Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 79, NWS Atlanta, GA

March 17, 1996Harris County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 17, 1996, 6:58 AM EST for Harris County, Georgia. It was in force for 32 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
Mar 17, 1996, 6:58 AM EST (11:58 UTC)
Expired
Mar 17, 1996, 7:30 AM EST
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Harris County, GA

The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 77 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:57 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 00:00Z, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 80 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 00:00Z on 1996-03-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 477 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 00:00Z on 1996-03-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 270 square meters per square second.1939587897117136156Sfc1 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
477 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-21 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
888 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
76 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
270 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
293 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
4.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS1 KATL 171159 RRA
SVRATL
GAC145-171230-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
658 AM EST SUN MAR 17 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA
 
   ...SOUTHERN HARRIS COUNTY
 
AT 655 AM EST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM APPROACHING MULBERRY GROVE IN HARRIS COUNTY. THIS STORM IS
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING HAIL AND WAS MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.
 
 
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, Mar 17, 5:41 AM EST, 1 hour 17 minutes before
GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-
091>098-103>113-161700-

NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
545 AM EST SUN MAR 17 1996

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR NORTH AND
CENTRAL GEORGIA TODAY AND TONIGHT FROM THE ATHENS AREA AND SOUTH.

A COLD FRONT WILL BECOME STATIONARY ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
TODAY. THIS COMBINED WITH A MOIST UNSTABLE AIRMASS AND STRONG
JETSTREAM WINDS WILL GIVE THE POSSIBILITY FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
THAT COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN NORTH AND CENTRAL
GEORGIA SHOULD MONITOR LOCAL WEATHER CONDITIONS NAND BE READY FOR
POSSIBLE ACTIVATION.

BDL
Special weather statement, Mar 17, 5:45 AM EST, 1 hour 13 minutes before
GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-
091>098-103>113-161700-

NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
545 AM EST SUN MAR 17 1996

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR NORTH AND
CENTRAL GEORGIA TODAY AND TONIGHT FROM THE ATHENS AREA AND SOUTH.

A COLD FRONT WILL BECOME STATIONARY ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
TODAY. THIS COMBINED WITH A MOIST UNSTABLE AIRMASS AND STRONG
JETSTREAM WINDS WILL GIVE THE POSSIBILITY FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
THAT COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN NORTH AND CENTRAL
GEORGIA SHOULD MONITOR LOCAL WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE READY FOR
POSSIBLE ACTIVATION.

BDL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 17, 5:11 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCPike49 min
Mar 17, 5:23 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMeriwether37 min
Mar 17, 5:49 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHancock, Warren41 min
Mar 17, 6:24 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGlascock36 min
Mar 17, 7:29 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBaldwin, Jones31 min
Mar 17, 8:40 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCSumter, Webster50 min
Mar 17, 8:48 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCEmanuel42 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.