Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 78, NWS Atlanta, GA

May 20, 2008Hancock County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this tornado warning at May 20, 2008, 8:49 PM EDT for Hancock County, Georgia. It was in force for 26 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, 8:49 PM EDT (00:49 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 2008, 9:15 PM EDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Hancock County, GA

The radar

The Robins AFB radar (KJGX), 76 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:49 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 20, 9:00 PM EDTTORNADO 17 Nw Warthen, GAA NWS STORM SURVEY TEAM CONCLUDED AN EF1 TORNADO WITH 90 TO 100 MPH WINDS TOUCHED DOWN IN EXTREME EASTERN HANCOCK COUNTY BEFORE MOVING INTO WASHINGTON COUNTY NEAR GEORGIA ROUTE 15. THE TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FOR 4 MILES AND WAS 125 YARDS WIDE...IT ROUGLY PA

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

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 20, 2:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 153 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 00:00Z on 2008-05-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1497 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2008-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 221 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
1497 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1479 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
221 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
270 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
8.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KFFC 210049
TORFFC
GAC141-210115-
/O.NEW.KFFC.TO.W.0078.080521T0049Z-080521T0115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
849 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN HANCOCK COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA

* UNTIL 915 PM EDT

* AT 845 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR SPARTA...
  MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 52 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  CULVERTON.

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO A
BASEMENT OR INTERIOR ROOM ON THE GROUND FLOOR. STAY AWAY FROM
WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

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 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 3324 8278 3319 8287 3314 8289 3311 8292
      3321 8311 3334 8299 3327 8276 3326 8275
      3324 8276
TIME...MOT...LOC 0049Z 297DEG 45KT 3324 8300

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS52 KFFC 210112 RRA
SVSFFC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
912 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2008

GAC141-210122-
/O.EXP.KFFC.TO.W.0078.000000T0000Z-080521T0115Z/
HANCOCK GA-
912 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHERN HANCOCK COUNTY EXPIRES AT 915 PM
EDT...

THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED INTO NORTHERN 
WASHINGTON COUNTY.

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 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 3324 8278 3319 8287 3314 8289 3311 8292
      3321 8311 3334 8299 3327 8276 3326 8275
      3324 8276
TIME...MOT...LOC 0112Z 297DEG 45KT 3311 8269

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 20, 8:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCarroll, Heard52 min
May 20, 8:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJasper, Putnam35 min
May 20, 8:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCoweta, Fayette26 min
May 20, 8:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBaldwin, Hancock, Taliaferro, Warren43 min
May 20, 8:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHeard52 min
May 20, 8:47 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHenry, Spalding43 min
May 20, 8:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGlascock, Jefferson, Warren, Washington68 min
May 20, 8:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMeriwether, Troup47 min
May 20, 9:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCoweta, Meriwether31 min
May 20, 9:04 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCGlascock, Washington26 min
May 20, 9:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBaldwin, Hancock, Putnam39 min
May 20, 9:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCLamar, Pike, Upson34 min
May 20, 9:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCUpson29 min
May 20, 10:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBibb, Crawford, Monroe, Upson50 min
May 20, 10:37 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBibb, Twiggs38 min
May 20, 10:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBleckley, Laurens, Twiggs29 min
May 20, 11:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDodge41 min
May 21, 12:03 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCEmanuel, Montgomery, Toombs, Treutlen27 min
May 21, 12:28 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWilcox27 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Georgia, 2008Every tornado warning in 2008Tornadoes 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.