Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 53, NWS Atlanta, GA
NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 5, 1989, 5:11 PM EDT for Elbert County, Franklin County, Hart County, Georgia. It was in force for 64 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
- May 5, 1989, 5:11 PM EDT (21:11 UTC)
- Expired
- May 5, 1989, 6:15 PM EDT
- In force
- 64 min
- Issued by
- NWS Atlanta, GA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Elbert County, GA, Franklin County, GA, Hart 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 5:20 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Franklin, GA | |
| May 5, 5:30 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Hart, GA | |
| May 5, 5:30 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Elbert, 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 45 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
- 200 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -27 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 610 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 107 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 157 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KAHN 052112
SVRAHN
GAC105-119-147-257-052215-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
511 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ATHENS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 615 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA
...ELBERT...FRANKLIN...HART...STEPHENS
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS APPROCACHING FROM THE WEST...
DAMAGING WINDS HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS..
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, May 5, 4:22 PM EDT, 49 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA 420 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989 TROUP COUNTY... REPORT FROM SHERIFF DEPARTMENT... TIME...2:50-3:00 PM. AT THE ALABAMA-GEORGIA STATE LINE NEAR STATELINE ROAD SCATTERED POWER LINES AND TREES WERE DOWN. THE LOCATION WAS ABOUT 12 MILES FROM DOWNTOWN LAGRANGE. MERIWETHER COUNTY... REPORTS FROM SHERIFF AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS... TIME...3:40-400 PM. TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. SPALDING COUNTY... TIME...3:45-4:00 PM. SCATTERED POWERLINES AND TREES DOWN NEAR GRIFFIN. DEKALB COUNTY... REPORTS FROM DEKALB COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT AND CITIZEN. TIME...4:00-4:10 PM. CITIZEN REPORTED TORNADO WITH ABOUT 10 TREES DOWN ON PROPERTY. POLICE REPORTED THAT WIDESPREAD TREES AND POWERLINES WERE DOWN ACROSS THE COUNTY.
Local storm report, May 5, 4:36 PM EDT, 35 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA COUNTY........ HALL SOURCE........ CD TIME.......... 420PM EDT LOCATION...... HALL COUNTY TYPE STORM.... PUBLIC REPORTED TORNADO HAIL.......... DAMAGE........ INJURIES...... WARNING....... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WATCH ]
Special weather statement, May 5, 4:48 PM EDT, 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA 445 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 183 IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR A PART OF NORTHWEST AND WEST-CENTRAL GEORGIA. THE WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES. MURRAY... GORDON...FLOYD...BARTOW...POLK...HARALSON...PAULDING...CARROLL...DOUGLAS ...HEARD...COWESTA...TROUP...MERIWETHER...FAYETTE...FULTON...CLAYTON... DEKALB...COBB...CHEROKEE...FANNIN...GILMER...PICKENS...DAWSON...FORSYTH ...GWINNETT...DEKALB...ROCKDALE...AND HENRY. SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS WILL CONTINUE IN THESE AREAS INTO THE EVENING HOURS...BUT THE THREAT OF SEVERE STORMS HAS ENDED. HOWEVER...THE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA UNTIL 9 PM THIS EVENING. THE AREA REMAINING UNDER THE WATCH IS ALONG AND TO THE EAST AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM FROM BLAIRSVILLE TO GAINESVILLE TO GRIFFIN TO THOMASTON.
Special weather statement, May 5, 4:50 PM EDT, 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA 450 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989 ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PART OF EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA AS WELL AS ALL OF WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA...MOST OF SOUTHWEST GEORGIA... AND PART OF SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA... AT 445 PM EDT COLUMBUS WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A SCATTERED LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR CUSSETA...TO JUST NORTH OF JUNCTION CITY...TO THOMASTON AND BARNESVILLE. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE JUST NORTH OF JUNCTION CITY AND NEAR THOMASTON. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 40 MPH. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES TO DEVELOP. ANY THUNDERSTORM THAT DEVELOPS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY TONIGHT MAY BECOME SEVERE. REMAIN ALERT AND STAY INFORMED BY LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER LOCAL NEWS MEDIA. BE PREPARED TO PUT INTO OPERATION YOUR PERSONAL OR FAMILY ACTIONS PLAN IF A WARNING IS ISSUED.
Local storm report, May 5, 4:59 PM EDT, 12 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
COUNTY........ OCONEE
SOURCE........ PUBLIC
TIME.......... 455PM EDT
LOCATION...... 6 S WATKINSVILLE GEORGIA
TYPE STORM.... THUNDERSTORM
HAIL..........MARBLE SIZE
DAMAGE........
INJURIES......
WARNING....... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WATCH
]Local storm report, May 5, 5:01 PM EDT, 10 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
COUNTY........ CLARKE
SOURCE........ PUBLIC
TIME.......... 5PM EDT
LOCATION...... WINTERVILLE GEORGIA
TYPE STORM.... THUNDERSTORM
HAIL..........MARBLE SIZE
DAMAGE........
INJURIES......
WARNING....... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WATCH
]The office that day
Everything else NWS Atlanta, GA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 3:25 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Meriwether | 50 min |
| May 5, 4:01 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Pike, Spalding | 44 min |
| May 5, 4:05 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Barrow, Hall, Jackson | 55 min |
| May 5, 4:05 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Newton, Walton | 55 min |
| May 5, 4:13 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Butts | 47 min |
| May 5, 4:27 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Clarke, Morgan, Oconee | 63 min |
| May 5, 4:27 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Madison | 63 min |
| May 5, 4:38 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Jasper | 52 min |
| May 5, 4:43 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Lamar, Upson | 32 min |
| May 5, 5:11 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Stephens | 64 min |
| May 5, 5:14 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Putnam | 46 min |
| May 5, 5:21 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Jones | 69 min |
| May 5, 5:29 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Hancock | 46 min |
| May 5, 5:54 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Baldwin | 51 min |
| May 5, 6:25 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Glascock, Jefferson, Washington | 65 min |
| May 5, 6:49 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Columbia | 41 min |
| May 5, 6:59 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Richmond | 31 min |
| May 5, 6:59 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Columbia | 31 min |
| May 5, 7:17 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Richmond | 58 min |
| May 5, 7:43 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Laurens | 47 min |
| May 5, 7:51 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Burke | 54 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.