Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 443, NWS Atlanta, GA

August 18, 1997Carroll County, Haralson County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 18, 1997, 1:03 PM EDT for Carroll County, Haralson County, Georgia. It was in force for 42 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 18, 1997, 1:03 PM EDT (17:03 UTC)
Expired
Aug 18, 1997, 1:45 PM EDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Carroll County, GA, Haralson County, GA

The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 65 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:55 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 18, 1:15 PM EDTThunderstorm WindBremen, GAWGMI radio reported several trees were knocked down by thunderstorm winds.
Aug 18, 1:30 PM EDTThunderstorm WindHulett, GAThunderstorm winds knocked a couple of power lines down.

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 5.1 hours before the alert went out and 70 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 1997-08-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2384 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 1997-08-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 54 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
2384 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
678 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
54 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
84 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 181702 RRA
SVRATL
GAC045-143-181745-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
103 PM EDT MON AUG 18 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  145 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA
 
   ...CARROLL COUNTY...HARALSON COUNTY
 
AT 1 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ALONG GEORGIA AND
ALABAMA LINE WEST OF TALLAPOOSA AND BOWDEN. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST
SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
 
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.
 
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, Aug 18, 11:47 AM EDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-
091>098-103>113-190300-

NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1147 AM EDT MON AUG 18 1997

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF NORTH
AND CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE SLIGHT RISK AREA
IS GENERALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM ROME TO CUMMING TO
HARTWELL.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS
GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON... AHEAD OF A FRONTAL BOUNDARY MOVING
SOUTHEAST OUT THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BE
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND HEAVY
DOWNPOURS.

SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN NORTH AND
CENTRAL GEORGIA SHOULD MONITOR LOCAL WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE
READY FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON.
Special weather statement, Aug 18, 11:48 AM EDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-
091>098-103>113-190300-

NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1147 AM EDT MON AUG 18 1997

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF NORTH
AND CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE SLIGHT RISK AREA
IS GENERALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM ROME TO CUMMING TO
HARTWELL.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS
GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON... AHEAD OF A FRONTAL BOUNDARY MOVING
SOUTHEAST OUT THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BE
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND HEAVY
DOWNPOURS.

SPOTTER GROUP:S AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN NORTH AND
CENTRAL GEORGIA SHOULD MONITOR LOCAL WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE
READY FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 18, 4:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCEmanuel, Treutlen50 min
Aug 18, 5:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMontgomery, Toombs51 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.