Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 187

April 22, 199755 counties in Georgia; Jasper County, South Carolina

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 22, 1997, 11:00 PM EDT for 55 counties in Georgia; Jasper County, South Carolina. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 22, 1997, 11:00 PM EDT (03:00 UTC)
Expired
Apr 23, 1997, 4:00 AM EDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 56 counties

Appling County, GA, Atkinson County, GA, Bacon County, GA, Ben Hill County, GA, Berrien County, GA, Bleckley County, GA, Brantley County, GA, Brooks County, GA, Bryan County, GA, Bulloch County, GA, Camden County, GA, Candler County, GA, Charlton County, GA, Chatham County, GA, Clinch County, GA, Coffee County, GA, Colquitt County, GA, Cook County, GA, Crisp County, GA, Dodge County, GA, Dooly County, GA, Echols County, GA, Effingham County, GA, Emanuel County, GA, Evans County, GA, Glynn County, GA, Houston County, GA, Irwin County, GA, Jeff Davis County, GA, Lanier County, GA, Laurens County, GA, Lee County, GA, Liberty County, GA, Long County, GA, Lowndes County, GA, Macon County, GA, McIntosh County, GA, Mitchell County, GA, Montgomery County, GA, Peach County, GA, Pierce County, GA, Pulaski County, GA, Tattnall County, GA, Telfair County, GA, Thomas County, GA, Tift County, GA, Toombs County, GA, Treutlen County, GA, Turner County, GA, Twiggs County, GA, Ware County, GA, Wayne County, GA, Wheeler County, GA, Wilcox County, GA, Worth County, GA, Jasper County, SC

Warnings issued inside it

16 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 22, 11:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHouston, Peach30 min
Apr 22, 11:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCrisp, Dooly32 min
Apr 22, 11:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCTwiggs32 min
Apr 22, 11:18 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCPulaski, Wilcox27 min
Apr 22, 11:18 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBleckley27 min
Apr 22, 11:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDodge, Laurens28 min
Apr 22, 11:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEWorth50 min
Apr 22, 11:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCTelfair, Wheeler44 min
Apr 22, 11:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCEmanuel, Jefferson, Treutlen44 min
Apr 23, 12:12 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMontgomery, Toombs33 min
Apr 23, 12:25 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSCandler, Tattnall65 min
Apr 23, 12:26 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXCoffee, Jeff Davis49 min
Apr 23, 12:41 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBulloch, Evans64 min
Apr 23, 3:20 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXWare40 min
Apr 23, 3:39 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXWayne51 min
Apr 23, 3:55 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSLong50 min

The nearest sounding before it

Jacksonville, FL (KJAX), launched 00:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 191 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, Jacksonville, FL at 00:00Z on 1997-04-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 814 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, Jacksonville, FL at 00:00Z on 1997-04-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 123 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
814 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-147 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1303 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
123 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
147 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

743 
WWUS9 KMKC 230242
SEL7  
MKC WW 230242
GAZ000-230800-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 187
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1042 PM EDT TUE APR 22 1997

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR ALL OR PORTIONS OF

   CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN GEORGIA                            
   AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM 1100 PM
UNTIL 400 AM EDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 3/4 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 70 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 10 MILES NORTH OF ALBANY GEORGIA TO 35 MILES
SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF SAVANNAH GEORGIA.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...  CONTINUE...WW 184...WW 185...WW 186...

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

DISCUSSION...CONVECTIVE SITUATION EXPECTED TO EVOLVE INTO A LEWPY
SQUAL LINE...WITH VERY RESPECTABLE SHEAR /MID LEVEL SPEEDS AROUND
50 KTS/ AND HIGH SURFACE DEWPOINTS COMPENSATING FOR SOMEWHAT
MARGINAL LAPSE RATES TO SUPPORT NEW STORM DEVELOPMENT.  POTENTIAL
FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES IN VICINITY OF LEWP CRESTS.   

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 3/4 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
480.  MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25040.

...CORFIDI

324,0841 324,0805 303,0805 303,0841

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 22, 9:00 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCEffingham4 hr
Apr 22, 10:00 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCBaker, Calhoun, Chattahoochee, Clay, Decatur, Dougherty and 18 more6 hr
Apr 23, 3:00 AM EDTTornado WatchSPCAppling, Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks and 24 more6 hr
Apr 23, 1:00 AM EDTTornado WatchSPCAllendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston and 8 more3 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Georgia, 1997Tornado Watches in South Carolina, 1997Every tornado watch 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.