Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 316, NWS Atlanta, GA

August 22, 1990Barrow County, Walton County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 22, 1990, 8:11 PM EDT for Barrow County, Walton County, Georgia. It was in force for 64 min. 2 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
Aug 22, 1990, 8:11 PM EDT (00:11 UTC)
Expired
Aug 22, 1990, 9:15 PM EDT
In force
64 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
Aug 22, 8:30 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Barrow, GA
Aug 22, 8:45 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 00:00Z, 0.2 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 00:00Z on 1990-08-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2441 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 1990-08-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 81 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
2441 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
702 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
81 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
136 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.1
Supercell composite
6.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KAHN 230012
SVRAHN
GAC013-297-230115-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
811 PM EDT WED AUG 22 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ATHENS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  915 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA
 
   ...BARROW COUNTY...WALTON COUNTY
 
AT 805 PM EDT THE ATHENS RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERTORM JUST
SOUTHWEST OF WINDER GEORGIA IN SOUTH BARROW AND NORTHWEST WALTON
COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA. THIS STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15
MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS IN THE CITIES OF WINDER...MONROE...AND SOCIAL
CIRCLE SHOULD BE ALERT TO THIS APPROACHING THUNDERSTORM FOR THE NEXT
HOUR OR SO.
 
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, Aug 22, 3:10 PM EDT, 5 hours 1 minute before
GAZ008-011-222100-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
310 PM EDT WED AUG 22 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING OVER SOUTHWEST GEORGIA...

AT 305 PM EDT COLUMBUS WEATHER RADAR INDICATED LARGE THUNDERSTORMS
NEAR CUTHBERT...SHELLMAN AND DAWSON GEORGIA...ALSO JUST SOUTHEAST OF
FORT GAINES.  MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 15 MPH.

THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVER MUCH OF SOUTHWEST
GEORGIA FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS...AND MAY EVENTUALLY MOVE INTO
THE ALBANY AREA.  RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT SOUTHWEST GEORGIA SHOULD BE ON
THE ALERT FOR FOR THREATENING WEATHER.  THE LARGER STORMS WILL LIKELY
CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
AND POSSIBLxE SMALL HAIL.
Local storm report, Aug 22, 4:09 PM EDT, 4 hours 2 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
407 PM EDT WED AUG 22 1990

COUNTY........ OGLETHORPE

SOURCE........ RAYLE ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION (POWER COMPANY)

TIME.......... APPROXIMATLY 1230 AM EDT WED AUG 22 1990

LOCATION...... COUNTYWIDE

TYPE STORM.... THUNDERSTORM

HAIL.......... UNK

DAMAGE........ TREES INTO POWER LINES...POWER OUTAGES

INJURIES...... NONE KNOWN
Special weather statement, Aug 22, 4:56 PM EDT, 3 hours 15 minutes before
GAZ003-222200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA  GA
500 PM EDT WED AUG 22 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER NORTHWEST GEORGIA...

AT 455 PM EDT RADAR SHOWED ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER
NORTHWEST GEORGIA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED IN PICKENS
COUNTY NEAR JASPER...AND IN COWETA COUNTY NORTHWEST OF NEWNAN. OTHER
THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOST LIKELY DEVELOP ACROSS NORTHWEST GEORGIA DURING
THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

THE STRONGEST STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING FREQUENT DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE HAIL. PEOPLE
IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS
AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER.
Special weather statement, Aug 22, 6:35 PM EDT, 1 hour 36 minutes before
KAHN 222330

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
630 PM EDT WED AUG 22 199

THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THORUGH FORSYTH COUNTY APPROACHING THE
SOUTHWEST END OF LAKE SIDNEY LAINER. STORMS MOVING SE AT 15 MPH.
SEVERE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGTNING ,GUSTY WINDS, AND BRIEF DOWNPOURS
CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE STORMS.

IN GENERAL THUNDERSTORMS SCATTERED OVER NORTHWEST GEORGIA AND
ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA NORTHEAeSTWARD INTO NORTH
CAROLINA MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Aug 22, 7:57 PM EDT, 14 minutes before
GAZ001>003-230200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA  GA
758 PM EDT WED AUG 22 1990

AT 755 PM EDT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED ACROSS NORTHWEST
GEORGIA. RADAR SHOWED MOST OF THE STORMS WERE OCCURRING NORTH AND
NORTHEAST OF ATLANTA FROM NEAR CANTON IN CHEROKEE COUNTY SOUTHEAST
TO STOCKBRIDGE...LITHONIA...AND LAWRENCEVILLE. THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 15 MPH.

MANY OF THE STORMS ARE PRODUCING FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND
LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. SOME MAY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS. PEOPLE
IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS
AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 23, 12:07 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningFFCGwinnett2 hr
Aug 23, 4:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCLaurens66 min
Aug 23, 7:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHouston63 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.