Alert archive / Georgia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 129, NWS Atlanta, GA

July 31, 2003Catoosa County, Whitfield County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this flash flood warning at Jul 31, 2003, 7:35 PM EDT for Catoosa County, Whitfield County, Georgia. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 31, 2003, 7:35 PM EDT (23:35 UTC)
Expired
Jul 31, 2003, 10:30 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Catoosa County, GA, Whitfield County, GA

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:35 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 177 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 2003-07-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 665 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 2003-07-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -4 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
665 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-28 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
612 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-16 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.

000 
WGUS52 KFFC 312337
FFWATL
GAC047-313-010230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
735 PM EDT THU JUL 31 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN CATOOSA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA
  NORTHERN WHITFIELD COUNTY IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA

* UNTIL 1030 PM EDT

* AT 731 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM SOUTH OF RINGGOLD TO TUNNEL HILL AND COHUTTA.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THESE STORMS WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND AREAS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS AND OTHER LOW 
LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLASH FLOODING. THE HEAVY RAINS COULD ALSO
TRIGGER ROCK AND MUDSLIDES IN STEEP TERRAIN.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT
QUICKLY. MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY
IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
BRIDGES...DIPS...OR OTHER LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. TWO
FEET OF RUSHING WATER CAN CARRY AWAY MOST VEHICLES...INCLUDING SUVS
AND PICKUPS. NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE RELATIVE TO STREAMS...RIVERS...
OR CREEKS WHICH CAN BECOME KILLERS IN HEAVY RAINS. CAMPERS SHOULD
AVOID CAMPING ALONG STREAMS OR CREEKS DURING THREATENING RAINS.

YOU CAN REPORT SERIOUS FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY
CALLING TOLL FREE 1 8 6 6 7 6 3 4 4 6 6.

LAT...LON 3493 8521 3481 8513 3482 8488 3498 8487

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 31, 4:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMeriwether24 min
Jul 31, 7:51 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningFFCMurray3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Georgia, 2003Every flash flood warning in 2003

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.