Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 129, NWS Atlanta, GA

April 20, 1996Bleckley County, Dodge County, Laurens County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 20, 1996, 6:38 PM EDT for Bleckley County, Dodge County, Laurens County, Georgia. It was in force for 52 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 20, 1996, 6:38 PM EDT (22:38 UTC)
Expired
Apr 20, 1996, 7:30 PM EDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Bleckley County, GA, Dodge County, GA, Laurens County, GA

The radar

The Robins AFB radar (KJGX), 41 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:37 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 170 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 1996-04-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 109 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 1996-04-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 177 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
109 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-165 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
680 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
177 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
227 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 202237
SVRATL
GAC023-091-175-202330-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
638 PM EDT SAT APR 20 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN CENTRAL GEORGIA
 
   ...BLECKLEY COUNTY...DODGE COUNTY...LAURENS COUNTY
 
AT 635 PM DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
PRODUCING STRONG DAMAGING WINDS FROM NORTHERN LAURENS COUNTY TO
NORTHERN BLECKLEY COUNTY. THESE STORMS WILL AFFECT DUBLIN AND COCHRAN
BY 645 PM AND EASTMAN BY 7PM.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMB(ER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING 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

Special weather statement, Apr 20, 4:35 PM EDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
GAZ049-050-056-058>060-067>072-078-079-202130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
435 PM EDT SAT APR 20 1996

AT 426 PM EDT A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR
GREENSBORO IN GREENE COUNTY THROUGH BUTTS COUNTY TO NORTHWEST
HARRIS NEAR HAMILTON. THIS LINE OF STORMS WILL CONTINUE MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD EXPECT WINDS GUSTING
TO 40 TO 450 MILES AN HOUR...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DEADLY LIGHTNING.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT FOR MOST OF THE
NORTHERN HALF OF GEORGIA.

KEEP TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Apr 20, 5:38 PM EDT, 1 hour before
GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-091>
098-103>113-202215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
530 PM EDT SAT APR 20 1996

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 202 CANCELLED FOR PARTS OF NORTHERN GEORGIA

AT 530 PM... THE WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED NORTH OF A LINE EXTENDING
FROM WARRENTON THROUGH MCDONOUGH TO LAGRANGE...INCLUDING ATLANTA AND
ATHENS.

THE REMAINDER OF THE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR COUNTIES FROM
TALBOT TO GLASCOCK INCLUDING THE CITY OF MACON.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER CENTRAL GEORGIA AND COULD STILL
PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER INCLUDING DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL UP TO ONE
INCH.
DH
Local storm report, Apr 20, 6:16 PM EDT, 22 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
443 PM EST SAT APR 20 1996

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

259 PM     2N BOWDEN                 GA   0.75 INCH HAIL
4/20/96    CARROLL                        SPOTTER REPORTED DIME-NICKLE
                                          SIZE HAIL

320 PM     WOODSTOCK                 GA   1.00 INCH HAIL
4/20/96    CHEROKEE                       REPORTED BY FIRE DEPT

320 PM     CARROLLTON                GA   0.75 INCH HAIL
4/20/96    CARROLL                        HAM OPERATOR REPORTED
                                          DIME SIZE HAIL AT WEST
                                          GEORGIA COLLEGE

334 PM     MARIETTA                  GA   0.75 INCH HAIL
4/20/96    COBB                           REPORTED BY MARIETTA 911

337 PM     AUSTELL                   GA   0.75 INCH HAIL
4/20/96    COBB                           REPORTED BY HAM RADIO OPERATOR
                                          NEAR I-20 AND BANKHEAD HWY

340 PM     VININGS                   GA   1.00 INCH HAIL
4/20/96    COBB                           REPORTED BY THE WEATHER CHANNEL

341 PM     DULUTH                    GA   0.75 INCH HAIL (COVERING THE GROUND)
4/20/96    GWINNETT                       REPORTED BY CNN

355 PM     SMYRNA                    GA   0.75 INCH HAIL
4/20/96    COBB                           REPORTED BY THE WEATHER CHANNEL

NM
Local storm report, Apr 20, 6:18 PM EDT, 20 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
615 PM EDT SAT APR 20 1996

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

259 PM     2N BOWDEN                 GA   0.75 INCH HAIL
4/20/96    CARROLL                        SPOTTER REPORTED DIME-NICKLE
                                          SIZE HAIL

320 PM     WOODSTOCK                 GA   1.00 INCH HAIL
4/20/96    CHEROKEE                       REPORTED BY FIRE DEPT

320 PM     CARROLLTON                GA   0.75 INCH HAIL
4/20/96    CARROLL                        HAM OPERATOR REPORTED
                                          DIME SIZE HAIL AT WEST
                                          GEORGIA COLLEGE

334 PM     MARIETTA                  GA   0.75 INCH HAIL

4/20/96    COBB                           REPORTED BY MARIETTA 911

337 PM     AUSTELL                   GA   0.75 INCH HAIL
4/20/96    COBB                           REPORTED BY HAM RADIO OPERATOR
                                          NEAR I-20 AND BANKHEAD HWY

340 PM     VININGS                   GA   1.00 INCH HAIL
4/20/96    COBB                           REPORTED BY THE WEATHER CHANNEL

341 PM     DULUTH                    GA   0.75 INCH HAIL (COVERING THE GROUND)
4/20/96    GWINNETT                       REPORTED BY CNN

355 PM     SMYRNA                    GA   0.75 INCH HAIL
4/20/96    COBB                           REPORTED BY THE WEATHER CHANNEL

NM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 20, 10:08 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCatoosa, Dade, Walker, Whitfield52 min
Apr 20, 11:44 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCatoosa, Dade, Walker31 min
Apr 20, 2:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCFloyd, Polk50 min
Apr 20, 2:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBartow, Paulding53 min
Apr 20, 3:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCarroll43 min
Apr 20, 3:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCherokee, Cobb47 min
Apr 20, 3:37 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDeKalb, Fulton53 min
Apr 20, 3:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGwinnett45 min
Apr 20, 3:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCClayton, Coweta, Fayette49 min
Apr 20, 6:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHouston, Twiggs27 min
Apr 20, 6:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCPeach35 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 1996Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1996

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.