALL ACROSS METROPOLITAN COLUMBUS AND PHENIX CITY
ALABAMA. MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO BE CAUTIOUS AND NOT EVEN DRIVE IF
POSSIBLE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS UNTIL THE RAIN SLACKENS AND THE STREET
FLOODING GOES DOWN. PERSONS IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD CONTINUE TO
MAKE PREPERATIONS FOR POSSIBLE FLOODING AND BE READY TO MOVE TO HIGHER
GROUND IF FLOODING OCCURS.

THIS RAIN WILL CONTINUE BUT BECOME MORE INTERMITTANT FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL
HOURS. LIS&TEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER NEWS MEDIA FOR LATER
STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Jul 3, 12:07 PM EDT, 4 hours 59 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
1205 PM EDT MON JUL 03 1989

WIDESPREAD RAIN WITH EMBEDDED HEAVY SHOWERS WAS OCCURRING OVER
MUCH OF THE NORTHERN TWO THIRDS OF GEORGIA AT MIDDAY. THE
HEAVIEST RAIN WAS INSIDE A 20 MILE BAND THAT EXTENDED FROM
LAKE LANIER TO COLUMBUS.

SINCE 8 AM... OVER 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN AT THE WEATHER SERVICE
OFFICE IN COLUMBUS... WITH 1.37 AT HARTSFIELD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
IN ATLANTA. ELSEWHERE... AMOUNT AVERAGED BETWEEN 1/2 TO 1 INCH.

STREET FLOODING AND MINOR FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS IS
POSSIBLE... ESPECIALLY IN URBAN AREAS. MOTORIST ARE ADVISED TO
BE SLOW DOWN.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO AN0D TELEVISION
STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Jul 3, 12:54 PM EDT, 4 hours 12 minutes before
URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
1255 PM EDT MON JUL 03 1989

BETWEEN 8 AM AND NOON...1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN HAD FALLEN ACROSS
THE ATLANTA METRO AREA. RADAR SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF HEAVY RAIN
BETWEEN MACON AND COLUMBUS...BUT MOSTLY LIGHT RAIN WAS FALLING IN
THE VICINITY OF ATLANTA AT 1230 PM.

SINCE 8 AM...ATLANTA REGIONAL HOSPITAL IN DE KALB COUNTY HAS REPORTED
TWO INCHES OF RAIN...AND SOME FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW LYING AREAS
HAS OCCURRED IN DE KALB COUNTY.

AT 1245 PM...PEACHTREE CREEK WAS AT 10.1 FEET AND RISING STEADILY.
A CREST OF BETWEEN 12 AND 13 FEET IS EXPECTED BETWEEN 3 AND 5 PM THIS
AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...IF MORE HEAVY RAIN OCCURS...THE ACzTUAL CREST MAY
BE MUCH HIGHER.

MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING THROUGH FLOOD PRONE
AREAS...AND ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH THEIR DESTINATIONS.
Special weather statement, Jul 3, 2:19 PM EDT, 2 hours 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
215 PM EDT MON JUL 3 1989

.....SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR BIBB COUNTY EXPIRED....

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR BIBB COUNTY HAS EXPIRED AND THE
THUNDERSTORM THAT CAUSED THE WIND DAMAGE IN CRAWFORD COUNTY HAS WEAKENED
AND MOVED NORTHEAST INTO JONES COUNTY.

AT 210 PM EDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF RAIN WITH
EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS COVERING MUCH OF CENTRAL GEORGIA. THUNDERSTORMS
WITH HEAVY RAIN EXTENDED ACROSS WEST BALDWIN...THROUGH BIBB...PEACH...
AND HOUSTON COUNTIES INTO SOUTHWEST GEORGIA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

HEAVY RAIN HAS ALREADY OCCURRED OVER PARTS OF BIBB COUNTY WITH MORE HEAVY
RAIN EXPECTED DURING THE AFTERNOON.  STREET FLOODING ALONG WITH FLOODING OF
LOW AREAS AND AREAS SUBJECT FOR FLOODING IS LIKELY IN BIBB AND ADJACENT
COUNTIES.
Local storm report, Jul 3, 4:06 PM EDT, 1 hour before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
400 PM EDT MON JUL 3 1989

COUNTY..... CRAWFORD
SOURCE..... CRAWFORD COUNTY SHERIFF
TIME....... 1245 PM EDT JUL 3, 1989
LOCATION... NEAR ROBERTA
TYPE STORM. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.
WIDTH...... NA
LENGTH..... NA
HAIL....... NONE REPORTED
DAMAGE..... FEW TREES BROKEN OR UPROOTED
TREES...... FEW BROKEN OR UPROOTED
INJURES.... NONE
COST....... UNKNOWN
WATCHES.... NONE
WARNINGS... NONE

GEORGIA PROWER REPORTED MINOR POWER DISRUPTIONS AS THE THUNDERSTORM
MOVED ACROSS BIBB COUNTY BETWEEN 1 AND 2 PM EDT.

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Tennessee, 1989Every flash flood warning in 1989

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.