Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 221, NWS Atlanta, GA

July 9, 1990Ben Hill County, Irwin County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 9, 1990, 7:37 PM EDT for Ben Hill County, Irwin County, Georgia. It was in force for 68 min. 3 reports 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
Jul 9, 1990, 7:37 PM EDT (23:37 UTC)
Expired
Jul 9, 1990, 8:45 PM EDT
In force
68 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Ben Hill County, GA, Irwin 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
Jul 9, 8:00 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Ben Hill, GA
Jul 9, 8:00 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Irwin, GA
Jul 9, 8:35 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Ben Hill, 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

Jacksonville, FL (KAYS), launched 12:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 197 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 1990-07-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1585 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 1990-07-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 23 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
1585 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-59 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
830 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
9 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
49 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 KMCN 092337
SVRMCN
GAC017-155-100045-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
737 PM EDT MON JUL 9 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MACON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  845 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
          ...BEN HILL...IRWIN
 
AT 735 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN MACON SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
BETWEEN FITZGERALD AND OCILLA...DRIFTING WEST.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

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, Jul 9, 4:45 PM EDT, 2 hours 52 minutes before
GAZALL-100800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA  GA
450 PM EDT MON JUL 9 1990

              ...EXCESSIVE HEAT TO CONTINUE...

THE COMBINATION OF HIGH TEMPERATURES AND HUMIDITY PRODUCED HEAT INDEX
VALUES BETWEEN 100 AND 110 DEGREES THIS AFTERNOON. THIS TREND IS EXPECTED
TO CONTINUE TUESDAY WITH AFTERNOON HEAT INDICES NEAR 105 IN NORTH GEORGIA
AND FROM 105 TO 110 IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SECTIONS. VALUES IN
THE 105-110 RANGED ARE EXPECTED OVER SOUTHERN SECTIONS AGAIN WEDNESDAY.

THE LEVELS OF HEAT AND HUMIDITY PRODUCING THESE HIGH INDICES CAN BE
DANGEROUS TO THOSE WHO DO STRENUOUS EXERCISE OR WORK.

PEOPLE PLANNING TO WORK OR PLAY OUTSIDE ARE ADVISED TO TAKE IT EASY AND
EXERCISE CAUTION. TO HELP REDUCE HEAT RELATED PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH
PROLONGED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY...STAY IN THE SHADE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE...
DRINK PLENTY OF NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES OR WATER... AND DRESS IN
IN LIGHTWEIGHT LIGHT COLORED CLOTHING.

THE ELDERLY...VERY YOUNG...THOSE ON MEDICATION OR IN WEAKENED PHYSICAL
CONDITION SHOULD BE WATCHED. CHECK IN ON THESE INDIVIDUALS AT INTERVALS
TO SEE HOW THEY ARE DOING.
Special weather statement, Jul 9, 6:03 PM EDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before
GAZ001-003-092300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA  GA
602 PM EDT MON JUL 9 1990

...WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER NORTHWEST GEORGIA...

THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING OVER NORTHWEST GEORGIA LATE MONDAY
AFTERNOON. AT 5:50 PM RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS WERE WIDELY
SCATTERED JUST SOUTHEAST OF CHATSWORTH...ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH
OF CANTON...AND FROM DOUGLASVILLE SOUTHWARD THROUGH NEWNAN TO NEAR
LAGRANGE. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS JUST SOUTHEAST OF CHATSWORTH
AND PEA SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED BY THE MURRAY COUNTY SHERIFF FROM THIS
STORM. LITTLE MOVEMENT WAS INDICATED BY THESE STORMS.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP DURING THE EVENING
HOURS ACROSS NORTHWEST GEORGIA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS COULD
PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN.
INTENSE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL LIKELY ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS.
PERSONS IN THE VICINITY OF THESE STORMS SHOEULD LOOK FOR SAFE SHELTER.
Special weather statement, Jul 9, 7:22 PM EDT, 15 minutes before
GAZ002-100030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
721 PM EDT MON JUL 9 1990

AT 715 PM EDT A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS LOCATED
IN NORTHERN HABERSHAM COUNTY OF NOR
Special weather statement, Jul 9, 7:23 PM EDT, 14 minutes before
GAZ002-100030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...COR FOR SPELLING IN 2ND LINE...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
721 PM EDT MON JUL 9 1990

AT 715 PM EDT A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS LOCATED
IN NORTHERN HABERSHAM COUNTY OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA. PERSONS IN
HABERSHAM AND STEPHENS COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA SHOULD BE
ON THE ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR THE NEXT
HOUR. BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...FREQUENT DANGEROUS CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING AND BRIEF STRONG GUSTY SURFACE WINDS ARE
POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LITTLE MOVEMENT WAS INDICATED BY RADAR.
Local storm report, Jul 9, 7:26 PM EDT, 11 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
730 PM EDT MON JUL 9 1990

COUNTY..... LAURENS
SOURCE..... LAURENS COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE
TIME......  1759 EDT AND AGAIN AT 1822 EDT
LOCATION... EAST DUBLIN
TYPE STORM. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WIDTH...... N/A
LENGTH..... N/A
HAIL....... N/A
DAMAGE..... N/A
TREES...... TREES BLOWN DOWN ON ROADWAYS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 9, 6:09 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCLaurens66 min
Jul 9, 6:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDodge30 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.