Alert archive / Georgia / Mesoscale Discussions in 2003

Mesoscale Discussion 302

March 20, 20035 counties in Florida; 52 counties in Georgia; Allendale County, Bamberg County, South Carolina

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Mar 20, 2003, 2:06 AM CST for 5 counties in Florida; 52 counties in Georgia; Allendale County, Bamberg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 54 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 20, 2003, 2:06 AM CST (08:06 UTC)
Expired
Mar 20, 2003, 3:00 AM CST
In force
54 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 59 counties

Calhoun County, FL, Gadsden County, FL, Jackson County, FL, Leon County, FL, Liberty County, FL, Appling County, GA, Atkinson County, GA, Bacon County, GA, Baker County, GA, Ben Hill County, GA, Berrien County, GA, Bleckley County, GA, Brooks County, GA, Bulloch County, GA, Burke County, GA, Calhoun County, GA, Candler County, GA, Coffee County, GA, Colquitt County, GA, Cook County, GA, Crisp County, GA, Decatur County, GA, Dodge County, GA, Dooly County, GA, Dougherty County, GA, Early County, GA, Emanuel County, GA, Evans County, GA, Grady County, GA, Houston County, GA, Irwin County, GA, Jeff Davis County, GA, Jefferson County, GA, Jenkins County, GA, Johnson County, GA, Laurens County, GA, Lee County, GA, Miller County, GA, Mitchell County, GA, Montgomery County, GA, Pulaski County, GA, Screven County, GA, Seminole County, GA, Tattnall County, GA, Telfair County, GA, Terrell County, GA, Thomas County, GA, Tift County, GA, Toombs County, GA, Treutlen County, GA, Turner County, GA, Twiggs County, GA, Washington County, GA, Wheeler County, GA, Wilcox County, GA, Wilkinson County, GA, Worth County, GA, Allendale County, SC, Bamberg County, SC

The watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), launched 00:00Z, 8.1 hours before the alert went out and 135 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 00:00Z on 2003-03-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1137 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 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 00:00Z on 2003-03-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 140 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
1137 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
511 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
140 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
162 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
4.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

627 
ACUS11 KWNS 200806
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 200806 
SCZ000-GAZ000-FLZ000-ALZ000-200900-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0302
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0206 AM CST THU MAR 20 2003

AREAS AFFECTED...CNTRL AND SRN GA CNTRL ERN FL PANHANDLE SERN SC

CONCERNING...TORNADO WATCH 62...

VALID 200806Z - 200900Z

TORNADO WATCH 62 WILL EXPIRE AT 09Z. ANOTHER TORNADO WATCH WILL
LIKELY BE ISSUED BY 0830Z TO REPLACE WW 62 FOR CNTRL/SRN GA AND
SERN SC INTO THE FL PANHANDLE E OF ONGOING LINE OF STORMS.



WARM/MOIST MODERATELY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS IN PLACE OVER
CNTRL/S GA INTO THE FL PANHANDLE S OF BOUNDARY THAT EXTENDS FROM
THE ERN CAROLINAS THROUGH CNTRL GA. LINE OF STORMS FROM CNTRL GA
SSWWD INTO THE WRN FL PANHANDLE IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE SLOWLY
EWD AIDED BY MOIST INFLOW ALONG 40 TO 50 KT SLY LOW LEVEL JET.
STRONG SHEAR WILL PERSIST OVER THE WARM SECTOR E OF THE LINE WITH
0-3 STORM RELATIVE HELICITIES IN EXCESS OF 300 M2/S2 AND STRONG
DEEP LAYER SHEAR. THIS SUGGESTS ISOLATED SUPERCELLS WILL REMAIN
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE LINE AS IT CONTINUES EWD WITH ATTENDANT
THREAT FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES. 

..DIAL.. 03/20/2003

...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...

ATTN...WFO...CHS...CAE...JAX...FFC...TAE...

30418414 29878543 31108523 33028306 33288085 31878197

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 19, 8:41 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCEscambia, Holmes, Jackson, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton and 1 more3 hr
Mar 19, 9:25 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Okaloosa and 3 more6 hr
Mar 19, 11:52 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCalhoun, Gadsden, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette and 5 more2 hr
Mar 20, 2:40 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCBay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hamilton and 7 more5 hr
Mar 20, 5:12 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBay, Calhoun, Gadsden, Gulf, Hamilton, Jefferson and 5 more2 hr
Mar 20, 1:35 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCColumbia, Gadsden, Hamilton, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty and 1 more6 hr
Mar 20, 3:21 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaker, Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, Nassau114 min
Mar 20, 5:57 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaker, Columbia, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon and 5 more2 hr
Mar 19, 6:04 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAppling, Bacon, Brantley, Bryan, Bulloch, Camden and 15 more116 min
Mar 19, 6:15 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAppling, Bacon, Bryan, Bulloch, Candler, Chatham and 11 more4 hr
Mar 19, 7:58 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBurke, Columbia, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln and 6 more3 hr
Mar 19, 10:16 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaldwin, Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll and 50 more2 hr
Mar 19, 11:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBanks, Barrow, Butts, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb and 38 more4 hr
Mar 20, 7:40 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAppling, Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks and 20 more6 hr
Mar 20, 10:09 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAtkinson, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Clinch, Colquitt and 6 more2 hr
Mar 20, 12:33 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAppling, Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks and 10 more117 min
Mar 20, 1:16 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGeorgetown, Horry, Marion, Williamsburg119 min
Mar 20, 4:48 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCalhoun, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Horry and 5 more117 min
Mar 20, 9:10 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCGeorgetown, Horry5 hr
Mar 20, 9:40 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCHorry2 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Georgia, 2003Mesoscale Discussions in Florida, 2003Mesoscale Discussions in South Carolina, 2003Every mesoscale discussion 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.