Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 72, NWS Atlanta, GA

March 16, 1990Bibb County, Jones County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 16, 1990, 10:03 PM EST for Bibb County, Jones County, Georgia. It was in force for 57 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
Mar 16, 1990, 10:03 PM EST (03:03 UTC)
Expired
Mar 16, 1990, 11:00 PM EST
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Bibb County, GA, Jones 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
Mar 16, 10:50 PM ESTThunderstorm Wind 0Bibb, 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, 3.1 hours before the alert went out and 119 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 1990-03-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 60 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Athens Municipal, GA at 00:00Z on 1990-03-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 428 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
60 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-108 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
953 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
77 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
428 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
525 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMCN 170303
SVRMCN
GAC021-169-170400-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
1003 PM EST FRI MAR 16 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MACON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN CENTRAL GEORGIA
          ...BIBB...JONES
 
AT 10 PM RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM EAST
OF FORSYTH TO NEAR ROBERTA AND FT VALLEY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
50 MPH.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHAN!GING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

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

Local storm report, Mar 16, 8:44 PM EST, 1 hour 19 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
845 PM EST FRI MAR 16 1900

COUNTY........ CLARKE

SOURCE........ GA POWER

TIME.......... APPROX 805 PM EST

LOCATION...... WESTLAKE DRIVE

TYPE STORM.... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM/TORNADO

HAIL..........

DAMAGE........ UTILITY POWER POLE "SNAPPED-INTO"--ALSO OTHER TREES DOWN
               AND POWER OUT.
INJURIES...... NONE AT THIS TIME
Local storm report, Mar 16, 8:52 PM EST, 1 hour 11 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
850 PM EST FRI MAR 16 1900

COUNTY........ NEWTON

SOURCE........ COVINGTON SHERIFFS DEPT

TIME.......... APPROX 750 PM EST

LOCATION...... COUNTY WIDE

TYPE STORM.... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM/TORNADO

HAIL..........

DAMAGE........ POWER OUT TO OVER HALF THE COUNTY...NUMEROUS TREES DOWN..
               AT ONE POINT "OVER A MILE OF CONTINOUS TREES ACROSS ROAD"
INJURIES...... NONE AT THIS TIME
Local storm report, Mar 16, 9:01 PM EST, 1 hour 2 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
850 PM EST FRI MAR 16 1900

COUNTY........ WALTON

SOURCE........ WALTON CO SHERIFFS DEPT

TIME.......... APPROX 755 PM EST

LOCATION...... COUNTY WIDE

TYPE STORM.... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM/TORNADO

HAIL..........

DAMAGE........ NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND POWER OUTAGES

INJURIES...... NONE AT THIS TIME
Special weather statement, Mar 16, 9:02 PM EST, 1 hour 1 minute before
GAZ006-170300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
905 PM EST FRI MAR 16 1990

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 89 FOR A PART OF CENTRAL GEORGIA
EXPIRED  AT 9 PM...

AT 900 PM THUNDERSTORMS HAD WEAKENED ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA.
MOSTLY LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN CONTINUED IN CENTRAL GEORGIA
FROM CLARK HILL RESERVOIR TO WEST OF MACON.

RAIN IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY WITH OCCASIONAL
HEAVY RAIN WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS.
Special weather statement, Mar 16, 9:44 PM EST, 19 minutes before
GAZ006-170400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
945 PM EST FRI MAR 16 1990

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 92 COVERS ALL OF CENTRAL GEORGIA UNTIL
4 AM EST SATURDAY MAR 17...

AT 940 PM THUNDERSTORMS HAD AGAIN BECOME STRONGER AND WERE
INTENSIFYING TO THE WEST OF THE CENTRAL GEORGIA AREA. THEY WERE MOVING
FROM NEAR MACON AND TAYLOR COUNTY TOWARD PEACH HOUSTON AND CRAWFORD
COUNTY.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS MAY BE NEEDED WIT	H THESE STORMS VERY SOON.
STAY TUNED T
Special weather statement, Mar 16, 9:54 PM EST, 9 minutes before
GAZ002-004-161730-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
950 PM EST FRI MAR 16 1990

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 92 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM SATURDAY FOR THE
NORTHEAST GEORGIA COUNTIES OF CLARKE...ELBERT...MADISON...OCONEE...
OGLETHORPE...MORGAN...GREENE AND TALIAFERRO...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA TONIGHT
AND SATURDAY...

AT 945 PM EST THE ATHENS RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS
IN WESTCENTRAL GEORGIA BETWEEN COLUMBUS AND MACON. THE STORMS WERE
MOVING EAST AT NEAR 45 MILES AN HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE NORTHEAST GEORGIA CITIES OF ATHENS...MADISON...ELBERTON
AND SURROUNDING AREAS SHOULD KEEP ALERT UNTIL THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
EVENT IS OVER. KEEP TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER
UPDATES.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 16, 7:06 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCMorgan, Oconee69 min
Mar 16, 7:18 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGreene, Oconee, Oglethorpe57 min
Mar 16, 7:18 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCClarke, Jackson, Madison57 min
Mar 16, 7:18 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBanks, Franklin57 min
Mar 16, 7:40 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCClarke, Madison, Oglethorpe35 min
Mar 16, 7:53 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCElbert, Hart67 min
Mar 16, 7:59 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWilkes61 min
Mar 16, 8:34 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCLincoln41 min
Mar 16, 8:59 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCLincoln61 min
Mar 16, 9:44 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCrawford, Monroe, Peach61 min
Mar 16, 9:44 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJasper61 min
Mar 16, 9:52 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCPolk8 hr
Mar 16, 9:57 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCCobb, Douglas, Fulton5 hr
Mar 16, 9:57 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCDeKalb5 hr
Mar 17, 12:30 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCDeKalb, Fulton6 hr
Mar 17, 12:30 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCCobb, Douglas6 hr
Mar 17, 1:59 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCHenry, Rockdale4 hr
Mar 17, 1:59 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCClayton, Fayette, Spalding4 hr
Mar 17, 1:59 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCLamar, Pike, Upson4 hr
Mar 17, 1:59 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCButts4 hr
Mar 17, 2:26 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCrawford, Monroe64 min
Mar 17, 5:45 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCCobb, Douglas, Fulton6 hr
Mar 17, 5:45 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCDeKalb6 hr
Mar 17, 6:08 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCButts, Clayton, Fayette, Henry, Lamar, Pike and 1 more4 hr
Mar 17, 6:08 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCUpson4 hr
Mar 17, 6:08 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCRockdale4 hr
Mar 17, 6:37 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCFannin5 hr
Mar 17, 7:21 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCWhite3 hr
Mar 17, 7:35 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCJasper, Jones, Monroe3 hr
Mar 17, 10:54 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCJones, Monroe3 hr

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.