Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Watches in 2008
Tornado Watch 304
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 11, 2008, 1:37 AM CDT for 39 counties in Alabama; 106 counties in Georgia; 18 counties in South Carolina. It was in force for 7 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 11, 2008, 1:37 AM CDT (06:37 UTC)
- Expired
- May 11, 2008, 9:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 7 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
- Largest hail expected
- 2 in
- Strongest gust expected
- 70 kt
All 163 counties
Autauga County, AL, Barbour County, AL, Bibb County, AL, Blount 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, Dallas County, AL, Elmore County, AL, Etowah County, AL, Fayette County, AL, Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Lamar County, AL, Lee County, AL, Lowndes County, AL, Macon County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Marion County, AL, Montgomery County, AL, Perry County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Pike County, AL, Randolph County, AL, Russell County, AL, Shelby County, AL, St. Clair County, AL, Sumter County, AL, Talladega County, AL, Tallapoosa County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, Walker County, AL, Winston County, AL, Baldwin County, GA, Banks County, GA, Barrow County, GA, Bartow County, GA, Bibb County, GA, Bleckley County, GA, Bryan County, GA, Bulloch County, GA, Burke County, GA, Butts County, GA, Candler County, GA, Carroll County, GA, Chatham County, GA, Chattahoochee County, GA, Chattooga County, GA, Cherokee County, GA, Clarke County, GA, Clayton County, GA, Cobb County, GA, Columbia County, GA, Coweta County, GA, Crawford County, GA, Crisp County, GA, Dawson County, GA, DeKalb County, GA, Dodge County, GA, Dooly County, GA, Douglas County, GA, Effingham County, GA, Elbert County, GA, Emanuel County, GA, Evans County, GA, Fayette County, GA, Floyd County, GA, Forsyth County, GA, Franklin County, GA, Fulton County, GA, Glascock County, GA, Gordon County, GA, Greene County, GA, Gwinnett 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, Jenkins County, GA, Johnson County, GA, Jones County, GA, Lamar County, GA, Laurens County, GA, Liberty County, GA, Lincoln County, GA, Long County, GA, Lumpkin County, GA, Macon County, GA, Madison County, GA, Marion County, GA, McDuffie County, GA, McIntosh County, GA, Meriwether County, GA, Monroe County, GA, Montgomery 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, Pulaski County, GA, Putnam County, GA, Richmond County, GA, Rockdale County, GA, Schley County, GA, Screven County, GA, Spalding County, GA, Stewart County, GA, Sumter County, GA, Talbot County, GA, Taliaferro County, GA, Tattnall County, GA, Taylor County, GA, Telfair County, GA, Toombs County, GA, Treutlen County, GA, Troup County, GA, Twiggs County, GA, Upson County, GA, Walton County, GA, Warren County, GA, Washington County, GA, Webster County, GA, Wheeler County, GA, Wilcox County, GA, Wilkes County, GA, Wilkinson County, GA, Aiken County, SC, Allendale County, SC, Bamberg County, SC, Barnwell County, SC, Beaufort County, SC, Berkeley County, SC, Calhoun County, SC, Charleston County, SC, Clarendon County, SC, Colleton County, SC, Dorchester County, SC, Edgefield County, SC, Hampton County, SC, Jasper County, SC, Lexington County, SC, McCormick County, SC, Orangeburg County, SC, Saluda County, SC
The radar
The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 36 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:40 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
- 40%
- Ten or more severe wind reports
- 70%
- One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
- 50%
- Ten or more severe hail reports
- 40%
- One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
- 30%
- Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
- 95%
Warnings issued inside it
91 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 1:44 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chambers, Lee, Randolph, Tallapoosa | 46 min |
| May 11, 1:49 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson, Shelby | 41 min |
| May 11, 1:53 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Elbert, Hart | 33 min |
| May 11, 2:01 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jefferson, Shelby | 44 min |
| May 11, 2:05 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb, Greene, Hale, Tuscaloosa | 40 min |
| May 11, 2:05 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Calhoun, Cleburne, Jefferson, St. Clair, Talladega | 40 min |
| May 11, 2:06 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Morgan, Oconee, Walton | 39 min |
| May 11, 2:07 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Harris, Troup | 53 min |
| May 11, 2:07 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Colleton, Hampton | 23 min |
| May 11, 2:08 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Autauga, Dallas | 45 min |
| May 11, 2:10 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson, Shelby | 50 min |
| May 11, 2:22 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chambers, Clay, Cleburne, Lee, Randolph, Tallapoosa | 23 min |
| May 11, 2:26 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Colleton, Hampton | 49 min |
| May 11, 2:32 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Clarke, Oglethorpe, Wilkes | 43 min |
| May 11, 2:33 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Troup | 42 min |
| May 11, 2:39 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cleburne | 23 min |
| May 11, 2:44 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Jefferson, Randolph and 3 more | 46 min |
| May 11, 2:48 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Jefferson, St. Clair | 87 min |
| May 11, 2:49 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAE | Edgefield | 26 min |
| May 11, 2:55 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CAE | Edgefield | 20 min |
| May 11, 3:00 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAE | Aiken | 45 min |
| May 11, 3:01 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chambers, Lee, Macon, Russell | 29 min |
| May 11, 3:01 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Talbot, Upson | 44 min |
| May 11, 3:06 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Clay, Cleburne, Randolph | 39 min |
| May 11, 3:09 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Carroll | 36 min |
| May 11, 3:12 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester | 33 min |
| May 11, 3:14 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Meriwether, Troup | 46 min |
| May 11, 3:16 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette | 16 min |
| May 11, 3:18 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CAE | Aiken, Edgefield, Saluda | 27 min |
| May 11, 3:21 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Carroll, Douglas, Fulton | 54 min |
| May 11, 3:25 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Carroll, Douglas, Fulton | 50 min |
| May 11, 3:30 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chambers, Coosa, Lee, Randolph, Tallapoosa | 45 min |
| May 11, 3:41 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester | 34 min |
| May 11, 3:44 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Clayton, DeKalb, Henry, Rockdale | 46 min |
| May 11, 3:45 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAE | Orangeburg | 15 min |
| May 11, 3:52 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton, Henry | 53 min |
| May 11, 3:57 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAE | Lincoln | 18 min |
| May 11, 4:03 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Meriwether, Pike, Upson | 42 min |
| May 11, 4:08 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CHS | Berkeley | 52 min |
| May 11, 4:10 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Berkeley, Charleston | 35 min |
| May 11, 4:12 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lee, Russell | 33 min |
| May 11, 4:12 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Lamar, Pike, Upson | 33 min |
| May 11, 4:13 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CAE | Aiken, Edgefield, Saluda | 32 min |
| May 11, 4:13 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CHS | Charleston | 32 min |
| May 11, 4:22 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Newton, Rockdale | 38 min |
| May 11, 4:25 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Barbour, Bullock, Macon, Pike, Russell | 50 min |
| May 11, 4:28 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Chattahoochee, Marion | 37 min |
| May 11, 4:37 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Crawford, Monroe, Upson | 23 min |
| May 11, 4:37 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Bibb, Crawford, Monroe | 38 min |
| May 11, 4:50 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Baldwin, Jones | 55 min |
| May 11, 4:52 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Macon, Schley | 38 min |
| May 11, 4:54 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Bibb, Twiggs | 36 min |
| May 11, 4:57 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CAE | Aiken, Lexington | 18 min |
| May 11, 4:58 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Jasper, Morgan, Putnam | 62 min |
| May 11, 4:58 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Berkeley | 32 min |
| May 11, 5:10 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Twiggs, Wilkinson | 35 min |
| May 11, 5:12 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Bleckley, Dooly, Houston, Macon, Peach, Pulaski and 1 more | 48 min |
| May 11, 5:26 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Bleckley, Dodge, Laurens, Treutlen | 49 min |
| May 11, 5:32 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Johnson, Laurens, Washington, Wilkinson | 43 min |
| May 11, 5:36 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Crisp, Wilcox | 39 min |
| May 11, 5:39 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Glascock, Jefferson, Washington | 51 min |
| May 11, 5:43 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Jefferson, Washington | 47 min |
| May 11, 5:48 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Montgomery, Telfair, Toombs, Wheeler | 57 min |
| May 11, 5:52 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Emanuel | 38 min |
| May 11, 5:56 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Laurens, Montgomery, Toombs, Treutlen, Wheeler | 47 min |
| May 11, 6:01 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Bulloch, Candler, Evans, Jenkins, Screven, Tattnall | 59 min |
| May 11, 6:04 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAE | Burke | 71 min |
| May 11, 6:10 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Crisp, Wilcox | 50 min |
| May 11, 6:12 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CHS | Jenkins, Screven | 48 min |
| May 11, 6:15 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CAE | Burke | 30 min |
| May 11, 6:16 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CHS | Bulloch, Candler, Evans, Tattnall | 29 min |
| May 11, 6:18 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Crisp, Sumter | 57 min |
| May 11, 6:39 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CHS | Screven | 66 min |
| May 11, 6:41 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CHS | Bulloch, Candler, Evans, Tattnall | 49 min |
| May 11, 6:48 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Screven | 57 min |
| May 11, 6:50 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Bryan, Bulloch, Effingham, Evans, Liberty, Long and 1 more | 40 min |
| May 11, 6:53 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Bulloch, Candler, Effingham, Screven | 52 min |
| May 11, 6:54 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | FFC | Crisp, Wilcox | 36 min |
| May 11, 6:59 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CHS | Screven | 16 min |
| May 11, 7:18 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CHS | Bulloch, Effingham | 27 min |
| May 11, 7:23 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Telfair | 23 min |
| May 11, 7:24 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, Liberty, Long, McIntosh and 1 more | 36 min |
| May 11, 7:31 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CHS | Bryan, Liberty, Long | 29 min |
| May 11, 7:34 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Effingham | 41 min |
| May 11, 7:41 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Chatham, Effingham | 19 min |
| May 11, 7:53 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Bryan, Chatham, Liberty, Long, McIntosh | 52 min |
| May 11, 8:08 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CHS | Bryan, Chatham, Liberty | 37 min |
| May 11, 8:14 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CHS | Long, McIntosh | 31 min |
| May 11, 8:31 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Bryan, Chatham, Liberty, Long, McIntosh | 29 min |
| May 11, 8:36 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CHS | Long, McIntosh | 24 min |
| May 11, 8:52 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | CHS | McIntosh | 23 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 00:00Z, 6.6 hours before the alert went out and 42 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1834 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -10 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 852 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 51 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 138 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 226 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.1
- Supercell composite
- 11.1
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 7:08 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert and 23 more | 7 hr |
| May 10, 9:21 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Blount, Colbert, Cullman, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin and 12 more | 84 min |
| May 10, 11:32 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Colbert, Cullman and 15 more | 118 min |
| May 11, 1:06 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Autauga, Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee and 32 more | 84 min |
| May 11, 3:40 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Chambers, Chilton and 14 more | 95 min |
| May 11, 4:52 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Coffee, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston | 8 hr |
| May 11, 6:24 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Barbour, Bullock, Chambers, Clay, Coosa, Dale and 9 more | 96 min |
| May 11, 7:51 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Barbour, Chambers, Dale, Henry, Houston, Lee and 1 more | 84 min |
| May 10, 7:14 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Appling, Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Bryan, Bulloch and 77 more | 2 hr |
| May 10, 8:54 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Appling, Bacon, Baldwin, Ben Hill, Bibb, Bleckley and 88 more | 96 min |
| May 10, 9:06 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Appling, Bacon, Baldwin, Banks, Barrow, Bartow and 112 more | 7 hr |
| May 11, 4:38 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Atkinson, Bacon, Baker, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks and 27 more | 67 min |
| May 11, 5:13 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Baker, Baldwin, Ben Hill and 62 more | 92 min |
| May 11, 11:15 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Atkinson, Baker, Berrien, Brooks, Calhoun, Camden and 21 more | 60 min |
| May 11, 1:24 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks and 20 more | 66 min |
| May 11, 1:42 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley and 29 more | 5 hr |
| May 11, 3:43 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Camden and 15 more | 2 hr |
| May 11, 6:06 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, Liberty, Long, McIntosh | 84 min |
| May 11, 12:39 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Calhoun, Chester, Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Fairfield and 9 more | 2 hr |
| May 11, 1:07 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Chester, Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Fairfield, Florence and 5 more | 6 hr |
| May 11, 3:43 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Horry | 6 hr |
| May 11, 6:30 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Horry | 90 min |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2008Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2008Tornado Watches in South Carolina, 2008Every 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.