Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Tallahassee, FL

March 20, 2003Colquitt County, Cook County, Georgia

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this tornado warning at Mar 20, 2003, 11:37 AM EST for Colquitt County, Cook County, Georgia. It was in force for 23 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 20, 2003, 11:37 AM EST (16:37 UTC)
Expired
Mar 20, 2003, 12:00 PM EST
In force
23 min
Issued by
NWS Tallahassee, FL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Colquitt County, GA, Cook County, GA

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 20, 8:40 AM ESTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), launched 12:00Z, 4.6 hours before the alert went out and 116 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 2003-03-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1287 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 12:00Z on 2003-03-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 271 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
1287 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
472 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
66 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
271 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
305 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.4
Supercell composite
7.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

228 
WFUS52 KTAE 201637
TORTLH
GAC071-075-201700-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
1137 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL COLQUITT COUNTY IN GEORGIA
  NORTHERN COOK COUNTY IN GEORGIA

* UNTIL NOON EST

* AT 1134 AM EST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  DEVELOPING TORNADO 5 MILES WEST OF SPARKS...OR ABOUT 6 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF ADEL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  STAUNTON...LENOX BY 1140 AM EST...

LAT...LON 3122 8365 3107 8352 3120 8335 3132 8346

$$

10-BOLINSKI

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 20, 3:56 AM ESTTornado WarningTAEDecatur, Seminole49 min
Mar 20, 4:47 AM ESTTornado WarningTAEBaker, Mitchell43 min
Mar 20, 5:31 AM ESTTornado WarningTAEWorth44 min
Mar 20, 11:53 AM ESTTornado WarningTAEBerrien22 min
Mar 20, 12:17 PM ESTTornado WarningTAEBerrien28 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Georgia, 2003Every tornado warning in 2003Tornadoes 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.