Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Jacksonville, FL

June 9, 1989Lowndes County, Georgia

NWS Jacksonville, FL issued this tornado warning at Jun 9, 1989, 11:07 AM EDT for Lowndes County, Georgia. It was in force for 53 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 9, 1989, 11:07 AM EDT (15:07 UTC)
Expired
Jun 9, 1989, 12:00 PM EDT
In force
53 min
Issued by
NWS Jacksonville, FL
Area
Whole counties

County Lowndes County, GA

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Jacksonville, FL (KAYS), launched 12:00Z, 3.1 hours before the alert went out and 154 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, Jacksonville, FL at 12:00Z on 1989-06-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1305 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, Jacksonville, FL at 12:00Z on 1989-06-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 198 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
1305 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
600 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
198 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
248 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
5.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAV 091508
TORSAV
GAC185-091600-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAVANNAH GA
1107 AM EDT FRI JUN 9 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAVANNAH HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL NOON EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
          ...LOWNDES
 
A TORNADO WAS SIGHTED JUST SOUTHWEST OF MOODY AIR FORCE BASE BY
TOWER PERSONNEL. THE STORM ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TORNADO HAS BEEN
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON TNHE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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, Jun 9, 7:53 AM EDT, 3 hours 14 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
755 AM EDT FRI JUN 9 1989

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA...

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 444 IS IN EFFECT FOR ALACHUA...BAKER...COLUMBIA...
CLAY...GILCHRIST...HAMILTON...LAFAYETTE...SUWANNEE...UNION...DUVAL AND
NASSAU COUNTIES AND THEIR ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS UTIL 100 PM EDT.

AT 750 AM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS SHOWED AN AREA OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM TALLAHASSEE EAST TO HAMILTON COUNTY THEN NORTHEAST
TO SAVANNAH GEORGIA. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES
AN HOUR. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES...AND POSSIBLE
HAIL WILL ACCOMPANY THESE THoUNDERSTORMS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL NEWS MEDIA FOR LATER
STATEMENTS...OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 9:37 AM EDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
935 AM EDT FRI JUN 9 1989

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA...

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 444 IS IN EFFECT FOR ALACHUA...BAKER...COLUMBIA...
CLAY...GILCHRIST...HAMILTON...LAFAYETTE...SUWANNEE...UNION...DUVAL AND
NASSAU COUNTIES AND THEIR ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS UTIL 100 PM EDT.

AT 935 AM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS SHOWED THE LEADING EDGE
OF A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT STRETCHES FROM THE CAROLINAS
SOUTHWARD INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO IS CROSSING THE SUWANNEE RIVER NEAR
LIVE OAK..JASPER. VERY HEAVY RAINS AND GUSTY WINDS ACCOMPANIED BY
LIGHTNING STRIKES WILL BE MOVING INTO THIS AREA WITHIN THE HOUR.

IN THE PAST 6 HOURS VERY HEAVY RAINS HAVE FALLEN IN THE SUWANNEE...
WITHALACOOCHEE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. VALDOSTA GEORGIA REPORTS 2.65
INCHES WILL ALMOST 5 INCHES IN THE PAST 24 HOURS.
REMEMBER A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARES FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THJNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Jacksonville, FL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 8, 8:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXAtkinson, Berrien, Coffee, Lanier52 min
Jun 8, 10:09 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXAppling, Bacon, Pierce, Ware51 min
Jun 8, 10:09 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXClinch51 min
Jun 9, 11:03 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXCamden, Glynn57 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Georgia, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.