Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 154, NWS Atlanta, GA

August 17, 1989Burke County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 17, 1989, 5:38 PM EDT for Burke County, Georgia. It was in force for 52 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 17, 1989, 5:38 PM EDT (21:38 UTC)
Expired
Aug 17, 1989, 6:30 PM EDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Burke 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, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 156 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 1989-08-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 831 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 1989-08-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 13 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
831 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-88 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
872 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
33 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KAGS 172139
SVRAGS
GAC033-172230-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUGUSTA GA
538 PM EDT THU AUG 17 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUGUSTA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  630 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA
          ...NORTHERN BURKE
 
AT 535 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM IN NORTHWEST BURKE COUNTY GEORGIA. THIS STORM WAS MOVING
EAST AT 20 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, Aug 17, 12:23 PM EDT, 5 hours 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
1223 PM EDT THU AUG 17 1989

    ...THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING CENTRAL GEORGIA...

AT 1215 PM MACON WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
FROM 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF FORSYTH IN LAMAR COUNTY TO NORTH OF
ROBERTA IN CRAWFORD COUNTY TO 5 MILES WEST OF MASHALLVILLE IN MACON
COUNTY. THE STORMS HAD VERY HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.
THEY WERE MOVING EAST 20 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE STORMS DEVELOPED RAPIDLY AND MAY APPROACH SEVERE INTENSITY
SOON. STAY TUNED TO RADIO FOR WARNINGS OR FURTHER STATEMENTS  ON
THE PROGRESS OF THESE STORMS. PERSONS IN PEACH...CRAWFORD...AND MONROE
COUNTIES BE VERY WATCHFUL ESPECIALLY TO WEATHER APPROACHING UFROM
THE WEST.
Local storm report, Aug 17, 4:02 PM EDT, 1 hour 36 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
405 PM EDT THU AUG 17 1989

COUNTY..... BIBB
SOURCE..... CHANNEL 13 TV
TIME....... 125 PM EDT
LOCATION... NORTH BIBB COUNTY
TYPE STORM. SEVERE THUNDER4STORM
HAIL....... 3/4 INCH HAIL
DAMAGE..... NOT ASSESSED
TREES...... NONE
INJURES.... NONE
WATCHES.... NONE
WARNINGS... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN EFFECT 100 PM TO 145 PM EDT.
Local storm report, Aug 17, 4:08 PM EDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
409 PM EDT THU AUG 17 1989

COUNTY..... JONES
SOURCE..... EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
TIME....... 220 PM EDT
LOCATION... JOYCLIFF ROAD SOUTH JONES COUN:TY
TYPE STORM. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
HAIL....... 3/4 INCH HAIL
DAMAGE..... NOT ASSESSED
TREES...... LARGE TREES UPROOTED
INJURES.... NONE
WATCHES.... NONE
WARNINGS... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN EFFECT 205 PM TO 300 PM EDT.
Local storm report, Aug 17, 4:13 PM EDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
413 PM EDT THU AUG 17 1989

COUNTY..... BIBB
SOURCE..... SHERIFF  OFFICE
TIME....... 240 PM EDT
LOCATION... WEST BIBB COUNTY HIGHWAY 80 PATROL
TYPE ST<ORM. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
HAIL....... 3/4 INCH HAIL
DAMAGE..... NOT ASSESSED
TREES...... NO REPORT
INJURES.... NONE
WATCHES.... NONE
WARNINGS... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN EFFECT 205 PM TO 300 PM EDT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 17, 1:04 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBibb41 min
Aug 17, 2:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBibb, Jones54 min
Aug 17, 5:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBurke, Richmond58 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.