Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 25, NWS Atlanta, GA

April 4, 19894 counties in Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 4, 1989, 3:31 PM EDT for 4 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 59 min. 3 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
Apr 4, 1989, 3:31 PM EDT (19:31 UTC)
Expired
Apr 4, 1989, 4:30 PM EDT
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cherokee County, GA, Cobb County, GA, Douglas 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 4, 3:35 PM EDTHail 0.75Douglas, GA
Apr 4, 3:50 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Fulton, GA
Apr 4, 3:52 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 51Cobb, 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, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 117 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 1989-04-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 30 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 1989-04-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 141 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
30 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-310 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
670 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
141 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
67 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 041931
SVRATL
GAC057-067-097-121-042030-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
331 PM EDT TUE APR 4 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ATLANTA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  430 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA
          ...CHEROKEE...COBB...DOUGLAS...FULTON
 
A LINE OF VERY INTENSE AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORMS IS SWEEPING THROUGH
THE AREA.
 
MOVEMENT IS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.
 
 
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 CA)LM 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

Local storm report, Apr 4, 2:12 PM EDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
212 PM EDT TUE APR 4 1089

RADIO STATION WGTA IN SUMMERVILLE HAS RECEIVED SEVERAL REPORTS OF HAIL
THE SIZE OF QUARTERS AND SOME THE SIZE OF HALF DOLLARS AROUND MENLO
IN CHATTOOGA GEORGIA AROUND 145 PM EDT.
Local storm report, Apr 4, 2:28 PM EDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
229 PM EDT TUE APR 4 1089

FLOYD COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY HAS REPORTED A TORNADO ON THE
GROUND SOUTHWEST OF ROME BETWEEN ROME AND CAVE SPRINGS GEORGIA AT 223
PM EDT.
Local storm report, Apr 4, 2:42 PM EDT, 49 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
243 PM EDT TUE APR 4 1089

FLOYD COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY REPORTS TREES BEING BLOWN
DONW IN ROME AREA AT 240 PM EDT.
Local storm report, Apr 4, 2:46 PM EDT, 45 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT CORRECTED FOR THE YEAR 1989
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
243 PM EDT TUE APR 4 1989

FLOYD COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY REPORTS TREES BEING BLOWN
DONW IN ROME AREA AT 240 PM EDT.
Special weather statement, Apr 4, 3:13 PM EDT, 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
315 PM EDT TUE APR 4 1989

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 90 CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM FOR PARTS
OF NORTH GEORGIA...A SMALL PART OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...AND
A SMALL PART OF SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE.

IN CENTRAL GEORGIA...JASPER AND PUTNAM COUNTIES ARE INCLUDED IN THE
TORNADO WATCH AREA.

AT 310 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN MACON SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG TO
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA AND EAST ALABAMA. A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA EAST OF LAGRANGE.
STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.
Local storm report, Apr 4, 3:28 PM EDT, 3 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT CORRECTED FOR THE YEAR 1989
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
327 PM EDT TUE APR 4 1989

REPORT FROM WAGA-TV. TREES DOWN IN CARROLL COUNTY NEAR BOWDEN AT 315 PM.

TORNADO REPORTED ON GROUND BETWEEN BREMEN AND BOWDEN IN NORTHERN
CARROLL COUNTY AT 315 PM DAMAGE TO HOUSES. REPORT BY HARALSON
COUNTY EMA.

TREES DOWN IN BREMEN AREA ABOUT 315 PM...PUBLIC REPORT.

TREES UPROOTED NORTH OF CARTERSVILLE AT 321 PM. TRAINED SPO#TTER REPORT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 4, 1:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCChattooga54 min
Apr 4, 1:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWalker49 min
Apr 4, 1:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWalker41 min
Apr 4, 2:18 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCChattooga, Floyd42 min
Apr 4, 2:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWalker49 min
Apr 4, 2:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMeriwether44 min
Apr 4, 2:50 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCBartow, Polk55 min
Apr 4, 2:50 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCGordon55 min
Apr 4, 3:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGilmer, Pickens50 min
Apr 4, 3:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCarroll, Haralson, Paulding50 min
Apr 4, 3:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHeard50 min
Apr 4, 3:23 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCCarroll, Haralson, Paulding37 min
Apr 4, 3:36 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCCherokee, Forsyth54 min
Apr 4, 3:41 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCCoweta, Fayette49 min
Apr 4, 3:44 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCClayton, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett46 min
Apr 4, 3:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDawson, Hall, Lumpkin56 min
Apr 4, 3:58 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCHenry, Rockdale, Spalding47 min
Apr 4, 4:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBanks, Habersham69 min
Apr 4, 4:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBarrow, Jackson69 min
Apr 4, 4:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCNewton, Walton69 min
Apr 4, 4:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWhite63 min
Apr 4, 4:21 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCBanks, Habersham, Hall, Jackson69 min
Apr 4, 4:33 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCStephens57 min
Apr 4, 4:34 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCLamar, Pike, Upson41 min
Apr 4, 4:34 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCButts41 min
Apr 4, 4:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJasper, Monroe69 min
Apr 4, 4:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCClarke, Elbert, Franklin, Hart, Madison, Oglethorpe68 min
Apr 4, 4:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGreene, Morgan, Oconee, Taliaferro68 min
Apr 4, 5:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJones, Putnam63 min
Apr 4, 5:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBibb, Crawford55 min
Apr 4, 5:39 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHouston, Peach, Twiggs66 min
Apr 4, 5:39 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBaldwin, Wilkinson66 min
Apr 4, 5:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGlascock, Hancock, Warren62 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.