Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 79, NWS Atlanta, GA

May 20, 2008Glascock County, Washington County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this tornado warning at May 20, 2008, 9:04 PM EDT for Glascock County, Washington County, Georgia. It was in force for 26 min. 3 reports 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, 9:04 PM EDT (01:04 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 2008, 9:30 PM EDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Glascock County, GA, Washington County, GA

The radar

The Robins AFB radar (KJGX), 79 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:03 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, 9:04 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG5 Nw Warthen, GAPOSSIBLE TORNADO KNOCKED DOWN 200 TO 300 TREES ALONG SPARTA-DAVISBORO ROAD FROM GEORGIA 15 TO GEORGIA 102. IN ADDITION...THE ROOF OF A BARN SHED WAS TORN OFF.
May 20, 9:17 PM EDTTSTM WND DMGEdgehill, GASEVERAL TREES WERE DOWN IN THE EDGE HILL AREA
May 20, 9:17 PM EDTHAIL 1.75Edgehill, GA

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, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 168 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 210103
TORFFC
GAC125-303-210130-
/O.NEW.KFFC.TO.W.0079.080521T0104Z-080521T0130Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN GLASCOCK COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA
  NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA

* UNTIL 930 PM EDT

* AT 859 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 6 MILES WEST OF
  HAMBURG STATE PARK...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 48 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  WARTHEN...MITCHELL...EDGE HILL AND EDGEHILL.

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 3312 8266 3303 8260 3295 8263 3312 8291
      3320 8285 3321 8281 3324 8278 3324 8275
      3318 8258 3312 8258
TIME...MOT...LOC 0104Z 296DEG 42KT 3317 8282

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS52 KFFC 210122 RRA
SVSFFC

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

GAC125-303-210131-
/O.EXP.KFFC.TO.W.0079.000000T0000Z-080521T0130Z/
WASHINGTON GA-GLASCOCK GA-
921 PM EDT TUE MAY 20 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHERN GLASCOCK AND NORTH CENTRAL
WASHINGTON COUNTIES EXPIRES AT 930 PM EDT...

THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THIS WARNING HAS WEAKENED SLIGHTLY AND MOVED 
OUT OF GLASCOCK AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES.  THE TORNADO WARNING WILL 
BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.  WIND GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH AND GOLF BALL SIZED 
HAIL ARE STILL POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

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 3312 8266 3303 8260 3295 8263 3312 8291
      3320 8285 3321 8281 3324 8278 3324 8275
      3318 8258 3312 8258
TIME...MOT...LOC 0121Z 296DEG 42KT 3308 8261

$$

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, 8:49 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCHancock26 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, 9:06 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.