Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Jacksonville, FL

March 3, 1991Appling County, Tattnall County, Georgia

NWS Jacksonville, FL issued this tornado warning at Mar 3, 1991, 3:43 AM EST for Appling County, Tattnall County, Georgia. It was in force for 47 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 3, 1991, 3:43 AM EST (08:43 UTC)
Expired
Mar 3, 1991, 4:30 AM EST
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Jacksonville, FL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Appling County, GA, Tattnall County, GA

The nearest sounding before it

Jacksonville, FL (KAYS), launched 00:00Z, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 162 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 00:00Z on 1991-03-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 111 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 00:00Z on 1991-03-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 107 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
111 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-248 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1054 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
71 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
107 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
175 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAV 030844
TORSAV
GAC001-267-030930-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAVANNAH GA
343 AM EST SUN MAR 3 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAVANNAH HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WA

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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, Mar 3, 12:23 AM EST, 3 hours 20 minutes before
FLZ008-007-009-GAZ013-015-030715-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
1220 AM EST SUN MAR 3 1991

...TORNADO WATCH #26 IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST
GEORGIA UNTIL 500 AM... ...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR
DIXIE...LEVY...TAYLOR...GILCHRIST...
ALACHUA...UNION...LAFAYETTE...AND THE SOUTHERN HALF OF SUWANNEE AND
COLUMBIA COUNTIES...
...A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS FROM
SAVANNAH SOUTH TO ST AUGUSTINE AND THE GULF COASTAL WATERS FROM
VENICE NORTH TO APPALACHICOLA...
...A LAKE WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR AREA LAKES...
...A HIGH WIND WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST FLORIDA...

AT 1220 AM EST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED A LARGE AREA
OF RAIN ACROSS THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF GEORGIA AND ACROSS THE FLORIDA
BIG BEND AREA AND PANHANDLE. MOST OF THE STRONG THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY
WAS LOCATED IN THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO.
IN GEORGIA A THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR BRUNSWICK AND HEAVY SHOWERS
WERE LOCATED NORTHEAST OF VALDOSTA.

AS THUNDERSTORMS MOVE INTO NORTHEAST FLORIDA LATER THIS MORNING THEY
WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER...INCLUDING
TORNADOES. LATER IN THE DAY WINDS WILL PICK UP ACROSS NORTHEAST
FLORIDA...POSSIBLY CAUSING DAMAGE FROM WEAKENED TREES.

RESIDENTS OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA ARE URGED TO REMAIN ALERT TO THIS
SITUATION AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY. BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT IF SEVERE WEATHER IS SIGHTED OR HEARD
...OR IF A WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA. TUNE TO NOAA WEATHER
RADIO FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 2:20 AM EST, 1 hour 23 minutes before
FLZ008-007-009-GAZ013-015-030915-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
220 AM EST SUN MAR 3 1991

...TORNADO WATCH #26 IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST
GEORGIA UNTIL 500 AM...
...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR DIXIE...LEVY...TAYLOR...GILCHRIST...
ALACHUA...UNION...LAFAYETTE...AND THE SOUTHERN HALF OF SUWANNEE AND
COLUMBIA COUNTIES...
...A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS FROM
SAVANNAH SOUTH TO ST AUGUSTINE AND THE GULF COASTAL WATERS FROM
VENICE NORTH TO APPALACHICOLA...
...A LAKE WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR AREA LAKES...
...A HIGH WIND WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST FLORIDA...

AT 220 AM EST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED A LARGE AREA
OF RAIN ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF GEORGIA AND ACROSS NORTH FLORIDA
FROM THE SUWANNEE RIVER WEST INTO THE PANHANDLE. A FEW SHOWERS HAVE
DEVELOPED IN SUWANNEE AND COLUMBIA COUNTIES AND MOVED INTO THE
OKEFENOKEE SWAMP AND NORTHWEST NASSAU COUNTY.

THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING VERY HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS
WERE LOCATED IN SOUTH GEORGIA...MAINLY BETWEEN ALMA AND VALDOSTA.
IN FLORIDA THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED FROM MADISON
WEST TO TALLAHASSEE AND PANAMA CITY AND INTO THE NORTHERN GULF OF
MEXICO.

AS THUNDERSTORMS MOVE INTO NORTHEAST FLORIDA LATER THIS MORNING THEY
WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER...INCLUDING
TORNADOES. LATER IN THE DAY WINDS WILL PICK UP ACROSS NORTHEAST
FLORIDA...POSSIBLY CAUSING DAMAGE FROM WEAKENED TREES.

RESIDENTS OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA ARE URGED TO REMAIN ALERT TO THIS
SITUATION AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY. BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER
IF SEVERE WEATHER IS SIGHTED OR HEARD...OR IF A WANRNING IS ISSUED
FOR YOUR AREA. TUNE TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Jacksonville, FL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 3, 3:11 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXCoffee49 min
Mar 3, 4:22 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXBulloch, Evans53 min
Mar 3, 5:47 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningJAXLowndes58 min
Mar 3, 5:47 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXLowndes58 min
Mar 3, 6:07 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXBacon, Brantley, Pierce, Ware68 min
Mar 3, 7:05 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXLong, McIntosh, Wayne55 min
Mar 3, 7:05 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXGlynn55 min
Mar 3, 7:12 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXCamden48 min
Mar 3, 7:27 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXBryan, Liberty48 min
Mar 3, 7:27 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXChatham48 min
Mar 3, 1:17 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXLong, Wayne43 min
Mar 3, 1:32 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXBryan, Liberty43 min
Mar 3, 2:05 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXChatham, Effingham40 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Georgia, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.