Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Atlanta, GA

April 3, 1998Washington County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this tornado warning at Apr 3, 1998, 2:54 PM EST for Washington County, Georgia. It was in force for 36 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
Apr 3, 1998, 2:54 PM EST (19:54 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 1998, 3:30 PM EST
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Washington County, GA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 3, 3:00 PM ESTThunderstorm Wind 50 EGSandersville, GAThunderstorm winds tore shingles from a roof just south of Sandersville.
Apr 3, 3:15 PM ESTThunderstorm Wind 50 EGTennille, GAA Sandersville deputy reported thunderstorm wind damage to a house. There was an unconfirmed report of a tornado. Dime size hail was also reported.

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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 3, 11:15 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 165 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 1998-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 26 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 1998-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 78 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
26 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
560 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
78 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
210 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.

517 
WFUS1 KATL 031955 RRA
TORATL
GAC303-032030-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
254 PM EST FRI APR 3 1998
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  330 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA
 
   ...WASHINGTON COUNTY
 
AT 253 PM EST WEATHER RADAR WAS SHOWING A DEVELOPING TORNADO LOCATED 5
MILES SOUTHEAST OF SANDERSVILLE. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING EAST AT 60 MILES
AN HOUR.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...GO TO AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS
A CLOSET OR BATHROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. AVOID WINDOWS. USE
BLANKETS...PILLOWS...OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.
 
IF YOU EXPERIENCE STORM DAMAGE TO STRUCTURES OR TREES...OR HAIL THE
SIZE OF DIMES OR LARGER...PLEASE REPORT IT BY CALLING THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE AT 770-486-8535.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 9:28 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWilkinson17 min
Apr 3, 9:36 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWashington39 min
Apr 3, 9:45 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJohnson, Laurens30 min
Apr 3, 10:13 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJohnson, Washington, Wilkinson32 min
Apr 3, 10:27 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMorgan, Oconee33 min
Apr 3, 10:38 AM ESTTornado WarningFFCJohnson22 min
Apr 3, 10:55 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCEmanuel20 min
Apr 3, 1:38 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHancock, Putnam52 min
Apr 3, 1:56 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGlascock, Warren49 min
Apr 3, 2:06 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBaldwin, Washington54 min
Apr 3, 2:31 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJefferson44 min
Apr 3, 3:09 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCJefferson36 min
Apr 3, 3:23 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCobb, Paulding37 min
Apr 3, 3:25 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCEmanuel35 min
Apr 3, 3:49 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDouglas, Fulton26 min
Apr 3, 4:16 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDeKalb, Fulton29 min
Apr 3, 4:20 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCWebster25 min
Apr 3, 4:22 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDade, Walker38 min
Apr 3, 4:28 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHouston, Peach47 min
Apr 3, 4:28 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCTwiggs47 min
Apr 3, 4:32 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJohnson, Laurens43 min
Apr 3, 4:46 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCCatoosa, Walker29 min
Apr 3, 4:49 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCSchley, Sumter26 min
Apr 3, 4:59 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCBleckley, Laurens, Twiggs31 min
Apr 3, 5:09 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCEmanuel, Johnson36 min
Apr 3, 5:10 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHenry, Newton50 min
Apr 3, 5:24 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCClarke, Oconee51 min
Apr 3, 5:24 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWalton51 min
Apr 3, 5:42 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCEmanuel33 min
Apr 3, 5:44 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJasper, Morgan31 min
Apr 3, 6:05 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCMorgan25 min
Apr 3, 6:05 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCGordon25 min
Apr 3, 6:13 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCarroll, Douglas47 min
Apr 3, 6:16 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCEmanuel29 min
Apr 3, 6:27 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCEmanuel18 min
Apr 3, 6:36 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCherokee, Fulton39 min
Apr 3, 6:49 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCForsyth26 min
Apr 3, 6:56 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCCoweta, Heard49 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Georgia, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes in 1998

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.