Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 60, NWS Atlanta, GA

May 3, 1998Forsyth County, Fulton County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this tornado warning at May 3, 1998, 5:35 PM EDT for Forsyth County, Fulton County, Georgia. It was in force for 35 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
May 3, 1998, 5:35 PM EDT (21:35 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 1998, 6:10 PM EDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Forsyth County, GA, Fulton County, GA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 3, 5:35 PM EDTHail 1.75Alpharetta, GANumerous public reports indicated dime to golf ball size hail fell across northern Fulton county in the Alpharetta area.
May 3, 5:40 PM EDTHail 1Big Creek, GANickel to quarter size hail fell in southern Forsyth county. Small trees were downed near the Fulton county line.

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
May 3, 4:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 73 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 1998-05-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 239 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 1998-05-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 100 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
239 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-118 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1307 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
100 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
174 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

340 
WFUS1 KATL 032137 RRA
TORATL
GAC117-121-032210-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
535 PM EDT SUN MAY 3 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN FORSYTH COUNTY IN NORTHWESTERN GEORGIA
  NORTHERN FULTON COUNTY IN NORTHWESTERN GEORGIA

* UNTIL 610 PM EDT

* AT 534 PM EDT... A TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY DOPPLER RADAR  2
  MILES NORTH OF ALPHARETTA MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.



IF CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN THE STRONGEST NEARBY BUILDING.
AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT OR DITCH. LIE FLAT IN
THE DITCH AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR ARMS AND HANDS. 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.

17/35

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 9:15 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHeard35 min
May 3, 9:32 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCoweta33 min
May 3, 10:00 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMeriwether35 min
May 3, 10:16 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCSpalding49 min
May 3, 10:28 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCLamar, Pike47 min
May 3, 11:24 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCrawford36 min
May 3, 11:34 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBibb51 min
May 3, 12:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJefferson, Washington35 min
May 3, 12:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWilcox32 min
May 3, 1:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCToombs34 min
May 3, 2:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCEmanuel47 min
May 3, 3:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCFloyd62 min
May 3, 4:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBartow32 min
May 3, 4:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBartow, Cherokee48 min
May 3, 4:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCarroll34 min
May 3, 5:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCForsyth, Fulton47 min
May 3, 5:07 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCFloyd48 min
May 3, 5:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMarion47 min
May 3, 5:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGwinnett50 min
May 3, 5:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCoweta34 min
May 3, 5:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCFloyd36 min
May 3, 6:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWebster18 min
May 3, 6:13 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCCoweta, Fayette37 min
May 3, 6:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMarion, Schley, Webster35 min
May 3, 6:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBarrow48 min
May 3, 6:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGilmer33 min
May 3, 6:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMonroe37 min
May 3, 6:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCarroll33 min
May 3, 6:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHouston37 min
May 3, 6:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJasper35 min
May 3, 6:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCSumter34 min
May 3, 6:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHeard37 min
May 3, 6:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCClayton, Henry, Spalding49 min
May 3, 6:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCoweta49 min
May 3, 7:01 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCBleckley, Houston, Twiggs34 min
May 3, 7:03 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCMonroe37 min
May 3, 7:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCLumpkin50 min
May 3, 7:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBartow34 min
May 3, 7:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBibb33 min
May 3, 7:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCButts, Jasper51 min
May 3, 7:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCherokee50 min
May 3, 7:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJones48 min
May 3, 7:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCLaurens32 min
May 3, 7:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWilkinson35 min
May 3, 7:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCobb48 min
May 3, 7:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHall51 min
May 3, 7:47 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCJasper, Monroe33 min
May 3, 7:50 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCJones35 min
May 3, 7:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCFulton48 min
May 3, 7:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCSpalding47 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.