Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 59, NWS Atlanta, GA

February 22, 1990Clayton County, DeKalb County, Fulton County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 22, 1990, 10:47 AM EST for Clayton County, DeKalb County, Fulton County, Georgia. It was in force for 43 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: Feb 22, 1990, 10:47 AM EST (15:47 UTC)
Expired: Feb 22, 1990, 11:30 AM EST
In force: 43 min
Issued by: NWS Atlanta, GA
Area: Whole counties

Counties Clayton County, GA, DeKalb County, GA, Fulton 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Feb 22, 11:15 AM EST	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Fulton, 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, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 101 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 564 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 245 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 233 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 KATL 221551
SVRATL
GAC063-067-089-121-221630-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
1047 AM EST THU FEB 22 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ATLANTA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA
          ...CLAYTON...COBB...DEKALB...NORTHERN FULTON
 
AT 1050 AM A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM DALLAS IN
PAULDING COUNTY TO JUST EAST OF DOUGLASVILLE TO FAIRBURN TO JONESBORO
IN CLAYTON COUNTY. THIS WARNING INCLUDES THE ATLANTA METRO AREA.
 
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, Feb 22, 6:30 AM EST, 4 hours 17 minutes before

ALZ012-GAZ005-221230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
625 AM EST THU FEB 22 1990

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR RUSSELL COUNTY AND
THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES OF EAST ALABAMA TODAY...

OVERNIGHT RAINFALL IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA HAS BEEN LIGHT.
COLUMBUS RADAR AT 620 AM EST INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT TO
MODERATE RAIN COVERING MOST OF EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA.  THERE WERE
ALSO A FEW HEAVY SHOWERS IN TKHE LAKE MARTIN AREA.  MOVEMENT WAS
NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES
FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

Special weather statement, Feb 22, 9:31 AM EST, 1 hour 16 minutes before

GAZ006-008-009-221600-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
930 AM EST THU FEB 22 1990

AT 930 AM WEATHER RADAR IN MACON SHOWED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS IN
WEST AND SOUTHWEST GEORGIA MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. THEY WILL BEGIN
MOVING INTO CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA BETWEEN 10 AND 11 AM
THIS MORNING.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND
BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AS THEY MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL GEORGIA AROEA.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 22, 9:38 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Heard, Troup	52 min
Feb 22, 10:01 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Coweta, Meriwether	44 min
Feb 22, 10:15 AM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Coweta	30 min
Feb 22, 10:21 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Crawford, Peach	54 min
Feb 22, 10:29 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Fayette, Fulton	46 min
Feb 22, 10:29 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Douglas	46 min
Feb 22, 10:45 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bibb, Houston	45 min
Feb 22, 10:47 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Cobb	43 min
Feb 22, 11:25 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Dawson, Hall, Lumpkin	55 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 1990 Every 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.