Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 167, NWS Atlanta, GA

November 15, 1989Coweta County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Nov 15, 1989, 5:16 PM EST for Coweta County, Georgia. It was in force for 29 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Nov 15, 1989, 5:16 PM EST (22:16 UTC)
Expired
Nov 15, 1989, 5:45 PM EST
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Coweta 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, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 151 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 1989-11-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 26 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 1989-11-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 80 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
26 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-39 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
566 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
80 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
16 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 152218
SVRATL
GAC077-152245-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
516 PM EST WED NOV 15 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ATLANTA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  545 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA
          ...COWETA
 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH
DAMAGING WINDS MOVING FROM HEARD COUNTY INTO WESTERN COWETA COUNTY AT
515 PM. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH AND
WILL PASS VERY CLOSE TO NEWNAN. RESIDENTS OF COWETA COUNTY SHOULD BE
ALERT FOR DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL FOR THE NEXT 30 MINUTES.
 
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

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, Nov 15, 1:45 PM EST, 3 hours 31 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
145 PM EST WED NOV 15 1989

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY
HEAVY RAIN IN EXTREME SOUTHWEST GILMER COUNTY NEAR CARTERS LAKE.
THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING RAPIDLY TO THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
THIS THUNDERSTORM LIKELY CONTAINS GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL.
ON ITS CURRENT PATH THIS THUNDERSTORM SHOULD PASS NEAR ELLIJAY BY
215 PM. RESIDENTS OF GILMER COUNyTY SHOULD BE ALERT TO ANY
SUDDENT CHANGES IN THE WEATHER AND PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER.
Special weather statement, Nov 15, 4:22 PM EST, 54 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
420 PM EST WED NOV 15 1989

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWEST GEORGIA UNTIL 11 PM EST...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR NORTH-
WEST GEORGIA AS WELL AS ADJACENT AREAS OF EAST TENNESSEE...EAST
ALABAMA...AND EXTREME WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. THIS TORNADO WATCH WILL
BE IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM EST FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST
GEORGIA...BARTOW...CARROLL...CHATTOOGA...CHEROKEE...CLAYTON...COBB...
COWETA...DEKALB...DOUGLAS...FANNIN...FAYETTE...FLOYD...FORSYTH...
FULTON...GILMER...GORDON...GWINETT...HARALSON...HEARD...MURRAY...
PAULDING...PICKENS...AND POLK.

POTENTIALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THIS
AFTERNOON AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. SOME OF THESE STORMS HAVE PRODUCED
TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL IN ALABAMA EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. PERSONS SHOULD REMAIN
ALERT AND BE PREPARED TpO TAKE QUICK ACTION IF WARNINGS ARE ISSUED.
Special weather statement, Nov 15, 4:37 PM EST, 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
430 PM EST WED NOV 15 1989

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF NORTHWEST AND
NORTHEAST GEORGIA UNTIL 11 PM EST TONIGHT. THIS INCLUDES
DAWSON...HABERSHAM...HALL...LUMPKIN...RABUN...TOWNS...UNION
AND WHITE COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED OVER NORTHWEST
GEORGIA...EASTERN TENNESSEE AND EASTERN ALABAMA. SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO SCATTERED OVER EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST 40 MPH.
Special weather statement, Nov 15, 4:42 PM EST, 34 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
430 PM EST WED NOV 15 1989

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF NORTHWEST AND
NORTHEAST GEORGIA UNTIL 11 PM EST TONIGHT. THIS INCLUDES
DAWSON...HABERSHAM...HALL...LUMPKIN...RABUN...TOWNS...UNION
AND WHITE COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED OVER NORTHWEST
GEORGIA...EASTERN TENNESSEE AND EASTERN ALABAMA. SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO SCATTERED OVER EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST 40 MPH.
Special weather statement, Nov 15, 5:08 PM EST, 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
510 PM EST WED NOV 15 1989

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWEST GEORGIA UNTIL 11 PM EST...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR NORTH-
WEST GEORGIA AS WELL AS ADJACENT AREAS OF EAST TENNESSEE...EAST
ALABAMA...AND EXTREME WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

POTENTIALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THIS
AFTERNOON AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS OF
SEVERE WEATHER IN ALABAMA IN THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS. PEA TO DIME
SIZED HAIL FELL IN HEARD COUNTY OF WEST GEORGIA AROUND 500 PM.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. PERSONS SHOULD REMAIN
ALERT AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK ACTION WHEN WARNINGS ARE ISSUED.
EVEN STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTH ALABAMA SHOULD MOVE INTO
NORTH GEORGIA IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 15, 4:48 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHeard27 min
Nov 15, 5:24 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCCoweta, Heard36 min
Nov 15, 5:56 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCFulton34 min
Nov 15, 6:00 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCFulton30 min
Nov 15, 6:14 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCFulton31 min
Nov 15, 6:47 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCLumpkin, White58 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.