Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 218, NWS Atlanta, GA
NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 3, 1997, 6:55 AM EDT for DeKalb County, Gwinnett County, Georgia. It was in force for 35 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
- May 3, 1997, 6:55 AM EDT (10:55 UTC)
- Expired
- May 3, 1997, 7:30 AM EDT
- In force
- 35 min
- Issued by
- NWS Atlanta, GA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties DeKalb County, GA, Gwinnett County, GA
The radar
The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 69 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:54 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 watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 3:00 AM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 65 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
- 888 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -5 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1099 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 51 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 120 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 242 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.0
- Supercell composite
- 5.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KATL 031056 RRA SVRATL GAC089-135-031130- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 655 AM EDT SAT MAY 3 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 730 AM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA ...DE KALB COUNTY...GWINNETT COUNTY AT 653 WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM LOCATED 5 MILES WEST OF DECATUR MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THIS WILL TAKE THE STORM OVER CLARKSTON AT 710 AM AND LAWRENCEVILLE AT 730 AM. DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. BOATERS, GOLFERS, AND OTHERS INVOLVED IN OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU EXPERIENCE STORM DAMAGE TO STRUCTURES OR TREES...OR HAIL THE SIZE OF DIMES OR LARGER...PLEASE REPORT IT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING 770-486-8535.
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 3, 6:00 AM EDT, 55 minutes before
GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 091>098-103>113-031800- NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 600 AM EDT SAT MAY 3 1997 THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE STATE OF GEORGIA TODAY. A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM LIFTING THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY INTO THE LOWER GREAT LAKES WILL SWING A COLD FRONT THROUGH ALABAMA AND INTO CENTRAL GEORGIA BY AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS MORNING... AND PUSHING FURTHER SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE OFF THE GEORGIA COAST TONIGHT AS COOLER AND DRIER WEATHER ADVANCES THROUGH THE NORTHERN COUNTIES. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAYBE SEVERE...PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. SPOTTER GROUPS IN NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA SHOULD MONITOR WEATHER DEVELOPEMENT AND BE READY FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION LATER THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON. BDG
Special weather statement, May 3, 6:05 AM EDT, 50 minutes before
GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086- 091>098-103>113-031800- NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 600 AM EDT SAT MAY 3 1997 THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE STATE OF GEORGIA TODAY. A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM LIFTING THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY INTO THE LOWER GREAT LAKES WILL SWING A COLD FRONT THROUGH ALABAMA AND INTO CENTRAL GEORGIA BY AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS MORNING... AND PUSHING FURTHER SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE OFF THE GEORGIA COAST TONIGHT AS COOLER AND DRIER WEATHER ADVANCES THROUGH THE NORTHERN COUNTIES. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAYBE SEVERE...PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. SPOTTER GROUPS IN NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA SHOULD MONITOR WEATHER DEVELOPEMENT AND BE READY FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION LATER THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON. BDG
The office that day
Everything else NWS Atlanta, GA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 8:08 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Chattooga | 37 min |
| May 2, 8:26 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Murray | 34 min |
| May 2, 8:42 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Fannin, Gilmer | 48 min |
| May 2, 8:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Murray, Whitfield | 46 min |
| May 2, 8:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Walker | 46 min |
| May 2, 8:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Gordon | 34 min |
| May 2, 9:09 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Cobb | 21 min |
| May 2, 9:35 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Gilmer, Murray | 25 min |
| May 2, 9:38 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Chattooga, Walker | 52 min |
| May 2, 9:38 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Dade | 52 min |
| May 2, 10:02 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Catoosa, Whitfield | 28 min |
| May 2, 10:13 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Floyd | 32 min |
| May 2, 10:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Bartow, Gordon | 45 min |
| May 2, 10:34 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Murray | 26 min |
| May 2, 10:49 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Gilmer, Pickens | 41 min |
| May 2, 11:08 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Dawson, Fannin, Lumpkin | 37 min |
| May 2, 11:19 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Union | 41 min |
| May 2, 11:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Towns, White | 30 min |
| May 3, 1:10 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | FFC | Gordon, Murray, Walker, Whitfield | 3 hr |
| May 3, 1:10 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | FFC | Chattooga, Floyd | 3 hr |
| May 3, 1:10 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | FFC | Gilmer, Pickens | 3 hr |
| May 3, 1:30 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Chattooga | 45 min |
| May 3, 1:51 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Floyd | 39 min |
| May 3, 2:21 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Bartow, Gordon | 39 min |
| May 3, 2:28 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Polk | 32 min |
| May 3, 2:33 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Polk | 42 min |
| May 3, 2:42 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Bartow, Floyd | 33 min |
| May 3, 3:15 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Cherokee | 30 min |
| May 3, 3:29 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Dawson, Forsyth | 31 min |
| May 3, 5:05 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Haralson, Polk | 40 min |
| May 3, 6:08 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Cobb, Paulding | 37 min |
| May 3, 6:32 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | DeKalb, Fulton | 28 min |
| May 3, 7:12 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Clayton, Henry | 33 min |
| May 3, 7:12 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Rockdale | 33 min |
| May 3, 7:18 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Newton, Walton | 42 min |
| May 3, 7:46 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Henry, Newton, Rockdale | 44 min |
| May 3, 8:09 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Morgan, Oconee | 51 min |
| May 3, 8:17 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Meriwether, Pike, Spalding | 43 min |
| May 3, 8:24 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Coweta, Troup | 51 min |
| May 3, 8:36 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Fayette | 54 min |
| May 3, 8:36 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Meriwether | 54 min |
| May 3, 8:52 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Newton | 53 min |
| May 3, 9:13 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Butts, Henry, Newton | 47 min |
| May 3, 9:43 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Harris, Talbot | 32 min |
| May 3, 10:09 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Jasper, Jones, Monroe | 36 min |
| May 3, 10:32 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Crawford, Peach | 38 min |
| May 3, 10:38 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Marion, Schley, Taylor | 37 min |
| May 3, 10:52 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Bibb, Houston, Twiggs | 53 min |
| May 3, 11:12 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Houston | 33 min |
| May 3, 11:36 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Johnson, Washington | 39 min |
| May 3, 12:31 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Dooly | 29 min |
| May 3, 2:08 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Toombs | 37 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997
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.