Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 54, NWS Tallahassee, FL

December 24, 2002Clay County, Georgia; Henry County, Alabama

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this tornado warning at Dec 24, 2002, 7:57 AM EST for Clay County, Georgia; Henry County, Alabama. It was in force for 3 hr. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Dec 24, 2002, 7:57 AM EST (12:57 UTC)
Expired
Dec 24, 2002, 10:45 AM EST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Tallahassee, FL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Henry County, AL, Clay County, GA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Dec 24, 10:30 AM ESTThunderstorm Wind 50 EGCountywide, GAPublic reported downed trees and power lines in the Mann Road area south of Lakeland and Empire Church area north of Lakeland.

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
Dec 24, 6:20 AM ESTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), launched 12:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 137 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 12:00Z on 2002-12-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 132 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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 12:00Z on 2002-12-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 471 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
132 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-145 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
463 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
471 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
585 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

456 
WFUS52 KTAE 241257
TORTLH
ALC067-GAC061-241345-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
657 AM CST TUE DEC 24 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN HENRY COUNTY IN ALABAMA
  WESTERN CLAY COUNTY IN GEORGIA
  THIS INCLUDES FORT GAINES...

* UNTIL 745 AM CST(845 AM EST)

* AT 655 AM CST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  DEVELOPING TORNADO 21 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FORT GAINES...OR ABOUT 4
  MILES NORTHEAST OF HEADLAND...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  FORT GAINES BY 815 AM EST...

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SAFETY IN A NEARBY STURDY BUILDING.
ABANDON VEHICLES. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK REFUGE IN A CULVERT...
DITCH...OR LOW SPOT...AND COVER YOUR HEAD.

IF A TORNADO THREATENS YOUR LOCATION GO TO YOUR SAFE ROOM OR TORNADO
SHELTER. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A SAFE ROOM OR TORNADO SHELTER...SEEK
SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM OF THE LOWEST LEVEL OF YOUR HOME.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF
THIS TORNADO...MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF AVAILABLE.
OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.

LAT...LON 3143 8541 3129 8529 3140 8511 3152 8505
          3155 8490 3174 8497

.END

5-MOLLERE

The office that day

Everything else NWS Tallahassee, FL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 24, 8:12 AM ESTTornado WarningTAEEarly7 days
Dec 24, 8:37 AM ESTTornado WarningTAECalhoun, Dougherty, Randolph, Terrell23 min
Dec 24, 8:54 AM ESTTornado WarningTAELee36 min
Dec 24, 9:02 AM ESTTornado WarningTAEDougherty, Worth43 min
Dec 24, 9:12 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAE48 min
Dec 24, 9:23 AM ESTTornado WarningTAEDecatur, Grady52 min
Dec 24, 9:34 AM ESTTornado WarningTAETift, Turner41 min
Dec 24, 9:43 AM ESTTornado WarningTAEBen Hill, Irwin47 min
Dec 24, 9:49 AM ESTTornado WarningTAEBrooks, Thomas41 min
Dec 24, 10:01 AM ESTTornado WarningTAEBerrien29 min
Dec 24, 10:03 AM ESTTornado WarningTAECook27 min
Dec 24, 10:17 AM ESTTornado WarningTAELowndes28 min
Dec 24, 10:19 AM ESTTornado WarningTAELanier26 min
Dec 24, 12:26 PM ESTSpecial Marine WarningTAE2 hr
Dec 24, 7:10 AM ESTTornado WarningTAECoffee, Dale3 hr
Dec 24, 7:10 AM ESTTornado WarningTAEHenry3 hr
Dec 24, 7:20 AM ESTTornado WarningTAEGeneva, Houston40 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Georgia, 2002Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes in 2002

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.