Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Watches in 2003

Tornado Watch 111

April 7, 20035 counties in Alabama; 28 counties in Georgia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 7, 2003, 9:40 AM CDT for 5 counties in Alabama; 28 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 7, 2003, 9:40 AM CDT (14:40 UTC)
Expired
Apr 7, 2003, 3:00 PM CDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 33 counties

Barbour County, AL, Bullock County, AL, Macon County, AL, Pike County, AL, Russell County, AL, Bleckley County, GA, Chattahoochee County, GA, Clay County, GA, Crawford County, GA, Crisp County, GA, Dodge County, GA, Dooly County, GA, Houston County, GA, Laurens County, GA, Lee County, GA, Macon County, GA, Marion County, GA, Muscogee County, GA, Peach County, GA, Pulaski County, GA, Quitman County, GA, Randolph County, GA, Schley County, GA, Stewart County, GA, Sumter County, GA, Taylor County, GA, Telfair County, GA, Terrell County, GA, Twiggs County, GA, Webster County, GA, Wheeler County, GA, Wilcox County, GA, Wilkinson County, GA

Warnings issued inside it

2 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 7, 10:49 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXAutauga, Chambers, Elmore, Lee, Lowndes, Macon and 2 more3 hr
Apr 7, 2:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour, Pike56 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 127 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 2003-04-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 72 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 2003-04-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 204 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
72 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-90 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
989 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
204 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
209 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 071436
SEL1
SPC WW 071440
ALZ000-GAZ000-072000-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 111
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1040 AM EDT MON APR 7 2003

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   SOUTHEAST ALABAMA                            
   SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA                            

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON FROM 1040 AM UNTIL 400
PM EDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 35 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 10 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF TROY ALABAMA TO 60
MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF MACON GEORGIA.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.


DISCUSSION...PERSISTENT CLUSTER OF STORMS OVER SOUTH CENTRAL AL IS
EXPECTED TO TRACK EASTWARD INTO WESTERN GA DURING THE NEXT FEW
HOURS.  SMALL BOW/LEWP STRUCTURES WILL CONTINUE TO POSE A THREAT OF
DAMAGING WINDS OR BRIEF TORNADOES THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. 
STRONGER CELLS COULD ALSO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27030.


...HART

323,0860 325,0824 315,0824 313,0860

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 6, 8:13 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBibb, Chilton, Choctaw, Dallas, Fayette, Greene and 8 more2 hr
Apr 6, 9:48 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Dallas, Hale and 6 more87 min
Apr 6, 10:15 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAutauga, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Covington and 10 more5 hr
Apr 6, 11:39 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Covington and 11 more2 hr
Apr 7, 1:51 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBullock, Butler, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery54 min
Apr 7, 2:55 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAutauga, Barbour, Bullock, Chilton, Choctaw, Dallas and 13 more4 hr
Apr 7, 4:49 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Chambers, Chilton, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore and 11 more3 hr
Apr 7, 9:11 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarbour, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale and 6 more3 hr
Apr 7, 11:25 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaldwin, Butler, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington and 6 more3 hr
Apr 7, 12:07 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaldwin, Butler, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington and 6 more113 min
Apr 7, 12:22 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaldwin, Butler, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington and 6 more113 min
Apr 7, 3:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBaldwin, Covington, Escambia, Mobile5 hr
Apr 7, 5:58 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaldwin, Escambia, Mobile2 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2003Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2003Every tornado watch 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.