Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 172, NWS Atlanta, GA
NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Nov 15, 1989, 7:20 PM EST for Fayette County, Fulton County, Georgia. It was in force for 40 min. 2 reports 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, 7:20 PM EST (00:20 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 15, 1989, 8:00 PM EST
- In force
- 40 min
- Issued by
- NWS Atlanta, GA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Fayette County, GA, 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 7:20 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Fayette, GA | |
| Nov 15, 7:35 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind 65 | Fulton, 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 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 116 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 813 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -15 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 916 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 47 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 232 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 322 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.2
- Supercell composite
- 7.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KATL 160022
SVRATL
GAC113-121-160100-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
720 PM EST WED NOV 15 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ATLANTA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 800 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA
...NORTHERN FAYETTE...SOUTH FULTON
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN
EXTREME NORTHEAST COWETA COUNTY MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
THIS WILL TAKE ITS PATH ACROSS SOUTH FULTON AND NORTH FAYETTE
COUNTIES. RESIDENTS CAN EXPECT STRONG WINDS AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL
WITH THIS STORM.
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFvECT 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, 4:37 PM EST, 2 hours 43 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, 2 hours 38 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, 2 hours 12 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, 1 hour 48 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, 1 hour 36 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.
Special weather statement, Nov 15, 6:34 PM EST, 46 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA 630 PM EST WED NOV 15 1989 A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM EST THURSDAY MORNING FOR ALL OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL... DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS. INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER NORTHWEST GEORGIA NEAR ATLANTA...OVER COWETA COUNTY AND NEAR CUMMING GEORGIA. : ELSEWHERE...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED OVER WESTERN GEORGIA...EASTERN ALABAMA AND EASTERN TENNESSEE. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST 35 MPH.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Atlanta, GA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 7:34 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Gilmer, Gordon, Pickens | 56 min |
| Nov 15, 7:34 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Murray | 56 min |
| Nov 15, 8:19 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | DeKalb, Gwinnett | 41 min |
| Nov 15, 8:34 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Barrow, Hall, Jackson | 56 min |
| Nov 15, 8:38 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Fulton, Paulding | 52 min |
| Nov 15, 8:38 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb | 52 min |
| Nov 15, 11:09 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Greene, Oglethorpe, Taliaferro | 66 min |
| Nov 15, 11:09 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Elbert | 66 min |
| Nov 15, 11:18 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Lincoln, McDuffie, Warren, Wilkes | 57 min |
| Nov 15, 11:18 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Columbia | 57 min |
| Nov 16, 12:02 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Ben Hill, Dodge, Wilcox | 43 min |
| Nov 16, 12:02 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Laurens | 43 min |
| Nov 16, 12:12 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Irwin, Turner | 63 min |
| Nov 16, 12:27 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Telfair, Wheeler | 63 min |
| Nov 16, 12:27 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Montgomery, Treutlen | 63 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.