Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 210

April 27, 19975 counties in Alabama; 24 counties in Florida; 51 counties in Georgia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 27, 1997, 8:00 PM CDT for 5 counties in Alabama; 24 counties in Florida; 51 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 27, 1997, 8:00 PM CDT (01:00 UTC)
Expired
Apr 28, 1997, 2:00 AM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 80 counties

Coffee County, AL, Dale County, AL, Geneva County, AL, Henry County, AL, Houston County, AL, Baker County, FL, Bay County, FL, Bradford County, FL, Calhoun County, FL, Clay County, FL, Columbia County, FL, Duval County, FL, Franklin County, FL, Gadsden County, FL, Gulf County, FL, Hamilton County, FL, Holmes County, FL, Jackson County, FL, Jefferson County, FL, Lafayette County, FL, Leon County, FL, Liberty County, FL, Madison County, FL, Nassau County, FL, Suwannee County, FL, Taylor County, FL, Union County, FL, Wakulla County, FL, Washington County, FL, Appling County, GA, Atkinson County, GA, Bacon County, GA, Baker County, GA, Ben Hill County, GA, Berrien County, GA, Brantley County, GA, Brooks County, GA, Bryan County, GA, Calhoun County, GA, Camden County, GA, Charlton County, GA, Clay County, GA, Clinch County, GA, Coffee County, GA, Colquitt County, GA, Cook County, GA, Crisp County, GA, Decatur County, GA, Dougherty County, GA, Early County, GA, Echols County, GA, Evans County, GA, Glynn County, GA, Grady County, GA, Irwin County, GA, Jeff Davis County, GA, Lanier County, GA, Lee County, GA, Liberty County, GA, Long County, GA, Lowndes County, GA, McIntosh County, GA, Miller County, GA, Mitchell County, GA, Montgomery County, GA, Pierce County, GA, Randolph County, GA, Seminole County, GA, Tattnall County, GA, Telfair County, GA, Terrell County, GA, Thomas County, GA, Tift County, GA, Toombs County, GA, Turner County, GA, Ware County, GA, Wayne County, GA, Wheeler County, GA, Wilcox County, GA, Worth County, GA

The radar

The Tallahassee radar (KTLH), 75 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:04 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.

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 28, 1:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWilcox40 min

The nearest sounding before it

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 74 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, Tallahassee Rgnl, FL at 00:00Z on 1997-04-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 998 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, Tallahassee Rgnl, FL at 00:00Z on 1997-04-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 254 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
998 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
482 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
254 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
263 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
6.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

346 
WWUS9 KMKC 280028
SEL0  
MKC WW 280028
FLZ000-GAZ000-ALZ000-280700-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 210
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
828 PM EDT SUN APR 27 1997

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

   NORTHERN FLORIDA                            
   SOUTHERN GEORGIA                            
   SOUTHEAST ALABAMA                            
   AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING FROM 900 PM UNTIL
300 AM EDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 1/2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 80 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF PANAMA CITY FLORIDA TO
20 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF BRUNSWICK GEORGIA.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH
NUMBER 209.  WATCH NUMBER 209 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 900 PM
EDT.  

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...MODERATELY UNSTABLE AND VERY MOIST AIRMASS IN PLACE
ACROSS FL AND SOUTH GA. WIND PROFILES ARE BECOMING INCRESINGLY
FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELLS AS LOW LEVEL JET INCREASE TO 50 KT AND
UPPER SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM EASTERN TX.  CURRENT STRONG
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE AND INCREASE WITH ADDITIONAL
DEVELOPMENT TAKING PLACE OVER NORTHEASTERN GULF.   


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 1/2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500.  MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 21035.


...HALES

314,0860 322,0810 300,0810 292,0860

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 28, 2:00 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCBarbour, Coffee, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry and 2 more6 hr
Apr 28, 3:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBlount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Cullman and 15 more5 hr
Apr 28, 11:30 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCBrevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler and 19 more6 hr
Apr 28, 4:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBulloch, Burke, Candler, Clarke, Columbia, Effingham and 28 more6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Georgia, 1997Tornado Watches in Florida, 1997Tornado Watches in Alabama, 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.