Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 63, NWS Atlanta, GA

May 5, 1989Laurens County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 5, 1989, 7:43 PM EDT for Laurens County, Georgia. It was in force for 47 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
May 5, 1989, 7:43 PM EDT (23:43 UTC)
Expired
May 5, 1989, 8:30 PM EDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Laurens 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
May 5, 7:55 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Laurens, 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, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 169 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 1989-05-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 200 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 1989-05-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 107 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KMCN 052344
SVRMCN
GAC175-060030-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
743 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MACON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  830 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN CENTRAL GEORGIA
          ...LAURENS
 
AT 735 PM WEATHER RADAR IN MACON SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM JUST
WEST OF DUBLIN MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. IT WILL BE MOVING THROUGH
THE DUBLIN AREA.
 
 
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

Special weather statement, May 5, 5:33 PM EDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
532 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 530 PM EDT COLUMBUS WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF VERY STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR EUFAULA ALABAMA...TO LUMPKIN GEORGIA...THEN TO
REYNOLDS...CONTINUING TO ROBERTA AND NORTHEAST. 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, 5:50 PM EDT, 1 hour 53 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA

COUNTY........ HALL

SOURCE........ CD

TIME.......... 420PM EDT

LOCATION...... HALL COUNTY

TYPE STORM.... REPORTED BY HALL COUNTY EOC

HAIL..........

DAMAGE........

INJURIES......9 PERSONS 2 SERIOUS....ALL WERE IN AUTOS..
Special weather statement, May 5, 5:53 PM EDT, 1 hour 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
552 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 183 IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWEST GEORGIA.

THE WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR BUTTS...PIKE...LAMAR...AND UPSON
COUNTIES. SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS WILL CONTINUE IN THESE AREAS AND
OTHER PARTS OF NORTHWEST GEORGIA...BUT THE THREAT OF SEVERE STORMS
HAS ENDED.

THE TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF NORTHEAST AND
EAST CE"NTRAL GEORGIA UNTIL 9 PM THIS EVENING.
Special weather statement, May 5, 6:04 PM EDT, 1 hour 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
65PM EDT FRI MAY 5, 1989

THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 183:
Special weather statement, May 5, 6:16 PM EDT, 1 hour 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
6PM EDT FRI MAY 5, 1989

THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 183:

BANKS     BARROW     CLARKE     DAWSON
ELBERT    FRANKLIN  GREENE     HABERSHAM
HALL      HART       JACKSON   OCONEE
LUMPKIN   MADISON   MORGAN     NEWTON
OGLETHORPE RABUN    STEPHENS   TALIAFERRO
UNION     WALTON    WHITE       TOWNS

ALL THE COUNTIES ABOVE ARE NOO LONGER IN A WARNING OR A WATCH.
Special weather statement, May 5, 6:52 PM EDT, 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
650 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MACON AND SUMTER COUNTIES OF
   WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA...FOR LEE COUNTY OF SOUTHWEST GEORGIA...AND
   COLQUITT...COOK...TIFT AND WORTH COUNTIES OF SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
   UNTIL 9 PM EDT...

THE TORNADO WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
MOST OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST GEORGIA...AND PART OF SOUTH CENTRAL
GEORGIA. COUNTIES STILL UNDER THE WATCH INCLUDE SUMTER...MACON...LEE...
WORTH...COLQUITT...COOK...AND TIFT.

AT 645 PM EDT COLUMBUS WEATHER RADAR INDICATED SEVERAL SHOWERS AND
A FEW THUNDERSHOWERS SCATTERED FROM NEAR EUFAULA ALABAMA TO AMERICUS
TO NEAR MACON AND CONTINUING NORTHEAST. THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS
WERE NOW MAINLY IN CENTRAL GEORGIA AND MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS ARE STILL FORECAST FOR THE CLEARED COUNTIES
...BUT THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS MOVED EAST. CONTINUE TO LISTEN
TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 5, 3:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMeriwether50 min
May 5, 4:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCPike, Spalding44 min
May 5, 4:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBarrow, Hall, Jackson55 min
May 5, 4:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCNewton, Walton55 min
May 5, 4:13 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCButts47 min
May 5, 4:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCClarke, Morgan, Oconee63 min
May 5, 4:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMadison63 min
May 5, 4:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJasper52 min
May 5, 4:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCLamar, Upson32 min
May 5, 5:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCElbert, Franklin, Hart64 min
May 5, 5:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCStephens64 min
May 5, 5:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCPutnam46 min
May 5, 5:21 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJones69 min
May 5, 5:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHancock46 min
May 5, 5:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBaldwin51 min
May 5, 6:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGlascock, Jefferson, Washington65 min
May 5, 6:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCColumbia41 min
May 5, 6:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCRichmond31 min
May 5, 6:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCColumbia31 min
May 5, 7:17 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCRichmond58 min
May 5, 7:51 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCBurke54 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.