Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Tallahassee, FL

April 19, 1991Lee County, Georgia

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this tornado warning at Apr 19, 1991, 4:48 PM EDT for Lee County, Georgia. It was in force for 27 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 19, 1991, 4:48 PM EDT (20:48 UTC)
Expired
Apr 19, 1991, 5:15 PM EDT
In force
27 min
Issued by
NWS Tallahassee, FL
Area
Whole counties

County Lee County, GA

The nearest sounding before it

Apalachicola Mun, FL (KAQQ), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 242 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, Apalachicola Mun, FL at 12:00Z on 1991-04-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1303 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, Apalachicola Mun, FL at 12:00Z on 1991-04-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 29 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1303 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-18 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
718 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
81 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCSG 192048
TORCSG
GAC177-192115-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
448 PM EDT FRI APR 19 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBUS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  515 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHWEST GEORGIA
 
   ...LEE COUNTY
 
AT 445 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST
EAST OF LEESBURG GEORGIA MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. A FUNNEL
CLOUD HAS BEEN REPORTED.
 
 
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS.  IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING.  IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A D!ITCH OR LOW SPOT.

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, Apr 19, 1:14 PM EDT, 3 hours 34 minutes before
FLZ005-191815-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
115 PM EDT FRI APR 19 1991

AT 105 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL LOCATED IN CENTRAL LEON COUNTY
ONE MILE NORTH OF THE TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL AIRPORT. THE THUNDERSTORM
WAS MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH AND WILL LIKELY MOVE ACROSS
TALLAHASSEE DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

PERSONS LIVING IN TALLAHASSEE CAN EXPECT BRIEF HEAVY RAINS POSSIBLY
MIXED WITH SMALL HAIL...STRONG WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AS THIS
STORM MOVES THROUGH THE AREA.
Special weather statement, Apr 19, 1:43 PM EDT, 3 hours 5 minutes before
FLZ005-191845-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
144 PM EDT FRI APR 19 1991

AT 130 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS AND SMALL HAIL LOCATED 25
MILES SOUTHWEST...15 MILES NORTHWEST AND 5 MILES NORTH OF THE
TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL AIRPORT.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

PERSONS LIVING IN THIS AREA CAN EXPECT BRIEF HEAVY RAINS...STRONG
WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THE
AREA.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Apr 19, 2:31 PM EDT, 2 hours 17 minutes before
FLZ005-GAZ011-191930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
233 PM EDT FRI APR 19 1991

AT 225 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS LOCATED 5 MILES EAST AND 10 TO 15 MILES SOUTH OF
HAVANA FLORIDA.

THIS CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED PEA SIZE HAIL AS IT MOVED
ACROSS TALLAHASSEE DURING THE PAST HOUR.

THESE STORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTH AT 10 TO 15 MPH AND SHOULD
MOVE THROUGH HAVANA AND QUINCY IN GADSDEN COUNTY FLORIDA..AND THEN UP
INTO GRADY AND DECATUR COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST GEORGIA IN THE NEXT HOUR.

PERSONS LIVING IN THI AREA CAN EXPECT BRIEF HEAVY RAINS MIXED POSSIBLY
WITH SMALL HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNI6NG AND STRONGS WINDS AS THESE
STORMS PASS THROUGH.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Apr 19, 3:27 PM EDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
FLZ003-005-GAZ011-192030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
325 PM EDT (225 PM CDT) FRI APR 19 1991

THIS STATEMENT IS FOR PERSONS IN CALHOUN...LIBERTY...GADSDEN AND LEON
COUNTIES IN FLORIDA...AND DECATUR...GRADY AND THOMAS COUNTIES IN
GEORGIA.

THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS
THE NORTH FLORIDA BIG BEND AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST GEORGIA.

AT 320 PM EDT APALACHICOLA WEATHER RADAR INDICATED THE MOST INTENSE
THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN A BAND FROM EXTREME EASTERN CALHOUN COUNTY
ACROSS GADSDEN...LIBERTY...AND CENTRAL AND NORTHERN LEON COUNTY IN
FLORIDA...AND INTO SOUTHEASTERN GRADY AND SOUTHERN THOMAS COUNTIES IN
GEORGIA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE VERY HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT
LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY GUSTY WINDS.

INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING TOWARDS THE NORTHEAST AT AROUND 20
MPH...AND THE BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS IS DEVELOPING NORTHWARD.

WITHIN THE NrEXT HOUR...THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD
NORTH AND EAST INTO SOUTHERN DECATUR...GRADY AND THOMAS COUNTIES IN
GEORGIA.
Special weather statement, Apr 19, 4:35 PM EDT, 13 minutes before
FLZ003-005-GAZ011-012-192145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
436 PM EDT (336 PM CDT) FRI APR 19 1991

THIS STATEMENT IS FOR PERSONS IN CALHOUN...LIBERTY...GADSDEN AND LEON
COUNTIES OF NORTH FLORIDA...AND DECATUR...GRADY...THOMAS AND BROOKS
COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST GEORGIA.

THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL CONTINUE ACROSS NORTH
FLORIDA AND SOUTHWEST GEORGIA.

AT 430 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THE STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN A CLUSTER OVER EASTERN CALHOUN COUNTY...AND
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LIBERTY COUNTIES OF NORTH FLORIDA. OTHER STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED IN SOUTHERN DECATUR...NORTHERN
GRADY...THOMAS AND BROOKS COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST GEORGIA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL
HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY GUSTY WINDS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY TOWARD THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 19, 5:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEDougherty67 min
Apr 19, 6:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEChattahoochee, Stewart41 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.