Alert archive / Tennessee / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1994
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 69, NWS Atlanta, GA
NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 1994, 5:03 PM EDT for Polk County, Tennessee. It was in force for 42 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 15, 1994, 5:03 PM EDT (21:03 UTC)
- Expired
- May 15, 1994, 5:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 42 min
- Issued by
- NWS Atlanta, GA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Polk County, TN
The nearest sounding before it
Athens Municipal, GA (KAHN), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 172 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 365 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -40 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 579 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 97 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 130 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KCHA 152103 RRA SVRCHA TNC139-152145- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHATTANOOGA TN 503 PM EDT SUN MAY 15 1994 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHATTANOOGA HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 545 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE ...POLK COUNTY AT 500 PM EDT...THE CHATTANOOGA WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN WESTERN POLK COUNTY...JUST SOUTHWEST OF BENTON. THE STORM IS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MILES PER HOUR AND MAY PRODUCE STRONG WINDS...HAIL...DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. 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, May 15, 3:43 PM EDT, 1 hour 20 minutes before
GAZ008>010-014>018-023>029-035>038-047>051-152040- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA 340 PM EDT SUN MAY 15 1994 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA UNTIL 800 PM EDT THIS EVENING... AT 330 PM EDT THERE WERE NO THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA HOWEVER SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER MUCH OF NORTHWEST GEORGIA AND WILL BE MOVING INTO THE WESTERN SECTIONS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA IN AN HOUR OR TWO. IF YOU AREA IN DAWSON...LUMPKIN...AND HALL COUNTIES BE PREPARED AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE INTO YOUR AREA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA WERE LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF CANTON ...10 MILES WEST OF JASPER...AND JUST SOUTHWEST OF CARTERSVILLE. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...POSSIBLE HAIL...AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR. ELSEWHERE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED ACROSS EAST TENNESSEE... NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA AND SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA. THE STRONGEST OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED 10 MILES EAST OF WAYNESBORO AND 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF SYLVANIA GEORGIA.
Special weather statement, May 15, 3:48 PM EDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
GAZAL048-152050- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS, GEORGIA 342 PM EDT SUN MAY 15 1994 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA UNTIL 8 PM EDT... AT 245 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A FEW SCATTERED AREA'S OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS LOCATED NEAR MIDWAY AND HURTSBORO ALABAMA. OTHERS WERE LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF DOTHAN ALABAMA. MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS WAS NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY CONTAIN SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN. IF YOU PLAN TO BE OUTDOORS THIS EVENING...CHECK THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION AND KEEP A WEATHER EYE ON THE SKY.
Special weather statement, May 15, 4:21 PM EDT, 42 minutes before
GAZ120>122-142-152225-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS, GEORGIA
421 PM EDT SUN MAY 15 1994
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR CLAY...EARLY...QUITMAN AND
RANDOLPH COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST GEORGIA UNTIL 8 PM EDT...
AT 415 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...SOUTHWEST GEORGIA AND NORTHERN
FLORIDA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN GADSDEN AND JACKSON
COUNTIES OF NORTHERN FLORIDA. THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20
MPH AND WILL AFFECT ONLY THE SOUTHERNMOST COUNTIES OF GEORGIA OVER THE
NEXT TWO HOURS. HOWEVER...CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP THROUGH THIS EVENING.
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS SHOULD WATCH FOR
THREATENING WEATHER AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO... COMMERCIAL
RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
Bl.M~WWUS"
.66WWUS.
PWUUS
.6WWUS
"6WWUS<
d56WWUSh
WUUSD
$WWUS
De^WSUS
dOi`WWUS(
-sWWAK\
|XWUUS
*6WWUS
y6WWUS
WWUSd
('sWUUSL
6WUUS
6WWUS
666WWUS
(-@6WWUS
<6WWUS
|8L6WWUS@
PH.
CHANCE>*~~ BREEZY n6WWUS
AND DERSTORMd66WWUS
o6WWUS
0x6WWUSV
xi-`WWUS
Tp9`WWUS
\V1WSCA^
`Be^WSUS
dM`WWUS
q6WWUSH
D6WWUS`
lqf6WWUS
$
NCZ080-081-0j&6WWUS
|WUUS
H_6WWUS
xWWUS
WA`WWUS
@"6WWUS
IWUUS
Z&6WWUSSpecial weather statement, May 15, 4:23 PM EDT, 40 minutes before
GAZ120>122-142-152225- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS, GEORGIA 421 PM EDT SUN MAY 15 1994 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR CLAY...EARLY...QUITMAN AND RANDOLPH COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST GEORGIA UNTIL 8 PM EDT... AT 415 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...SOUTHWEST GEORGIA AND NORTHERN FLORIDA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN GADSDEN AND JACKSON COUNTIES OF NORTHERN FLORIDA. THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH AND WILL AFFECT ONLY THE SOUTHERNMOST COUNTIES OF GEORGIA OVER THE NEXT TWO HOURS. HOWEVER...CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP THROUGH THIS EVENING. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS SHOULD WATCH FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO... COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR FURTHER INFORMATIONx.
Special weather statement, May 15, 4:50 PM EDT, 13 minutes before
GAZ127-129-146-152155- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS, GEORGIA 450 PM EDT SUN MAY 15 1994 AT 446 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN COLUMBUS INDICATED A CLUSTER OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN OMEGA AND DOERUN IN COLQUITT COUNTY. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH AND WILL BE MOVING INTO TIFT AND SOUTHERN WORTH COUNTIES OVER THE NEXT HOUR. AS THESE STORMS PASS...EXPECT VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN...STRONG WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL. WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS. DO NOT USE TELEPHONES OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
Special weather statement, May 15, 4:52 PM EDT, 11 minutes before
GAZ127-129-146-152155- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS, GEORGIA 450 PM EDT SUN MAY 15 1994 AT 446 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN COLUMBUS INDICATED A CLUSTER OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN OMEGA AND DOERUN IN COLQUITT COUNTY. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH AND WILL BE MOVING INTO TIFT AND SOUTHERN WORTH COUNTIES OVER THE NEXT HOUR. AS THESE STORMS PASS...EXPECT VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN...STRONG WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL. WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS. DO NOT USE TELEPHONES OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Atlanta, GA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 3:27 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Marion | 63 min |
| May 15, 4:13 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Hamilton | 62 min |
| May 15, 4:48 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Bradley | 42 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Tennessee, 1994Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1994
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.