Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 253, NWS Atlanta, GA

May 20, 2008Bartow County, Paulding County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 2008, 6:25 PM EDT for Bartow County, Paulding County, Georgia. It was in force for 50 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: May 20, 2008, 6:25 PM EDT (22:25 UTC)
Expired: May 20, 2008, 7:15 PM EDT
In force: 50 min
Issued by: NWS Atlanta, GA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Bartow County, GA, Paulding County, GA

The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:25 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 20, 6:50 PM EDT	HAIL 0.75	4 Ssw Cartersville, GA

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

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
May 20, 2:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 88 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: 572 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -199 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 979 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 225 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 251 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 2.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS52 KFFC 202225
SVRFFC
GAC015-223-202315-
/O.NEW.KFFC.SV.W.0253.080520T2225Z-080520T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
625 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN BARTOW COUNTY IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA
  NORTHEASTERN PAULDING COUNTY IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA

* UNTIL 715 PM EDT

* AT 620 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZED HAIL.  THIS
  STORM WAS LOCATED 9 MILES WEST OF KINGSTON...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40
  MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  EUHARLEE...CASSVILLE...STILESBORO...CARTERSVILLE...EMERSON AND RED
  TOP MOUNTAIN STATE PARK.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT
TUESDAY 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 3404 8495 3405 8493 3409 8495 3409 8503
      3411 8505 3412 8504 3432 8501 3417 8466
      3408 8467 3409 8473 3389 8472
TIME...MOT...LOC 2225Z 299DEG 34KT 3424 8505

$$

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 May 20, 4:03 PM EDT, 2 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 20, 4:03 PM EDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
403 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2008

.SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/...
PRIMARY CONCERN IS CHANCE FOR SEVERE CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. STORMS FIRING UP ALONG COLD FRONT IN TN AND XTRM NRN AL
BUT HAVE ALSO SEEN SVR STORM DEVELOP JUST EAST OF WARRENTON. COULD
SEE ADDITIONAL ISOLATED DEVELOPMENT OF STORMS ALONG SOUTHERN
PERIPHERY OF MID LEVEL CLOUDS AND CU FIELD IN CENTRAL GA EVEN
THOUGH LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE NOT AS WELL DEFINED. AXIS OF GREATEST
INSTABILITY ALONG BROAD SWATH ALSO CENTERED ALONG I-20 WHERE
MLCAPE VALUES 1500-2000 J/KG. WILL LIKELY SEE TWO AREAS OF STORMS
...ONE IN FAR NRN GA NEAR COLD FRONT AND ANOTHER ALONG SOUTHERN
PERIPHERY OF CLOUDS. PRIMARY THREAT IS LARGE HAIL UP TO 2.5 INCHES
IN DIAMETER. DAMAGING WINDS ALSO POSSIBLE BUT NOT AS LIKELY.
TORNADO THREAT SOMEWHAT LOW ATTM AS LOW LEVEL STORM RELATIVE
HELICITY HAS NOT INCREASED AS MUCH AS MODEL FCST SOUNDINGS
INDICATED. IF STORM BECOMES SUPERCELLULAR WITH HIGHLY DEVIANT
RIGHT MOTION...COULD SEE STRONGLY ROTATING UPDRAFTS AND ISOLATED
TORNADO ESP IN CENTRAL GA.

FRONT WILL TAKE ITS TIME TO SAG INTO THE STATE TONIGHT. VERTICAL
MOTION PROGGED TO WEAKEN AS WEAK SHORT WAVE SWEEPS THROUGH. MAV
GUIDANCE POPS AND GFS/WRF QPF NOT VERY AGGRESSIVE WITH RAINFALL.
ONLY SMALL POPS FOR TSRA ALONG FAR SRN ZONES FOR EARLY WED BEFORE
CLEARING OUT.

NEXT OPPORTUNITY FOR TSRA ON THURSDAY AS WARM/MOIST ADVECTION
RETURNS. ATYPICAL UPPER PATTERN WITH TWO LARGE CUTOFF LOWS...ONE
OVER WRN U.S. AND THE OTHER OFF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST. PRETTY GOOD
AGREEMENT LARGE SCALE PATTERN WITH SHORT AND MEDIUM RANGE MODELS
AS WRN LOW TAKING ITS SWEET TIME TO MOVE EAST WHILE THE NE LOW
DRIFTS SOUTH. HOWEVER...GFS A LITTLE MORE AGGRESSIVE THAN NAM WITH
POPS AND PRECIP AMOUNTS ON THURS NIGHT AND FRI. HAVE BACKED OFF ON
POPS SOME. INSTABILITY LOOKS PRETTY GOOD WITH THIS SYSTEM HOWEVER
WINDS ALOFT WILL BE FAIRLY WEEK.

.LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
PATTERN REMAINS NEARLY STAGNANT WITH BLOCKING FEATURES MENTIONED
PREVIOUSLY.  ANOTHER FLY IN THE PICTURE FOR THE LONG TERM IS
POSSIBLE TROPICAL FEED OF MOISTURE MOVING IN LATER IN THE WEEK.
GOING FCST SEEMS PRETTY CLOSE TO LATEST MODEL PROGS. NO GOOD
REASON TO CHANGE ATTM.

SNELSON

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
ATHENS          60  82  52  84  60 /  30  10   5  20  20
ATLANTA         60  80  60  81  64 /  30  10   5  30  20
BLAIRSVILLE     55  76  47  75  54 /  20  10  10  30  20
CARTERSVILLE    56  80  52  81  59 /  20  10  10  30  20
COLUMBUS        67  86  60  86  67 /  20  10   5  40  20
GAINESVILLE     59  79  53  81  60 /  30  10  10  30  20
MACON           63  87  55  89  66 /  30  10   5  30  20
ROME            56  80  55  80  62 /  20  10  10  30  20
PEACHTREE CITY  58  80  53  82  62 /  30  10   5  30  20
VIDALIA         67  90  58  89  67 /  30  20  10  20  20

&&

.FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: BANKS...BARROW...BARTOW...CARROLL...CATOOSA...CHATTOOGA...
CHEROKEE...CLARKE...COBB...DADE...DAWSON...DEKALB...DOUGLAS...
FANNIN...FLOYD...FORSYTH...GILMER...GORDON...GWINNETT...HALL...
HARALSON...JACKSON...LUMPKIN...MADISON...MURRAY...NORTH FULTON...
OCONEE...OGLETHORPE...PAULDING...PICKENS...POLK...SOUTH FULTON...
TOWNS...UNION...WALKER...WALTON...WHITE...WHITFIELD.

&&

13

Hazardous weather outlook, May 20, 10:30 AM EDT, 7 hours 55 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1030 AM EDT TUE MAY 20 2008

GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-
089>098-102>113-211000-
BALDWIN-BANKS-BARROW-BARTOW-BIBB-BLECKLEY-BUTTS-CARROLL-CATOOSA-
CHATTAHOOCHEE-CHATTOOGA-CHEROKEE-CLARKE-CLAYTON-COBB-COWETA-
CRAWFORD-CRISP-DADE-DAWSON-DEKALB-DODGE-DOOLY-DOUGLAS-EMANUEL-
FANNIN-FAYETTE-FLOYD-FORSYTH-GILMER-GLASCOCK-GORDON-GREENE-
GWINNETT-HALL-HANCOCK-HARALSON-HARRIS-HEARD-HENRY-HOUSTON-JACKSON-
JASPER-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-JONES-LAMAR-LAURENS-LUMPKIN-MACON-
MADISON-MARION-MERIWETHER-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-MORGAN-MURRAY-
MUSCOGEE-NEWTON-NORTH FULTON-OCONEE-OGLETHORPE-PAULDING-PEACH-
PICKENS-PIKE-POLK-PULASKI-PUTNAM-ROCKDALE-SCHLEY-SOUTH FULTON-
SPALDING-STEWART-SUMTER-TALBOT-TALIAFERRO-TAYLOR-TELFAIR-TOOMBS-
TOWNS-TREUTLEN-TROUP-TWIGGS-UNION-UPSON-WALKER-WALTON-WARREN-
WASHINGTON-WEBSTER-WHEELER-WHITE-WHITFIELD-WILCOX-WILKES-
WILKINSON-
1030 AM EDT TUE MAY 20 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
ISOLATED TO A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED ACROSS NORTH AND
CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

.SYNOPSIS...
A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO NORTH GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AND ACROSS
CENTRAL GEORGIA TONIGHT.

.PRIMARY HAZARDS...
THE PRIMARY HAZARDS FROM ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DAMAGING
WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. THE
MOST LIKELY LOCATION FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SOUTH OF
DALTON AND NORTH OF COLUMBUS TO DUBLIN...THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
HOWEVER...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE NORTH OF
DALTON AND SOUTH OF COLUMBUS TO DUBLIN.

.OTHER HAZARDS...
A WIND ADVISORY IS ALSO IN EFFECT TODAY FOR NORTH GEORGIA NORTH OF A
LINE FROM CARROLLTON TO ATLANTA AND ATHENS. WEST WINDS OF 15 TO 25
MPH CAN BE EXPECTED OVER NORTH GEORGIA...WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH OVER
THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE NORTH GEORGIA MOUNTAINS.

.DISCUSSION...
MOISTURE IS INCREASING AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. CAPES
WILL INCREASE TO 1500 TO 2000 WITH LIFTED INDICES OF MINUS 3 TO
MINUS 5. WHILE THE INSTABILITY WILL BE SUFFICIENT FOR SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS...A LIMITING FACTOR WILL BE WEAK LOW LEVEL SHEAR.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.
THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY ACROSS
CENTRAL GEORGIA...AND ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA THURSDAY AND
FRIDAY. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON.
EMERGENCY MANAGERS SHOULD MONITOR THE SITUATION.

BDL

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 20, 6:02 PM EDT, 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
602 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2008

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

0545 PM     HAIL             2 S ADAIRSVILLE         34.34N 84.91W
05/20/2008  E1.00 INCH       BARTOW             GA   PUBLIC

&&

SNELSON

Local storm report, May 20, 6:05 PM EDT, 20 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
605 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2008

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

0545 PM     HAIL             BLUE RIDGE              34.86N 84.33W
05/20/2008  E0.88 INCH       FANNIN             GA   COUNTY OFFICIAL

&&

MSR

Local storm report, May 20, 6:11 PM EDT, 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
611 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2008

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

0528 PM     HAIL             CRAWFORDVILLE           33.55N 82.90W
05/20/2008  E1.75 INCH       TALIAFERRO         GA   COUNTY OFFICIAL

&&

MSR

Local storm report, May 20, 6:19 PM EDT, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
619 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2008

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

0535 PM     TSTM WND GST     7 S CALHOUN             34.39N 84.94W
05/20/2008  E60 MPH          GORDON             GA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            ESTIMATED WINDS OF 60 MPH WITH QUARTER SIZE HAIL.

&&

MSR

Special weather statement, May 20, 6:23 PM EDT, 2 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
623 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2008

GAZ008-015-016-202300-
623 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2008

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR PEA SIZED HAIL AND 45 MPH WINDS IN
LUMPKIN...WHITE AND UNION COUNTIES UNTIL 700 PM EDT...

AT 620 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM SOUTH UNION COUNTY TO
CENTRAL WHITE COUNTY...AND MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

WIND GUSTS OF 45 MPH...PEA SIZE HAIL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING ARE
LIKELY AS THESE STORMS MOVE ACROSS LUMPKIN...WHITE AND UNION
COUNTIES THROUGH 700 PM EDT.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EDT.

Local storm report, May 20, 6:25 PM EDT, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
625 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2008

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

0550 PM     HAIL             MILLEDGEVILLE           33.09N 83.24W
05/20/2008  E2.50 INCH       BALDWIN            GA   COUNTY OFFICIAL

&&

SNELSON

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 20, 4:20 AM EDT	Wind Advisory	FFC	Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga and 31 more	15 hr
May 20, 3:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Coweta, Fayette	33 min
May 20, 3:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Dade, Walker	46 min
May 20, 4:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Clayton, Fayette, Henry, Spalding	43 min
May 20, 4:21 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Butts, Henry, Jasper, Newton	39 min
May 20, 4:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Fannin, Murray, Whitfield	61 min
May 20, 4:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Catoosa, Walker	29 min
May 20, 4:39 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Chattooga, Walker	51 min
May 20, 4:47 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Morgan, Putnam	43 min
May 20, 4:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Butts, Jasper, Monroe	36 min
May 20, 5:08 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bartow, Floyd, Gordon	67 min
May 20, 5:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Greene	25 min
May 20, 5:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Glascock, Warren	32 min
May 20, 5:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Taliaferro	44 min
May 20, 5:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Baldwin, Jones, Putnam	51 min
May 20, 5:27 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Chattooga, Floyd	78 min
May 20, 5:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bartow, Cherokee, Gordon, Pickens	44 min
May 20, 5:33 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Jefferson	26 min
May 20, 5:39 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Union	17 min
May 20, 5:49 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Baldwin, Hancock, Washington	41 min
May 20, 5:51 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Bartow, Cherokee	15 min
May 20, 6:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Glascock, Jefferson, Washington	58 min
May 20, 6:08 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Cherokee, Cobb, Forsyth, Fulton	52 min
May 20, 6:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Jefferson, Washington	29 min
May 20, 6:33 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Cherokee, Cobb, Fulton	27 min
May 20, 6:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Haralson, Polk	55 min
May 20, 6:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Gwinnett	65 min
May 20, 6:44 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	DeKalb, Gwinnett	46 min
May 20, 6:51 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Haralson, Polk	34 min
May 20, 7:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Newton, Rockdale, Walton	58 min
May 20, 7:05 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton	40 min
May 20, 7:14 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton	31 min
May 20, 7:19 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Carroll, Douglas, Haralson, Paulding	56 min
May 20, 7:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Morgan, Oconee	34 min
May 20, 7:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Greene, Morgan, Oglethorpe, Putnam	47 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.