Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 234, NWS Atlanta, GA

July 12, 1990Laurens County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 12, 1990, 6:44 PM EDT for Laurens County, Georgia. It was in force for 46 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
Jul 12, 1990, 6:44 PM EDT (22:44 UTC)
Expired
Jul 12, 1990, 7:30 PM EDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Laurens 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 12, 7:15 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Laurens, 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, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 169 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 1990-07-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 58 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 1990-07-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -38 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
58 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-161 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1199 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-38 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-24 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 122246 RRA
SVRMCN
GAC175-122330-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
644 PM EDT THU JUL 12 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MACON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN CENTRAL GEORGIA
          ...LAURENS
 
AT 640 PM EDT TWO LARGE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN CENTRAL TO SOUTH
LAURENS COUNTY FROM 8 MILE SOUTHEAST OF DUBLIN TO 25 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF DUBLIN. THEY WERE MOVING NORTHEAST 20 MILES AN HOUR AND SHOULD BOTH
SKIRT BY THE EAST EDGE OF DUBLIN BEFORE LOSING INTENSITY.
 
 
THESE ARE DANGEROUS STORMS. IF YOU ARE IN THEIR PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING.  PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

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 12, 3:34 PM EDT, 3 hours 10 minutes before
GAZ002-004-122125-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
325 PM EDT THU JUL 12 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
NUMBER 618 VALID UNTIL 930 PM EDT THIS THURSDAY EVENING.

THIS WATCH IN GEORGIA MAINLY EAST OF A LINE FROM HARTWELL TO ATHENS
TO MONROE.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER MUCH OF THE NORTH THIRD OF
GEORGIA...THE WESTERN CAROLINAS...EAST ALABAMA AND EAST TENNESSEE.
SHOWERS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED OVER SOUTH GEORGIA AND THUNDERSTORMS
WERE ISOLATED.

HEAVIEST RAINFALL IN GEORGIA WAS JUST SOUTH OF CHATTANOOGA TENNESSEE
AND NORTH TO NORTHEAST OF ATLANTA.

MOVEMENT NORTHEAST 30 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jul 12, 4:41 PM EDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
GAZ002-004-122145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
439 PM EDT THU JUL 12 1990

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF
NORTHEAST GEORGIA HAS NOW BEEN LIFTED FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA.
THIS MEANS THAT HARTWELL, ATHENS, AND MONORE AND AREAS OF NORTHEAST
GEORGIA EAST OF THOSE CITIES ARE NO LONGER IN THE WATCH AREA.
Special weather statement, Jul 12, 6:29 PM EDT, 15 minutes before
GAZ006-008-009-121900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
629 PM EDT THU JUL 12 1990

AT 625PM RADAR AND VISUAL OBSERVATION SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING FROM 35 MILES EAST OF MACON TO JUST 5 MILES SOUTH OF MACON
TO 40 MILES WEST OF BYRON.  THE LINE OF STORMS WAS MOVING NORTH 10
MILES AN HOUR WITH SOME STORMS MOVING NORTHEAST 25 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE STORMS WILL GIVE BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS
OVER 40 MILES AN HOUR ALONG WITH FREQUENT SPIKES OF CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING.

ALL SHOULD POSTPONE OUTDOOR ACTIVITY UNTIL THESE STORMS PASS THROUGH
IN AN HOUR TO TWO HOURS. IT APPEARS THE STORMS WILL HOLD THEIR
INTENSITY AT LEAST UNTIL THEY PASS THROUGH GRAY AND MILLEDGEVILLE IN
ANOTHER HOUR.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 12, 4:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCatoosa59 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.