Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 57, NWS Tallahassee, FL

December 24, 20024 counties in Georgia

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this tornado warning at Dec 24, 2002, 8:37 AM EST for 4 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 23 min. 2 reports 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, 8:37 AM EST (13:37 UTC)
Expired: Dec 24, 2002, 9:00 AM EST
In force: 23 min
Issued by: NWS Tallahassee, FL
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Calhoun County, GA, Dougherty County, GA, Randolph County, GA, Terrell County, GA

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Dec 24, 8:45 AM EST	Thunderstorm Wind 60 EG	Southeast Portion, GA	Straight-line winds inflicted minor roof damage to several homes. Numerous trees and power lines were toppled. Approximately 400 customers were without power, from the town of Sasser south to the county line. Reported by a SKYWARN spotter and GEMA.
Dec 24, 8:45 AM EST	Thunderstorm Wind 55 EG	Countywide, GA	Straight-line winds destroyed an irrigation system and severely damaged a few homes in Arlington, caused roof and carport damage in Morgan, and downed numerous trees and power lines in Edison and other areas in the northwest portion of the county. Reported by

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Dec 24, 6:20 AM EST	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), launched 12:00Z, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 136 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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.

843 
WFUS52 KTAE 241337
TORTLH
GAC037-095-243-273-241400-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CALHOUN COUNTY IN GEORGIA
  THIS INCLUDES MORGAN...
  DOUGHERTY COUNTY IN GEORGIA
  SOUTHEAST RANDOLPH COUNTY IN GEORGIA
  SOUTHERN TERRELL COUNTY IN GEORGIA

* UNTIL 900 AM EST

* AT 827 AM EST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  DEVELOPING TORNADO 6 MILES WEST OF MORGAN...MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  THE ALBANY AREA BY 850 AM EST...

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...ABANDON YOUR MOBILE HOME FOR
A REINFORCED SHELTER.

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 3162 8474 3146 8467 3151 8426 3174 8432
          3166 8461

.END

5-MOLLERE

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 24, 7:57 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Clay	3 hr
Dec 24, 8:12 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Early	7 days
Dec 24, 8:54 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Lee	36 min
Dec 24, 9:02 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Dougherty, Worth	43 min
Dec 24, 9:12 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TAE		48 min
Dec 24, 9:23 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Decatur, Grady	52 min
Dec 24, 9:34 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Tift, Turner	41 min
Dec 24, 9:43 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Ben Hill, Irwin	47 min
Dec 24, 9:49 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Brooks, Thomas	41 min
Dec 24, 10:01 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Berrien	29 min
Dec 24, 10:03 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Cook	27 min
Dec 24, 10:17 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Lowndes	28 min
Dec 24, 10:19 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Lanier	26 min
Dec 24, 12:26 PM EST	Special Marine Warning	TAE		2 hr

Nearby

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