Alert archive / Georgia / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 20, NWS Atlanta, GA

March 16, 1990Polk County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this flash flood warning at Mar 16, 1990, 7:25 AM EST for Polk County, Georgia. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 16, 1990, 7:25 AM EST (12:25 UTC)
Expired
Mar 16, 1990, 12:30 PM EST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Polk 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

Athens Municipal, GA (KAHN), launched 12:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 174 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 1990-03-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 18 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 1990-03-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 352 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
18 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-85 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
663 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
65 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
352 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
390 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 161224
FFWATL
GAC233-161730-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
725 AM EST FRI MAR 16 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ATLANTA HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1230 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA
          ...POLK
 
FROM 3 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN IN CEDARTOWN AND ROCKMART
IN THE LAST 12 TO 18 HOURS. BIG CEDAR CREEK HAS BEEN RISING
RAPIDLY AND AT 7 AM WAS 11.8 FEET. A CREST OF 16 TO 17 FEET IS
FORECAST ON BIG CEDAR CREEK AT CEDARTOWN AROUND NOON TODAY. FLOOD
STAGE AT CEDARTOWN IS 15 FEET AND THIS CREST WILL CAUSE EXTENSIVE
FLOODING OF YARDS AND SOME HOMES INCLUDING A MOBILE HOME PARK ON
THE WEST SIDE OF GEORGIA AVENUE IN CEDARTOWN.
 
RAIN IS CONTINUING IN POLK COUNTY AND ANOTHER INCH OR SO IS
VERY POSSIBLE THIS MORNING. ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN WILL RESULT IN
A HIGHER CREST.
 
OTHER CREEKS AND STREAMS IN POLK COUNTY WILL ALSO BE OVERFLOWING
THEIR BANKS THIS MORNING. PERSONS IN POLK COUNTY SHOULD STAY
AWAY FROM FLOODED ROADWAYS AND MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF WATER
BEGINS TO RISE IN YOUR AREA.
 
 
 
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.
 
MOST DEATHS IN FLASH FLOODING OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A
SMALL ONE...ON FOOT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 16, 7:52 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCFannin, Gilmer, Gordon, Murray, Pickens5 hr
Mar 16, 7:52 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCChattooga, Floyd5 hr
Mar 16, 7:52 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCHaralson5 hr
Mar 16, 7:52 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCBartow5 hr
Mar 16, 10:53 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCBartow, Floyd, Gordon, Pickens, Polk6 hr
Mar 16, 10:53 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCFannin, Gilmer, Murray6 hr
Mar 16, 10:53 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCChattooga6 hr
Mar 16, 10:53 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCHaralson6 hr
Mar 16, 4:37 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCBartow, Floyd, Haralson, Polk5 hr
Mar 16, 4:37 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCGilmer, Gordon, Pickens5 hr
Mar 16, 4:37 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCFannin, Murray5 hr
Mar 16, 4:37 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCChattooga5 hr
Mar 16, 4:47 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCDade, Walker4 hr
Mar 16, 4:47 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCCatoosa, Whitfield4 hr
Mar 16, 5:40 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCFulton50 min
Mar 16, 6:31 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCRockdale29 min
Mar 16, 6:46 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCNewton, Walton59 min
Mar 16, 6:54 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCCobb, Douglas, Fulton4 hr
Mar 16, 6:54 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCDeKalb4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Georgia, 1990Every flash flood warning in 1990

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.