Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 158, NWS Atlanta, GA

August 26, 1989Cherokee County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 26, 1989, 6:54 PM EDT for Cherokee County, Georgia. It was in force for 66 min. 1 report 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
Aug 26, 1989, 6:54 PM EDT (22:54 UTC)
Expired
Aug 26, 1989, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
66 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Cherokee 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
Aug 26, 7:02 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Cherokee, 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, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 113 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 1989-08-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 275 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 1989-08-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 8 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
275 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-99 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
825 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
27 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 KATL 262257
SVRATL
GAC057-270000-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
654 PM EDT SAT AUG 26 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ATLANTA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  800 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA
          ...CHEROKEE
 
RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ON THE BARTOW-CHEROKEE COUNTY
LINE MOVING SOUTHEASTWARD TOWARD CANTON.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

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 26, 3:42 PM EDT, 3 hours 12 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
 340PM EDT SAT AUG 26 1989

 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA....NOT START AGAIN!

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED INTO THE COLUMBUS PHENIX CITY AREA AND VERY
HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WAS OVER THE CITIES.
NUMEROUS STORMS WERE OVER WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA
MOVGING SLOWLY EAST.

PERSONS NEAR THESE STORMS SHOULD TAKE PRECAUTIONS AND BE READY TO SEEK
SHELTER. STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLE HAIL WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY
THESE STORMS. LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR
POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Aug 26, 3:43 PM EDT, 3 hours 11 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
340PM EDT SAT AUG 26 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA....

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED INTO THE COLUMBUS PHENIX CITY AREA AND VERY
HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WAS OVER THE CITIES.
NUMEROUS STORMS WERE OVER WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA
MOVING SLOWLY EAST.

PERSONS NEAR THESE STORMS SHOULD TAKE PRECAUTIONS AND BE READY TO SEEK
SHELTER. STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLE HAIL WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY
THESE STORMS. LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR
POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Aug 26, 4:23 PM EDT, 2 hours 31 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
423 PM EDT SAT AUG 26 1989

...THNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH NORTHWEST GEORGIA...

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM WESTERN METROPOLITAN
ATLANTA TO SOUTH OF LA GRANGE AT 410 PM EDT. THE LARGEST AND MOST
INTENSE STORM WAS SOUTHEAST OF LA GRANGE.

READAR INDICATED THE SUMMER STORMS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 MILES AN
HOUR. THEY WILL MOVE ACROSS THE ATLANTA AREA DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON.

DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WILL ACCOMPANY THE STORMS.  ANYONE INVOLVED IN
WEEKEND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES SHOULD SEEK PROTECTION FROM THE LIGHTNING
AT THE FIRST INDICATION OF THE STORMS APPROACH. GO INSIDE A HOME...
SUBSTANTIAL BUILDING OR STEEL ROOFED VEHICLE QUICKLY.

THE STORMS WILL ALSO PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...POSSIBLE HAIL AND
HEAVY RAIN. BRIEF LOCAL FLASH FLOODING OF ROADS MAY OCCUR.
<
MOTIRISTS ARE URGED TO SLOW DOWN ENOUGH IN THE HEAVY RAIN TO AVOID
HYDROPLANING AND RUNNING INTO SLOWER OR STOPPED VEHICLES AHEAD.
Special weather statement, Aug 26, 5:36 PM EDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before
TTAASP KAHN 262136
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
630 PM EDT SAT AUG 26 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED MOVING SOUTH ACROSS NORTHEAST
   GEORGIA...

AT 628 PM EDT THE ATHENS RADAR INDICATED A 20 MILES WIDE LINE OF
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NORTHEAST ALABAMA...ACROSS NORTH
GEORGIA...INTO NORTHWEST SOUTH CAROLINA. THIS LINE WAS LOCATED
FROM THE WEISS RESEVOIR IN ALABAMA...TO FAIRMONT AND CLEVELAND
GEORGIA TO NEAR ANDERSON AND GREENVILLE SOUTH CAROLINA. THE LINE
WAS MOVING SOUTH AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

STORMS OF THESE STREGNTH PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN...DEADLY CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING...GUSTY SURFACE WINDS AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL.

PERSONS IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR APPROACHING
THUNDERSTORMS AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Aug 26, 5:48 PM EDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before
TTAASP KAHN 262148
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
545 PM EDT SAT AUG 26 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING SOUTHWARD ACROSS NORTHEAST GEORGIA...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN ATHEN INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE EXTREME NORTHERN COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTH AT 25 MILES AN HOUR
AND SHOULD EFFECT ALL THE COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA DURING THE NEXT
SEVERAL HOURS.

THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE BREIF HEAVY RAIN DOWNPOURS...DANGEROUS CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING...GUSTY SURFACE WINDS AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL.

PERSONS IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR APPROACHING
THUNDERSTORMS AND BE PREPARED TO SEpEK SAFE SHELTER.

STAY TUNED TO N.O.A.A. WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION
FOR ANY ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Aug 26, 5:56 PM EDT, 58 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
600 PM EDT SAT AUG 26 1989

...THNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH NORTHWEST GEORGIA...

AT 550 PM RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO
THE COUNTIES OF EXTREME NORTHWEST GEORGIA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING INTO GEORGIA FROM SOUTHEASTERN TENNESSEE AND NORTHEAST ALABAMA.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR...AND SHOULD
AFFECT MOST OF NORTHWEST GEORGIA DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS.

PERSONS IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THESE STORMS AND BE
PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER. THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE BRIEF
HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND {ESPECIALLY
FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 25, 10:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMorgan, Oconee, Walton53 min
Aug 25, 10:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGreene, Oglethorpe53 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.