Alert archive / Georgia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 7, NWS Atlanta, GA

May 18, 2004Walker County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this flash flood warning at May 18, 2004, 3:32 PM EDT for Walker County, Georgia. It was in force for 118 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
May 18, 2004, 3:32 PM EDT (19:32 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 2004, 5:30 PM EDT
In force
118 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Walker County, GA

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:33 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, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 179 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 2004-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 460 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 2004-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -17 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
460 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-52 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
864 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
3 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-17 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
7 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 181934
FFWATL
GAC295-182130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
332 PM EDT TUE MAY 18 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  WALKER COUNTY IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA

* UNTIL 530 PM EDT

* AT 326 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  VERY HEAVY RAIN 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CHICKAMAUGA...OR ABOUT 7 MILES
  SOUTH OF CHATTANOOGA VALLEY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* CREEKS EFFECTED INCLUDE WEST CHICKAMAUGA CREEK...HALL BRANCH CREEK 
  ...AND BORTHERTON CREEK.

RAINFALL TOTALS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES ARE LIKELY IN THIS AREA THROUGH 5 
PM.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF CREEKS
AND STREAMS...ROADS AND ROADSIDE CULVERTS. THE HEAVY RAINS COULD ALSO
TRIGGER ROCK AND MUDSLIDES IN STEEP TERRAIN.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. TWO FEET OF RUSHING WATER CAN CARRY AWAY MOST 
VEHICLES...INCLUDING SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND PICKUPS. VEHICLES 
CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER 
GROUND.

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.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OF STREAMS...
CREEKS...AND ROADS IS EXPECTED. THIS MAY CAUSE SOME MODERATE OR MAJOR
INCONVENIENCES TO THE PUBLIC...AND PROPERTY DAMAGE OR THREAT TO LIFE
IS ELEVATED.

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

LAT...LON 3479 8544 3475 8536 3483 8521 3493 8533

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS72 KFFC 182011
FFSATL
GAC295-182130-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
408 PM EDT TUE MAY 18 2004

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WALKER COUNTY UNTIL 530 
PM...

COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT HAVE REPORTED SEVERAL ROADS IMPASSABLE IN THE 
WEST CHICKAMAUGA CREEK AREA WEST OF ROCK SPRINGS.

CREEKS EFFECTED INCLUDE WEST CHICKAMAUGA CREEK...HALL BRANCH CREEK   
...AND BORTHERTON CREEK.

RAINFALL TOTALS UP TO 6 INCHES HAVE OCCURRED.

RAINFALL RATES HAVE DIMINISHED SOME...BUT AN ADDITIONAL INCH IS 
POSSIBLE.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF CREEKS
AND STREAMS...ROADS AND ROADSIDE CULVERTS. THE HEAVY RAINS COULD ALSO
TRIGGER ROCK AND MUDSLIDES IN STEEP TERRAIN.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. TWO FEET OF RUSHING WATER CAN CARRY AWAY MOST VEHICLES...
INCLUDING SUVS AND PICKUPS. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD
BE ABANDONED QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

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.

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 3479 8544 3475 8536 3483 8521 3493 8533

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 3:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMeriwether24 min
May 18, 3:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCPike31 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Georgia, 2004Every flash flood warning in 2004

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.