Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 129, NWS Atlanta, GA

July 13, 19894 counties in Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 13, 1989, 7:30 PM EDT for 4 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 60 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 13, 1989, 7:30 PM EDT (23:30 UTC)
Expired
Jul 13, 1989, 8:30 PM EDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Emanuel County, GA, Jefferson County, GA, Johnson County, GA, Washington 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, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 143 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 1989-07-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 127 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 1989-07-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -21 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
127 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-133 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1128 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
8 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-22 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 KAGS 132331
SVRAGS
GAC107-163-167-303-140030-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUGUSTA GA
730 PM EDT THU JUL 13 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUGUSTA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  830 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA
          ...EMANUEL...SOUTHERN JEFFERSON...JOHNSON
          ...SOUTHEASTERN WASHINGTON
 
WEATHER RADAR IS DETECTING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN THE EXTREME
SOUTHEAST CORNER OF WASHINGTON COUNTY...MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 30
MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE MOVING INTO JEFFERSON...JOHNSON...AND EMANUEL
COUNTIES OF GEORGIA WITHIN THE NEXT 15 TO 20 MINUTES.
 
 
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, Jul 13, 4:38 PM EDT, 2 hours 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
438 PM EDT THU JUN 13 1989

AT 435 PM EDT A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN
WERE OCCURRING IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA IN PUTNAM...GREENE AND
TALIEFERRO COUNTIES...COVERING MUCH OF LAKE OCONEE. THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 18 MILES AN HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE AFOREMENTIONED COUNTIES...ESPECIALLY BOATERS ON
LAKE OCONEE...SHOULD USE GREAT CAUTION FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF
HOURS UNTIL THESE THUNDERSTORMS PASS.

ELSEWHERE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAIN...WERE
OCCURRING OVER MOST OF GEORGIA...EAST ALABAMA...SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE
AND THE WESTERN CAROLINAS.

MOVEMENT WAS EAST 18 MILES AN H=OUR.
Special weather statement, Jul 13, 5:00 PM EDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
455 PM EDT THU JUL 13 1989

AT 450 PM EDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS SCATTERED
THROUGHOUT MOST OF GEORGIA. IN CENTRAL GEORGIA THUNDERSTORMS WITH
VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE OCCURRING ACROSS JASPER AND PUTNAM COUNTIES.
OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED ACROSS PEACH COUNTY NEAR FORT VALLEY
...NEAR PERRY IN HOUSTON COUNTY...AND NEAR HAWKINSVILLE IN PULASKI
COUNTY. THEIR MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 18 MPH.

AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPE AND MOVE EAST THEY WILL PRODUCE VERY
HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WIND...DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING..AND
POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL.

PEOPLE IN  CENTRAL GEORGIA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO THESE THUNDERSTRORMS
AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TV FOR LATER
STATEMENTS...OR WARNINGS IF NECESSARY.
Special weather statement, Jul 13, 5:34 PM EDT, 1 hour 56 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
530 PM EDT THU JUN 13 1989

AT 527 PM EDT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE
OCCURRING OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. THE THUNDERSTORMS
WITH THE HEAVIEST RAIN WERE IN MORGAN...GREENE...SOUTHERN OGLETHORPE
AND WESTERN WILKES COUNTIES OF GEORGIA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS
...FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLY SOME BRIEF GUSTY
WINDS. PERSONS IN THE AFOREMENTIONED COUNTIES OF GEORGIA SHOULD
BE ON THE ALERT FOR THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS
MOVE THOUGH THEIR AREA. BOATERS ON AREA LAKES SHOULD REALLY BE
CONCERNED WITH THESE THUNDERST|ORMS.

ELSEWHERE...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER MOST OF
GEORGIA AND SURROUNDING STATES.

MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 18 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jul 13, 6:40 PM EDT, 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
640 PM EDT THU JUL 13 1989

AT 635 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS IN A LINE FROM
JUST WEST OF FORSYTH IN MONROE COUNTY TO GRAY IN JONES COUNTY TO
GORDON IN WILKINSON COUNTY TO SANDERSVILLE IN WASHINGTON COUNTY.
THESE STORMS HAD STRONG WIND GUSTS NEAR 45 MILES AN HOUR AND
FREQUENT LIGHTNING WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN.
THEIR MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 20 MPH.

MORE THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE IN FORT VALLEY IN PEACH
COUNTY TO PERRRY IN HOUSTON COUNTY TO JEFFERSONVIULLE IN TWIGGS COUNTY.
THESE WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST 15 MILES AN HOUR.

PEOPLE IN  CENTRAL GEORGIA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO THESE THUNDERSTORMS
AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TV FOR LATER
STATEMENTS...OR WARNINGS IF NECESSARY.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 12, 9:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHouston28 min
Jul 13, 7:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBaldwin, Wilkinson47 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.