Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 179, NWS Atlanta, GA

May 28, 1990Barrow County, Walton County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 28, 1990, 3:29 PM EDT for Barrow County, Walton County, Georgia. It was in force for 61 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 28, 1990, 3:29 PM EDT (19:29 UTC)
Expired
May 28, 1990, 4:30 PM EDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Barrow County, GA, Walton 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 28, 4:00 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Walton, 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, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 40 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 1990-05-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 291 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 1990-05-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 55 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
291 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-119 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1088 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
55 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
140 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KAHN 281929
SVRAHN
GAC013-297-282030-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
329 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ATHENS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  430 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA
 
   ...BARROW COUNTY...NORTHERN WALTON COUNTY
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THESE TWO COUNTIES
DURING THE NEXT HOUR.
 
STORM IS MOVING ALMOST DUE EAST AT 30 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR.
 
 
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

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 28, 2:08 PM EDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
GAZ001-GAZ002-GA003-282000

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
210 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990

   ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO NORTHWEST GEORGIA...

AT 205PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
LOCATED FROM NEAR BLUE RIDGE IN FANNIN COUNTY THROUGH LAKE ALATOONA IN
CHEROKEE COUNTY TO JUST WEST OF MARIETTA IN COBB COUNTY TO NEAR FAIRBURN
IN SOUTH FULTON COUNTY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BRING BRIEF PERIODS OF
HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL. THE LINE
IS MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH AND WILL MOVE THROUGH THE ATLANTA METROPOLITAN
AREA IN THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO.
Special weather statement, May 28, 2:26 PM EDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before
GAZ006-008-009-282030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
225 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH TIL 8 PM EDT FOR PUTNAM..BALDWIN..JONES..
LAURENS..MONTGOMERY..TELFAIR..WHEELER AND TREUTLEN COUNTIES OF
CENTRAL GEORGIA...

AT 215 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR IN MACON GEORGIA SHOWED STRONG THUNDER-
STORMS MOVING ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE IN
A LINE FROM MONTEZUMA GEORGIA SOUTHWEST TO ABBEVILLE IN WILCOX COUNTY
SOUTH TO DOUGLAS GEORGIA IN COFFEE COUNTY. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 20 MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WINDS..DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING..HEAVY RAINFALL AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL AS THEY MOVE
OVER THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON.

PEOPLE OUTSIDE ON THIS MEMORIAL DAY SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY
WORSENING WEATHER AND MOVE INDOORS IF NECESSARY.
Special weather statement, May 28, 2:44 PM EDT, 45 minutes before
GAZ002-004-281945-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
240 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990

.....SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT FOR
BANKS...CLARKE...ELBERT...FRANKLIN...GREENE...HABERSHAM...HART...
JACKSON...MADISON...MORGAN...OCNONEE...OGLETHORPE...RABUN...
STEPHENS AND TALIAFERRO COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA.....

AT 230 PM EDT...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAD FORMED OVER NORTHWEST
GEORGIA EXTENDING SOUTHWEST OVER A 12 MILE WIDE AREA FROM MURPHY NORTH
CAROLINA TO 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ATLANTA.  THE STRONGEST ACTIVITY IN
THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED OVER THE FULTON COUNTY AIRPORT
AND 5 MILES WEST OF ATLANTA.  THIS LINE OF STORMS WAS MOVING TO THE
SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO INDICATED 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
LOUISVILLE AND 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF AUGUSTA.
MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 28, 3:07 PM EDT, 22 minutes before
GAZ002-004-282115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
306 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990

AT 3PM EDT STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN DAWSON AND LUMPKIN COUNTIES
OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND ALSO JUST EAST OF ATLANTA IN DEKALE COUNTY.

STORMS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35MPH WHILE AREA MOVES EAST.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA
MAINLY EAST OF A LINE FROM CLAYTON TO CRAWFORDVILLE.

THE LARGER STORMS MENTION ABOVE AREA ALSO LIKELY TO CAUSE VERY
GUSTY WINDS , HAIL, HEAVY DOWNPOURS , AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.

STAY ALERT AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH.
Special weather statement, May 28, 3:10 PM EDT, 19 minutes before
GAZ001-GAZ002-GA003-282100

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
310 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990

   ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN IN NORTH GEORGIA...

AT 305PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
LOCATED FROM NEAR DAHLONEGA IN LUMPKIN COUNTY TO NORTH DEKALB COUNTY
THROUGH THE ATLANTA METROPOLITAN AREA TO FAYETTE COUNTY. THE STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORM WAS NORTHEAST OF DOWNTOWN ATLANTA. THIS THUNDERSTORM CAUSED
SOME LOCAL STREET FLOODING IN SOUTH COBB COUNTY AS IT MOVED THROUGH.
ALSO A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS BRIEFLY SIGHTED AROUND THE FULTON COUNTY AIRPORT
AROUND 230 PM. HOWEVER NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED WITH THIS FUNNEL CLOUD.

THE LINE CONTINUED TO MOVE EAST AT 35 MPH AND WILL MOVE THROUGH THE
EASTERN ATLANTA METROPOLITAN AREA IN THE NEXT HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 28, 3:29 PM EDT, 0 minutes before
GAZ006-008-009-282100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
330 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH TIL 8 PM EDT FOR PUTNAM..BALDWIN..JONES..
LAURENS..MONTGOMERY..TELFAIR..WHEELER AND TREUTLEN COUNTIES OF
CENTRAL GEORGIA...

AT 325 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR IN MACON GEORGIA SHOWED STRONG THUNDER-
STORMS MOVING ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE IN
HOUSTON COUNTY NORTH OF PERRY GEORGIA..NEAR ALAMO IN WHEELER COUNTY.
OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE NOTED IN BEN HILL COUNTY NORTHWEST OF
FITZGERALD. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WINDS..DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING..HEAVY RAINFALL AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL AS THEY MOVE
OVER THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON.

PEOPLE OUTSIDE ON THIS MEMORIAL DAY SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THE APPROACH
OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS AND MOVE INDOORS UNTIL THEY PASS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 28, 1:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJefferson54 min
May 28, 1:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBleckley44 min
May 28, 4:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJasper53 min
May 28, 5:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHabersham, Stephens69 min
May 28, 5:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCFranklin, Hart66 min
May 28, 5:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMonroe42 min
May 28, 6:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJones42 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.