Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 10, NWS Atlanta, GA

March 21, 1989Monroe County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 21, 1989, 8:04 AM EST for Monroe County, Georgia. It was in force for 56 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 21, 1989, 8:04 AM EST (13:04 UTC)
Expired
Mar 21, 1989, 9:00 AM EST
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Monroe 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 12:00Z, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 119 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 1989-03-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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 1989-03-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 194 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
538 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
194 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
194 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 211305
SVRMCN
GAC207-211400-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
804 AM EST TUE MAR 21 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MACON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN CENTRAL GEORGIA
          ...MONROE
 
AT 805 AM EST THIS MORNING WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM IN EASTERN UPSON COUNTY MOVING EAST AT NEAR 50 MPH.
THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE THROUGH MONROE COUNTY NEAR FORSYTH
DURING THE NEXT HOUR.
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTBRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

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, Mar 21, 7:03 AM EST, 1 hour 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
705 AM EST TUE MAR 21 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND EAST CENTRAL
ALABAMA...

AT 700 AM EST WEATHER RADAR INDICATED SEVERAL INTENSE AND FAST MOVING
THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL ALABAMA.  MOST OF THE
STORMS WERE FROM WOODBURY SOUTHWEST TO WARM SPRINGS...THROUGH HARRIS
COUNTY TO SALEM AND CRAWFORD IN EAST ALABAMA.  ANOTHER CLUSTER OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS FROM JUNCTION CITY GEORGIA SOUTHWEST TO
CUSSETA.  MOVEMENT WAS EAST ABOUT 40 MPH.

THESE RAPIDLY MOVING THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...STRONG
WINDS...BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.
RESIDENTS OF THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO
OR OTHER LOCAL TELEVISION AND RADIO STATIONS FOR FURTHER UPDATES.
Special weather statement, Mar 21, 7:16 AM EST, 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
715 AM TUE MAR 21 1989

A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER SOUTH FAYETTE COUNTY
NEAR BROOKS AT 715 AM MOVING RAPIDLY TO THE EAST AT 45 MPH. THIS
THUNDERSTORM COULD HAVE SOME STRONG GUSTY WINDS IN ADDITION TO
FREQUENT LIGHTNING. ON ITS PRESENT COURSE THE THUNDERSTORM WILL
BE PASSING THROUGH SOUTH HENRY COUNTY AND NORTH SPALDING COUNTY
JUST NORTH OF GRIFFIN BY 8 AM AS WELL AS THE PANHANDLE OF CLAYTON
COUNTY.

RESIDENTS OF THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR ANY THREATENING WEATHER
AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK PROTECTIVE SHELTER IF NECESSARY.
Special weather statement, Mar 21, 7:32 AM EST, 32 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
730 AM EST TUE MAR 21 1989

...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND EAST CENTRAL
ALABAMA...

AT 725 AM EST WEATHER RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW SCATTERED VERY STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL ALABAMA...INCLUDING THE
COLUMBUS/PHENIX CITY AREA.  THE LARGEST STORM WAS NEAR MANCHESTER
GEORGIA...WITH OTHER INTENSE STORMS FROM TALBOTTAN SOUTHWEST TO
COLUMBUS...TO SEALE AND HURTSBORO ALABAMA.  ANOTHER VERY ACTIVE AREA OF
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM BUENA VISTA GEORGIA TO EUFAULA ALABAMA.
MOVEMENT WAS STILL RAPIDLY NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 45 MPH.

THESE FAST MOVING THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...STRONG
WINDS...BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.
RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA
SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS
AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER  LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
Special weather statement, Mar 21, 7:39 AM EST, 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED TO ADD LAST LINE.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
730 AM EST TUE MAR 21 1989

...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND EAST CENTRAL
ALABAMA...

AT 725 AM EST WEATHER RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW SCATTERED VERY STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL ALABAMA...INCLUDING THE
COLUMBUS/PHENIX CITY AREA.  THE LARGEST STORM WAS NEAR MANCHESTER
GEORGIA...WITH OTHER INTENSE STORMS FROM TALBOTTAN SOUTHWEST TO
COLUMBUS...TO SEALE AND HURTSBORO ALABAMA.  ANOTHER VERY ACTIVE AREA OF
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM BUENA VISTA GEORGIA TO EUFAULA ALABAMA.
MOVEMENT WAS STILL RAPIDLY NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 45 MPH.

THESE FAST MOVING THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...STRONG
WINDS...BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.
RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA
SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS
AND LISTEN %TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
UPDATES.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 20, 9:39 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCFloyd, Haralson, Polk36 min
Mar 20, 9:39 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCarroll36 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 1989Every severe thunderstorm 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.