Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Watches in 2008

Tornado Watch 119

March 15, 200821 counties in Alabama; 79 counties in Georgia; 30 counties in South Carolina

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Mar 15, 2008, 10:02 AM CDT for 21 counties in Alabama; 79 counties in Georgia; 30 counties in South Carolina. It was in force for 8 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Mar 15, 2008, 10:02 AM CDT (15:02 UTC)
Expired: Mar 15, 2008, 6:00 PM CDT
In force: 8 hr
Issued by: the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected: 2.5 in
Strongest gust expected: 70 kt

All 130 counties

Autauga County, AL, Bullock County, AL, Calhoun County, AL, Chambers County, AL, Cherokee County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Clay County, AL, Cleburne County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Elmore County, AL, Etowah County, AL, Lee County, AL, Lowndes County, AL, Macon County, AL, Montgomery County, AL, Randolph County, AL, Russell County, AL, Shelby County, AL, St. Clair County, AL, Talladega County, AL, Tallapoosa County, AL, Baldwin County, GA, Banks County, GA, Barrow County, GA, Bartow County, GA, Bibb County, GA, Burke County, GA, Butts County, GA, Carroll County, GA, Chattahoochee County, GA, Cherokee County, GA, Clarke County, GA, Clayton County, GA, Cobb County, GA, Columbia County, GA, Coweta County, GA, Crawford County, GA, Dawson County, GA, DeKalb County, GA, Douglas County, GA, Elbert County, GA, Fayette County, GA, Floyd County, GA, Forsyth County, GA, Franklin County, GA, Fulton County, GA, Glascock County, GA, Greene County, GA, Gwinnett County, GA, Habersham County, GA, Hall County, GA, Hancock County, GA, Haralson County, GA, Harris County, GA, Hart County, GA, Heard County, GA, Henry County, GA, Houston County, GA, Jackson County, GA, Jasper County, GA, Jefferson County, GA, Jones County, GA, Lamar County, GA, Lincoln County, GA, Lumpkin County, GA, Macon County, GA, Madison County, GA, Marion County, GA, McDuffie County, GA, Meriwether County, GA, Monroe County, GA, Morgan County, GA, Muscogee County, GA, Newton County, GA, Oconee County, GA, Oglethorpe County, GA, Paulding County, GA, Peach County, GA, Pickens County, GA, Pike County, GA, Polk County, GA, Putnam County, GA, Rabun County, GA, Richmond County, GA, Rockdale County, GA, Schley County, GA, Spalding County, GA, Stephens County, GA, Talbot County, GA, Taliaferro County, GA, Taylor County, GA, Troup County, GA, Twiggs County, GA, Upson County, GA, Walton County, GA, Warren County, GA, Washington County, GA, White County, GA, Wilkes County, GA, Wilkinson County, GA, Abbeville County, SC, Aiken County, SC, Anderson County, SC, Bamberg County, SC, Barnwell County, SC, Calhoun County, SC, Cherokee County, SC, Chester County, SC, Chesterfield County, SC, Clarendon County, SC, Edgefield County, SC, Fairfield County, SC, Greenville County, SC, Greenwood County, SC, Kershaw County, SC, Lancaster County, SC, Laurens County, SC, Lee County, SC, Lexington County, SC, McCormick County, SC, Newberry County, SC, Oconee County, SC, Orangeburg County, SC, Pickens County, SC, Richland County, SC, Saluda County, SC, Spartanburg County, SC, Sumter County, SC, Union County, SC, York County, SC

The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:04 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 SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes: 70%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes: 30%
Ten or more severe wind reports: 80%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more: 30%
Ten or more severe hail reports: 80%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more: 40%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports: 95%

Warnings issued inside it

122 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 15, 10:13 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah	47 min
Mar 15, 10:31 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah	39 min
Mar 15, 10:58 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Bartow, Floyd, Paulding, Polk	47 min
Mar 15, 11:32 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Paulding	43 min
Mar 15, 11:37 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Floyd, Polk	23 min
Mar 15, 11:50 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bartow	25 min
Mar 15, 12:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bartow, Cherokee, Dawson, Forsyth	35 min
Mar 15, 12:14 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Cherokee, Dawson, Forsyth, Pickens	46 min
Mar 15, 12:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Floyd, Polk	33 min
Mar 15, 12:34 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Dawson, Forsyth, Hall, Jackson	41 min
Mar 15, 12:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bartow, Paulding	29 min
Mar 15, 12:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Forsyth	33 min
Mar 15, 1:00 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Banks, Hall, Jackson	45 min
Mar 15, 1:02 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Banks, Hall	43 min
Mar 15, 1:06 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Cherokee	24 min
Mar 15, 1:17 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Elbert, Franklin, Hart	58 min
Mar 15, 1:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Banks, Madison	37 min
Mar 15, 1:27 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Cherokee, Forsyth, Fulton	35 min
Mar 15, 1:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Cleburne	45 min
Mar 15, 1:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Banks, Hall, Jackson	40 min
Mar 15, 1:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Dawson, Gilmer, Gordon, Pickens	47 min
Mar 15, 1:43 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Gwinnett, Hall	47 min
Mar 15, 1:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bartow, Cherokee, Gordon, Pickens	45 min
Mar 15, 1:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Carroll, Haralson, Paulding, Polk	43 min
Mar 15, 1:52 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Cleburne	13 min
Mar 15, 1:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Barrow, Jackson	47 min
Mar 15, 2:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Paulding, Polk	36 min
Mar 15, 2:11 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Abbeville, Anderson	49 min
Mar 15, 2:12 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Banks, Jackson	33 min
Mar 15, 2:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Fannin, Lumpkin, Union	36 min
Mar 15, 2:19 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Dawson, Lumpkin, Pickens	41 min
Mar 15, 2:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Elbert, Hart	54 min
Mar 15, 2:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Cobb, Douglas, Fulton, Paulding	51 min
Mar 15, 2:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cherokee, Chester, Union, York	78 min
Mar 15, 2:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Cobb, Paulding	40 min
Mar 15, 2:29 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Clarke, Madison, Oglethorpe	46 min
Mar 15, 2:37 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	White	23 min
Mar 15, 2:37 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Emergency	FFC	Cobb, Douglas, Fulton	38 min
Mar 15, 2:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Carroll	34 min
Mar 15, 2:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett	59 min
Mar 15, 2:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Banks, Hall	44 min
Mar 15, 2:46 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Greenwood, Laurens	44 min
Mar 15, 2:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Greenville, Laurens, Spartanburg	41 min
Mar 15, 2:51 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Fairfield	24 min
Mar 15, 2:54 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Elbert	37 min
Mar 15, 2:55 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	DeKalb	35 min
Mar 15, 2:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Fairfield	17 min
Mar 15, 3:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Abbeville	30 min
Mar 15, 3:01 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Banks, Hall, Jackson	25 min
Mar 15, 3:04 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Newberry	41 min
Mar 15, 3:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Clarke, Oconee	25 min
Mar 15, 3:06 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Lancaster	24 min
Mar 15, 3:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Clayton	23 min
Mar 15, 3:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Rockdale, Walton	32 min
Mar 15, 3:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Carroll, Douglas, Fulton	46 min
Mar 15, 3:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Morgan, Newton, Walton	45 min
Mar 15, 3:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Richland	44 min
Mar 15, 3:17 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Lincoln	43 min
Mar 15, 3:19 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Barrow, Gwinnett	26 min
Mar 15, 3:20 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Franklin, Hart	40 min
Mar 15, 3:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Abbeville	41 min
Mar 15, 3:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	York	66 min
Mar 15, 3:25 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Kershaw, Lancaster	35 min
Mar 15, 3:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Clayton, DeKalb, Henry, Newton, Rockdale	79 min
Mar 15, 3:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Oglethorpe, Wilkes	34 min
Mar 15, 3:30 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Hall, Jackson	45 min
Mar 15, 3:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Clay, Cleburne, Randolph	28 min
Mar 15, 3:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Clarke, Greene, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Taliaferro	40 min
Mar 15, 3:38 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Newton, Walton	37 min
Mar 15, 3:40 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry, Richland	50 min
Mar 15, 3:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Greenwood	31 min
Mar 15, 3:41 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Chesterfield	34 min
Mar 15, 3:42 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Barrow, Clarke, Jackson, Oconee	33 min
Mar 15, 3:48 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Butts, Jasper, Newton	27 min
Mar 15, 3:50 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Edgefield, McCormick, Saluda	40 min
Mar 15, 3:51 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Morgan	24 min
Mar 15, 3:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Carroll, Coweta, Heard	62 min
Mar 15, 3:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Abbeville, Anderson	47 min
Mar 15, 3:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Oglethorpe, Wilkes	46 min
Mar 15, 4:02 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Fayette, Fulton	28 min
Mar 15, 4:03 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Putnam	27 min
Mar 15, 4:04 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Madison	26 min
Mar 15, 4:09 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Clarke, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Wilkes	18 min
Mar 15, 4:12 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Greene, Taliaferro	33 min
Mar 15, 4:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Morgan, Newton, Walton	45 min
Mar 15, 4:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Kershaw, Lee, Richland, Sumter	44 min
Mar 15, 4:21 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Aiken, Edgefield, Lexington, Saluda	39 min
Mar 15, 4:22 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Greene, Hancock, Taliaferro	23 min
Mar 15, 4:22 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Greenwood, Laurens	38 min
Mar 15, 4:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Lincoln	52 min
Mar 15, 4:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Elbert	37 min
Mar 15, 4:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Carroll	30 min
Mar 15, 4:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Madison	16 min
Mar 15, 4:30 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Richland	30 min
Mar 15, 4:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Clayton, Fayette, Henry	59 min
Mar 15, 4:32 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Wilkes	13 min
Mar 15, 4:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie	39 min
Mar 15, 4:37 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Warren	38 min
Mar 15, 4:39 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Greene, Morgan	36 min
Mar 15, 4:41 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Greene, Putnam	34 min
Mar 15, 4:45 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Hancock, Warren	45 min
Mar 15, 4:46 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Lee	44 min
Mar 15, 4:47 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Jasper	18 min
Mar 15, 4:50 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Calhoun, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland	40 min
Mar 15, 4:51 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Fayette, Spalding	24 min
Mar 15, 4:56 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Newberry, Saluda	34 min
Mar 15, 4:59 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Glascock, Jefferson	46 min
Mar 15, 5:00 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Burke, McDuffie, Richmond	45 min
Mar 15, 5:01 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Hancock	44 min
Mar 15, 5:03 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Columbia, Richmond	42 min
Mar 15, 5:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Butts, Jasper, Spalding	36 min
Mar 15, 5:18 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter	42 min
Mar 15, 5:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Monroe	21 min
Mar 15, 5:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Fairfield, Lexington, Richland	34 min
Mar 15, 5:32 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Glascock, Jefferson	43 min
Mar 15, 5:32 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Orangeburg	43 min
Mar 15, 5:34 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Burke, Richmond	41 min
Mar 15, 5:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Jefferson, Washington	55 min
Mar 15, 5:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Baldwin, Jones, Putnam	40 min
Mar 15, 5:45 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Baldwin, Jones	30 min
Mar 15, 5:46 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Jefferson, Washington	44 min
Mar 15, 5:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bibb, Crawford, Monroe	35 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 63 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: 33 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -342 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1103 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 68 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 196 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 459 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 14, 7:11 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Autauga, Barbour, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers and 18 more	64 min
Mar 15, 12:39 AM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert and 22 more	66 min
Mar 15, 12:56 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	Autauga, Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee and 38 more	6 hr
Mar 15, 2:57 AM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Cherokee, Cleburne, Randolph	93 min
Mar 15, 4:30 AM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Colbert, Franklin, Marion	90 min
Mar 15, 6:58 AM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Blount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah and 11 more	62 min
Mar 15, 7:02 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Colbert, Cullman and 16 more	4 hr
Mar 15, 9:38 AM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah, Randolph and 1 more	67 min
Mar 15, 10:23 AM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Colbert	67 min
Mar 15, 12:22 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa and 8 more	83 min
Mar 15, 1:21 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Calhoun, Chambers, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph	84 min
Mar 15, 2:08 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Cleburne	67 min
Mar 15, 2:39 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Bibb, Blount, Cullman, DeKalb, Fayette, Franklin and 12 more	2 hr
Mar 14, 10:03 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Baldwin, Butts, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas and 26 more	57 min
Mar 15, 3:28 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Chattooga and 42 more	3 hr
Mar 15, 6:18 AM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Hancock, Jefferson, Jenkins and 7 more	117 min
Mar 15, 3:36 PM CDT	Tornado Watch PDS	SPC	Baldwin, Barrow, Bibb, Bleckley, Bryan, Bulloch and 73 more	8 hr
Mar 15, 4:56 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bleckley and 40 more	64 min
Mar 15, 5:17 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Banks, Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Dawson, Floyd and 14 more	28 min
Mar 15, 6:41 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Bulloch, Burke, Butts and 52 more	64 min
Mar 15, 10:30 AM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Anson, Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Pender and 4 more	60 min
Mar 15, 5:35 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven and 17 more	25 min
Mar 15, 5:59 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven and 19 more	4 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2008 Tornado Watches in South Carolina, 2008 Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2008 Every tornado watch 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.