Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 146, NWS Atlanta, GA

April 4, 20084 counties in Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 4, 2008, 4:42 PM EDT for 4 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 37 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: Apr 4, 2008, 4:42 PM EDT (20:42 UTC)
Expired: Apr 4, 2008, 5:19 PM EDT
In force: 37 min
Issued by: NWS Atlanta, GA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Dawson County, GA, Gilmer County, GA, Lumpkin County, GA, Pickens County, GA

The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 140 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:44 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Apr 4, 2:27 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 137 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 504 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 184 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 245 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 
WUUS52 KFFC 042043
SVRFFC
GAC085-123-187-227-042130-
/O.NEW.KFFC.SV.W.0146.080404T2042Z-080404T2130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
442 PM EDT FRI APR 4 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  DAWSON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
  SOUTHEASTERN GILMER COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
  WESTERN LUMPKIN COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
  EASTERN PICKENS COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA

* UNTIL 530 PM EDT

* AT 440 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PENNY SIZED
  HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 60 MPH.  THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED
  ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 8 MILES NORTH OF JASPER TO JASPER TO 7
  MILES WEST OF TATE...MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  MARION...AMICALOLA FALLS STATE PARK...MCKEE...AURARIA AND
  DAHLONEGA.

DOPPLER RADAR HAS INDICATED WEAK ROTATION WITHIN THIS STORM. ALTHOUGH
CURRENT DATA DOES NOT INDICATE THE EXISTENCE OF A TORNADO...A TORNADO
MAY STILL DEVELOP. IF A TORNADO IS SPOTTED...ACT QUICKLY AND MOVE TO
A PLACE OF SAFETY INSIDE A STURDY STRUCTURE...SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR
SMALL INTERIOR ROOM.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING
FOR NORTHERN GEORGIA.

IF YOU SEE WIND DAMAGE...LARGE HAIL OR SIGNIFICANT FLOODING...WAIT
UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED...AND THEN CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE TOLL FREE AT 1 8 6 6 7 6 3 4 4 6 6.

LAT...LON 3440 8405 3438 8426 3439 8452 3464 8440
      3467 8423 3461 8419 3466 8413 3464 8403
      3473 8395 3472 8394 3460 8394
TIME...MOT...LOC 2042Z 250DEG 32KT 3459 8437 3447 8440
          3439 8448

$$

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS52 KFFC 042119
SVSFFC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
519 PM EDT FRI APR 4 2008

GAC085-123-187-227-042129-
/O.CAN.KFFC.SV.W.0146.000000T0000Z-080404T2130Z/
PICKENS GA-DAWSON GA-LUMPKIN GA-GILMER GA-
519 PM EDT FRI APR 4 2008

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN GILMER...WESTERN
LUMPKIN...DAWSON AND EASTERN PICKENS COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED AND IS NO LONGER
SEVERE. HEAVY RAIN AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE.


A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING
FOR NORTHERN GEORGIA.

IF YOU SEE WIND DAMAGE...LARGE HAIL OR SIGNIFICANT FLOODING...WAIT
UNTIL AFTER THE STORM HAS PASSED...AND THEN CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE TOLL FREE AT 1 8 6 6 7 6 3 4 4 6 6.

LAT...LON 3440 8405 3438 8426 3439 8452 3464 8440
      3467 8423 3461 8419 3466 8413 3464 8403
      3473 8395 3472 8394 3460 8394
TIME...MOT...LOC 2119Z 250DEG 32KT 3470 8399 3458 8402
          3450 8411

$$

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Atlanta, GA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Apr 4, 3:35 PM EDT, 1 hour 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 4, 3:35 PM EDT, 1 hour 7 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
335 PM EDT FRI APR 4 2008

.SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/...
CURRENT SATELLITE LOOP SHOWS CLOUDS BREAKING UP AS THE WEDGE BREAKS
FROM SW TO NE. TEMPS AND DEWPOINTS ARE ON THE RISE WITH INCREASED
MOIST SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALONG WITH A RATHER ACTIVE LINE OF STORMS
MOVING EAST OUT OF AL. WE ARE CURRENTLY UNDER A TORNADO WATCH FOR
ALL OF NORTH GA AND PORTIONS OF CENTRAL. A MODERATELY UNSTABLE
AIRMASS CONTINUES TO SPREAD NORTHEASTWARD INTO THE STATE THIS
AFTERNOON. ALSO SHEAR PROFILES ARE INCREASING ACROSS AL/GA.
EXPECTING THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE IN NUMBER AND INTENSITY
THROUGH TONIGHT. TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL
BE POSSIBLE WITH SEVERE STORM DEVELOPMENT. THE WEDGE THAT HAS BEEN
OVER MOST OF THE STATE FOR THE PAST 24 HOURS IS ERODING FAST AND
ALLOWING INCREASED AREAS OF INSTABILITY TO DEVELOP. CURRENTLY
CAPES ARE IN THE 1000-1500 RANGE WITH LIFTED INDICES AROUND -3 TO
-5. THE ACTUAL COLD FRONT DOES NOT MOVE INTO NW GA UNTIL AFTER 00Z
SAT. A WAVE ALONG THE FRONT PUSHES NE OUT OF THE GULF SAT MORNING
AND IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP INTO A CLOSED LOW CENTER OVER CENTRAL
GA BY 18Z SAT. THIS WAVE WILL BRING INCREASED MOISTURE WITH IT AND
SLOW THE EASTERLY MOVEMENT OF THE FRONT. LOOKING FOR A 2 DAY QPF TOTAL
OF 1 TO 2.5 INCHES OF MUCH NEEDED PRECIP ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL
GA. THE FRONT IN EXPECTED TO BE EAST OF THE AREA BY 00Z SUN. HIGH
PRESSURE BUILD IN FROM THE NORTH FOR SUN AND SHOULD KEEP MOST OF
THE AREA PRECIPITATION FREE THROUGH SUN EVENING. ANOTHER WAVE
MOVES NE OUT OF THE CENTRAL GULF SUN AFTERNOON BRINGING ANOTHER
SHOT OF PRECIP TO SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE STATE SUN
EVENING THROUGH MON MORNING.

.LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
AFTER MONDAY THE WEATHER PATTERN IS NOT WELL DEFINED THROUGH DAY 7.
MODELS KEEP A WEAK NOSE OF HIGH PRESSURE IN ACROSS THE STATE THROUGH
MOST OF NEXT WEEK. AT THE SAME TIME THE MODELS ARE SHOWING A
WEAKENING FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVING EAST OUT OF THE TN VALLEY TUE NIGHT
AND INTO GA WED. INCREASED MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM
CALLS FOR AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION. THIS FRONT
NEVER EXITS THE AREA AS IT LOOKS LIKE IT STALLS ACROSS NORTH GA
ALLOWING FOR WAVES TO TRAIN ALONG IT. WILL CONTINUE WITH EARLIER
THINKING AND KEEP SLIGHT AND CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE STATE THROUGH
DAY 7

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
ATHENS          59  67  49  74  52 /  70 100  20  10  20
ATLANTA         59  63  51  74  56 /  70 100  10  10  10
BLAIRSVILLE     56  62  43  72  47 / 100  80  10  10  10
CARTERSVILLE    56  62  44  75  52 /  90  90  10  10  10
COLUMBUS        66  73  53  79  57 /  70 100  10  20  20
GAINESVILLE     55  62  48  73  51 /  90 100  10  10  10
MACON           62  72  51  78  58 /  50  90  20  20  20
ROME            60  66  46  78  53 / 100  70  10  10  10
PEACHTREE CITY  60  65  46  75  53 /  70 100   5  10  10
VIDALIA         64  76  57  77  58 /  40  80  50  30  40

&&

.FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

01

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 4, 3:57 PM EDT, 45 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
357 PM EDT FRI APR 04 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0350 PM     HAIL             2 W ADAIRSVILLE         34.37N 84.95W
04/04/2008  E0.88 INCH       BARTOW             GA   PUBLIC

            HAIL LASTED APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES AND POWER WAS OUT.

&&

MGRIESIN

Local storm report, Apr 4, 4:04 PM EDT, 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
404 PM EDT FRI APR 04 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0330 PM     HAIL             ROME                    34.26N 85.19W
04/04/2008  E1.00 INCH       FLOYD              GA   BROADCAST MEDIA

&&

MGRIESIN

Local storm report, Apr 4, 4:32 PM EDT, 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
432 PM EDT FRI APR 04 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0418 PM     HAIL             1 E SARGENT             33.43N 84.85W
04/04/2008  E0.88 INCH       COWETA             GA   TRAINED SPOTTER

0424 PM     HAIL             2 SW ROSCOE             33.47N 84.85W
04/04/2008  E1.75 INCH       COWETA             GA   PUBLIC

0428 PM     HAIL             4 N NEWNAN              33.44N 84.79W
04/04/2008  E1.75 INCH       COWETA             GA   PUBLIC

&&

MGRIESIN

Local storm report, Apr 4, 4:37 PM EDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
437 PM EDT FRI APR 04 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0422 PM     HAIL             3 N SARGENT             33.48N 84.87W
04/04/2008  E1.25 INCH       COWETA             GA   PUBLIC

&&

SNELSON

Local storm report, Apr 4, 4:38 PM EDT, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
438 PM EDT FRI APR 04 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0425 PM     HAIL             5 N NEWNAN              33.45N 84.79W
04/04/2008  E1.50 INCH       COWETA             GA   NWS EMPLOYEE

&&

MGRIESIN

Local storm report, Apr 4, 4:40 PM EDT, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
440 PM EDT FRI APR 04 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0432 PM     HAIL             ROCKMART                34.01N 85.05W
04/04/2008  M1.25 INCH       POLK               GA   PUBLIC

            HAIL WAS STILL FALLING AT 439PM

&&

HANDEL

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 4, 1:51 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Dade, Walker	39 min
Apr 4, 2:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Chattooga, Walker	49 min
Apr 4, 3:18 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bartow, Chattooga, Floyd, Gordon	42 min
Apr 4, 4:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bartow, Cherokee, Gordon, Pickens	45 min
Apr 4, 4:04 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Fulton, Heard	41 min
Apr 4, 4:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Clayton, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Henry	55 min
Apr 4, 4:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Paulding, Polk	49 min
Apr 4, 5:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Carroll, Coweta, Heard	28 min
Apr 4, 5:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Cherokee, Cobb, Forsyth, Fulton	38 min
Apr 4, 5:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Haralson, Paulding, Polk	46 min
Apr 4, 5:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	DeKalb, Gwinnett, Rockdale, Walton	44 min
Apr 4, 5:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Coweta, Heard, Troup	46 min
Apr 4, 6:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Barrow, Clarke, Jackson	33 min
Apr 4, 6:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Butts, Lamar, Pike, Spalding	16 min
Apr 4, 6:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bartow, Carroll, Haralson, Paulding, Polk	20 min
Apr 4, 6:33 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Coweta, Fayette, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup	42 min
Apr 4, 6:50 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Greene, Jasper, Morgan, Oconee	40 min
Apr 4, 6:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Oglethorpe	35 min
Apr 4, 7:06 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Clayton, Coweta, Fayette, Henry, Spalding	39 min
Apr 4, 7:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Greene, Oglethorpe, Wilkes	46 min
Apr 4, 7:37 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Butts, Henry, Newton, Rockdale	38 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 2008 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2008

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.