Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 169, NWS Atlanta, GA

November 15, 1989Fulton County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Nov 15, 1989, 6:00 PM EST for Fulton County, Georgia. It was in force for 30 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
Nov 15, 1989, 6:00 PM EST (23:00 UTC)
Expired
Nov 15, 1989, 6:30 PM EST
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Fulton 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
Nov 15, 6:31 PM ESTTornado F2Fulton, 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, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 109 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

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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, 4:22 PM EST, 1 hour 38 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, 1 hour 23 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, 1 hour 18 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, 52 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.
Special weather statement, Nov 15, 5:32 PM EST, 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
530 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.

INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED NORTHEAST AND NORTHWEST OF
LAGRANGE GEORGIA. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST 35 MPH.

ELSEWHERE...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED OVER
NORTH GEORGIA...EASTERN ALABAMA...EASTERN TENNESSEE AND THE
WESTERN TIP OF NORTH CAROLINA. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE
ALSO SCATTERED NEAR AND SOUTH OF AUGUSTA GEORGIA.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST 35 MPH.
Special weather statement, Nov 15, 5:44 PM EST, 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
535 PM EST WED NOV 15 1989

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WARNINGS WERE IN EFFECT FOR CHAMBERS COUNTY
ALABAMA AND A TORNADO WARNING FOR COWETA AND HEARD COUNTIES GEORGIA
UNTIL 6 PM EST.

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR RUSSELL COUNTY ALABAMA
AND ALL OF EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA UNTIL 11 PM EST TONIGHT.

AT 525 PM EST COLUMBUS WEATHER RADAR WAS INDICATING SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR CAMP HILL ALABAMA TO NEWNAN GEORGIA.
SEVERE WEATHER WAS ALREADY OCCURING AND PERSONS ACROSS EAST CENTRAL
ALABAMA AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TONIGHT FOR
POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER. A VERY STRONG COLD FRONT PRESENTLY FROM
WESTERN OHIO TO THE TEXAS COAST IS EXPECTED TO MOVE RAPIDLY EASTWARD
TONIGHT AND TO BE OFF THE GEORGIA COAST THURSDAY MORNING.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER NEWS MENDIA FOR LATER STATEMENTS
OR POSIBLE WARNINGS.

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, 5:16 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCoweta29 min
Nov 15, 5:24 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCCoweta, Heard36 min
Nov 15, 5:56 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCFulton34 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.