Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 34, NWS Atlanta, GA

April 4, 1989Jones County, Putnam County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 4, 1989, 5:12 PM EDT for Jones County, Putnam County, Georgia. It was in force for 63 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
Apr 4, 1989, 5:12 PM EDT (21:12 UTC)
Expired
Apr 4, 1989, 6:15 PM EDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Jones County, GA, Putnam 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, 5:15 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 55Putnam, GA
Apr 4, 5:15 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Jones, 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, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 88 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 KMCN 042112
SVRMCN
GAC169-237-042215-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
512 PM EDT TUE APR 4 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MACON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  615 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN CENTRAL GEORGIA
          ...JONES
IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA
          ...PUTNAM
 
AT 510 PM EDT MACON WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO PUTNAM AND JONES COUNTIES. THESE
THUNDERSTORMS CAUSED CONSIDERABLE WIND DAMAGE IN MONROE COUNTY
WITHIN THE PAST HOUR.
 
 
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

Local storm report, Apr 4, 4:11 PM EDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
1610 PM EDT TUE APR 4 1989

COUNTY........DAWSON

SOURCE........CIVIL DEFENSE LUMPKIN COUNTY

TIME..........2005 UT

LOCATION......NEAR DAWSONVILLEk GEORGIA

TYPE STORM....FUNNEL CLOUD

HAIL..........NONE REPORTED

DAMAGE........NONE REPORTED

INJURIES......NONE REPORTED

WARNING.......SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 1945-2045 UT
]
Local storm report, Apr 4, 4:37 PM EDT, 35 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
430 PM EDT TUE APR 4 1989

AT 425 PM A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWNED IN HENRY COUNTY IN THE TOWN OF
MCDONOUGH NEAR HIGHWAY 155.

AT 420 PRIVATE CITIZAN REPORTED A UTILITY TRAILER WAS LIFTED OF
ITS BASE AND PLACED ON A FENSE BY HIGH WINDS.

AT 410 PM DIME SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED NEAR JONESBORO IN CLAYTON COUNTY
BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EMPLOYEE.

AT 4PM AT I-153 AND 400 15 INCH TO 18 INCH TREES DOWN...WINDS ESTIMATED
AT 85 TO 100 MPHS.
Local storm report, Apr 4, 4:40 PM EDT, 32 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
430 PM EDT TUE APR 4 1989

AT 425 PM A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWNED IN HENRY COUNTY IN THE TOWN OF
MCDONOUGH NEAR HIGHWAY 155.

AT 420 PRIVATE CITIZEN REPORTED A UTILITY TRAILER WAS LIFTED OFF
ITS BASE AND PLACED ON A FENCE BY HIGH WINDS.

AT 410 PM DIME SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED NEAR JONESBORO IN CLAYTON COUNTY
BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EMPLOYEE.

AT 4PM AT I-153 AND 400 15 INCH TO 18 INCH TREES DOWN...WINDS ESTIMATED
AT 85 TO 100 MPHS.
Local storm report, Apr 4, 5:00 PM EDT, 12 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
450 PM EDT TUE APR 4 1989

JUST AFTER 4 PM SCATTERED TREES DOWN OVER CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE.

AT 410...3/4 INCH HAIL REPORTED IN NORTH FAYETTE COUNTY.

AT 348...1 INCH HAIL REPORTED NEAR SPRING ROAD IN SYMRNA.

AT 352 PM...WIND MEASURES 59 MPH NEAR SYMRNA.

AT 355...2 1/2 SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN NENNAN TRUE VALUE HARDWARE STORE LOSS
ITS ROOF.

AN EARLIER REPORT CORRECTION...
AT 4PM 15 INCH TO 18 INCH TREES DOWN ON GEORGIA 153...1 MILE EAST OF
400. WINDS ESTIMATED AT 85 TO 100 MPH.
Local storm report, Apr 4, 5:07 PM EDT, 5 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
450 PM EDT TUE APR 4 1989

JUST AFTER 4 PM SCATTERED TREES DOWN OVER CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE.

AT 410...3/4 INCH HAIL REPORTED IN NORTH FAYETTE COUNTY.

AT 348...1 INCH HAIL REPORTED NEAR SPRING ROAD IN SMYRNA.

AT 352 PM...WIND MEASURES 59 MPH NEAR SMYRNA.

AT 355...2 1/2 SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN NENNAN TRUE VALUE HARDWARE STORE LOSS
ITS ROOF.

AN EARLIER REPORT CORRECTION...
AT 4PM 15 INCH TO 18 INCH TREES DOWN ON GEORGIA 153...1 MILE EAST OF
400. WINDS ESTIMATED AT 85 TO 100 MPH.
Special weather statement, Apr 4, 5:08 PM EDT, 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
507 PM EDT TUE APR 4 1989

THE SEVERE STORMS THAT OCCURRED EARLIER ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHWEST
GEORGIA HAVE ENDED AND THE TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 90 HAS BEEN CANCELLED
FOR THE FOLLOWING AREA...  ALL COUNTIES TO THE WEST OF A LINE FROM
BLAIRSVILLE TO LAKE LANIER TO CONYERS TO GRIFFIN TO LAGRANGE.  THE
CLEARED AREA COVERS MOST OF THE METRO ATLANTA AREA.

POINTS TO THE EAST AND SOUTH OF THIS LINE REMAIN UNDER A TORNADO
WATCH THIS EVENING.  IT IS EMPHASIZED THAT PEOPLE LIVING IN
EAST AND CENTRAL...AND A LARGE PART OF SOUTH GEORGIA SHOULD REMAIN
ALERT FOR SEVERE WEATHER...AND LISTEN FOR STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

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, 3:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCherokee, Cobb, Douglas, Fulton59 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, 5:20 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.