Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 154, NWS Atlanta, GA
NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 1990, 1:10 PM EDT for Wilkes County, Georgia. It was in force for 65 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 17, 1990, 1:10 PM EDT (17:10 UTC)
- Expired
- May 17, 1990, 2:15 PM EDT
- In force
- 65 min
- Issued by
- NWS Atlanta, GA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Wilkes 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, 5.2 hours before the alert went out and 55 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
- 198 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -133 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 914 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 43 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 128 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 129 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KAGS 171711 SVRAGS GAC181-317-SCC065-171815- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUGUSTA GA 110 PM EDT THU MAY 17 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUGUSTA HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 215 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA ...LINCOLN COUNTY...WILKES COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA ...MCCORMICK COUNTY WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT 1:05 PM SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH HAIL OVER NORTHERN WILKES COUNTY MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.: FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
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 17, 8:41 AM EDT, 4 hours 29 minutes before
GAZ004-002-171330- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA 840 AM EDT FRI MAY 17 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CANCELLED THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR MUCH OF NORTHWEST GEORGIA ALONG WITH A SMALL PART OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA. AT 830 AM EDT A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS WAS LOCATED ACROSS THE WESTERN TIP OF NORTH CAROLINA SOUTHWEST INTO NORTHWEST GEORGIA FROM JUST WEST OF ROBBINSVILLE NORTH CAROLINA SOUTHWEST THROUGH DALTON THEN TO 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF ROME GEORGIA. LINE MOVEMENT SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. ELSEWHERE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH GEORGIA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED JUST NORTHEAST OF CALHOUN GEORGIA. MOVEMENT EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. EVEN THOUGH THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA HAS BEEN CANCALLED A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS MAY OCCUR OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA AS THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVES ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS.
Special weather statement, May 17, 9:36 AM EDT, 3 hours 34 minutes before
GAZ001>003-171600- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA 930 AM EDT THU MAY 17 1990 ...LINE OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHWEST GEORGIA... A NARROW LINE OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR JASPER TO FAIRMOUNT TO CAVE SPRINGS AT 9 AM EDT. RADAR SHOWED THE LINE MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS AT 9 AM WERE NORTH OF FAIRMOUNT AND EAST OF ROME. SOME BRIEF PEA SIZE HAIL FELL JUST EAST OF CALHOUN AFTER 9 AM. RESIDENTS OF NORTHWEST GEORGIA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO WEATHER CHANGES. SOME OF THE THNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WITH POSSIBLE STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS THIS MORNING. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE AHEAD OF AN EASTWARD MOVING COLD FRONT AND WILL MOVE ACROSS THE ATLANTA METROPOLITAN AREA AND OUT OF NORTHWEST GEORGIA BY NOON TODAY.
Special weather statement, May 17, 9:38 AM EDT, 3 hours 32 minutes before
GAZ004-002-171430- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA 935 AM EDT FRI MAY 17 1990 AT 830 AM EDT A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS WAS LOCATED ACROSS THE WESTERN TIP OF NORTH CAROLINA SOUTHWEST INTO EXTREME NORTH GEORGIA FROM FRANKLIN NORTH CAROLINA SOUTHWEST THROUGH BLAIRSVILLE TO JUST SOUTH OF BLUE RIDGE TO ROME GEORGIA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTROM IN THIS LINE WAS LOCATED 20 MILES WEST OF JASPER GEORGIA. LINE MOVEMENT SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. ELSEWHERE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE OCCURRING OVER WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH GEORGIA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF DAHLONEGA GEORGIA. MOVEMENT EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS EXTREME NORTH GEORGIA MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL AS THEY MOVE ACROSS THE AREA.
Special weather statement, May 17, 10:11 AM EDT, 2 hours 59 minutes before
GAZ002-004-171515- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA 1009 AM EDT THU MAY 17 1990 THE LEADING EDGE OF THE RAIN AREA AT 1010AM EDT WAS FROM JUST NORTH GREENVILLE SOUTH CAROLINA TO JUST NORTH OF GAINESVILLE GEORGIA TO NEAR CEADARTOWN. DURING THE PAST HOUR SOME SMALL HAIL OCCURED AT JASPER GEORGIA AND THAT THUNDERSTORM IS APPROACHING DAWSON COUNTY AT THIS TIME. THE LINE CONTINUES TO MOVE TO THE SOUTHEAST AT NEAR 25 MILES AN HOUR WHILE THE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE EAST SOUTHEAST AT NEAR 35 MILES AN HOUR. CURRENT MOVEMENT WILL PUT MOST OF THE LINE THROUGH TOCCOA AND GAINESVILLE DURING THE NEXT HOUR AND INTO ATHENS NEAR NOON. NONE OF THE THUNDERSTROMS IN THIS LINE ARE SEVERE AT THIS TIME BUT A CLOSE WATCH SHOULD BE KEPT AS THEY MOVE INTO YOUR AREA TODAY. WITH SOME HEATING AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM THE STORMS COULD BECOME LARGER THAN THEY ARE AT THIS TIME. GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL BE COMMON WITH8 THE LARGER STORMS ALONG WITH SOME HAIL.
Special weather statement, May 17, 10:49 AM EDT, 2 hours 21 minutes before
GAZ001>004-171630-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
1048 AM EDT THU MAY 17 1990
...LINE OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTHEAST
THROUGH NORTH GEORGIA...
AT 1040 AM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN ATLANTA SHOWED A
LINE OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM TOCCOA
WEST TO NEAR CUMMING TO THE ROCKMART-CEDARTOWN AREA. THIS LINE IS
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 15 MILES AN HOUR. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS
WERE IN THE VICINITIES OF CANTON AND LAKE ALATOONA.
THE LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD MOVE INTO THE NORTHERN
PORTIONS OF THE METRO ATLANTA AREA WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR. BRIEF HEAVY
RAIN AND SOME GUSTY WINDS OF AR{OUND 30 MILES AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE
WITH THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS.Special weather statement, May 17, 12:56 PM EDT, 14 minutes before
GAZ004-171800- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA 1255 PM EDT THU MAY 17 1990 AS THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVED THROUGH ATHENS AT 1245 PM A GUST TO 36 MILES AN HOUR OCCURED WITH HEAVY DOWNPOURS. AT 1255 PM A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS NEAR CRAWFORD IN OGLETHORPE COUNTY MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. THIS STORM IS LIKELY TO PRODUCE VERY GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY DOWNPOURS... AND HAIL AS IT MOVES THOUGH OGLETHORPE0 COUNTY AND THE EXTREME SOUTHERN PORTION OF ELBERT COUNTY.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Atlanta, GA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 1:10 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Lincoln | 65 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 1990Every severe thunderstorm 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.