Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 14, NWS Tallahassee, FL

February 18, 2008Grady County, Georgia

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this tornado warning at Feb 18, 2008, 1:33 AM EST for Grady County, Georgia. It was in force for 42 min. 11 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: Feb 18, 2008, 1:33 AM EST (06:33 UTC)
Expired: Feb 18, 2008, 2:15 AM EST
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Tallahassee, FL
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Grady County, GA

The radar

The Tallahassee radar (KTLH), 65 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:34 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
Feb 18, 1:48 AM EST	TSTM WND DMG	3 Sw Whigham, GA	WINDOWS WERE BLOWN OUT OF A HOME SOUTHWEST OF WHIGHAM. NUMEROUS TREES WERE REPORTED DOWN IN THE AREA. ESTIMATED STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WERE 70 MPH.
Feb 18, 1:48 AM EST	TORNADO	3 Sw Whigham, GA	WINDOWS BLOWN OUT OF A HOME SOUTHWEST OF WHIGHAM. NUMEROUS TREES REPORTED DOWN IN THE AREA.
Feb 18, 2:00 AM EST	TORNADO 0	6 N Cairo, GA	EF-0 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN THIS AREA. MOBILE HOMES DAMAGED ON COURTNEY LANE. ONE MOBILE HOME WAS OVERTURNED. NUMEROUS TREES UPROOTED OR SNAPPED AND POWER LINES REPORTED DOWN IN THE AREA.
Feb 18, 2:00 AM EST	TORNADO 1	2 S Capel, GA	EF-1 TORADO CONFIRMED IN THIS AREA. SEVERAL HOMES DAMAGED ON SHORTY ROAD AND WICOX ROAD. MAXIMUM WINDS ARE ESTIMATED AT 85 MPH.
Feb 18, 2:00 AM EST	TORNADO	2 S Capel, GA	WINDOWS BLOWN OUT OF MOBILE HOME. SKIRTING RIPPED AWAY FROM UNDER MOBILE HOME.
Feb 18, 2:00 AM EST	TORNADO	6 N Cairo, GA	MOBILE HOMES DAMAGED ON COURTNEY LANE. ONE MOBILE HOME WAS OVERTURNED. NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES REPORTED DOWN IN THE AREA.
Feb 18, 2:00 AM EST	TORNADO	7 N Cairo, GA	NUMEROUS LARGE TREES UPROOTED. LARGE TREES WITH TOPS SNAPPED OFF. SEVERAL TREES DOWN ON HOMES WITH POWER POLES DOWN AT COURTNEY LANE AND HIGHWAY 93.
Feb 18, 2:00 AM EST	TORNADO	8 N Cairo, GA	MOBILE HOME TIPPED OVER. SEVERAL TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN. SEVERAL PERONS INJURED IN VICINITY OF PINE LEVEL ROAD.
Feb 18, 2:00 AM EST	TORNADO	N Cairo, GA	MOBILE HOME DESTROYED ON HIGHWAY 111 TO THE NORTH OF CAIRO, GA.
Feb 18, 2:02 AM EST	TORNADO	8 N Cairo, GA	MOBILE HOME TIPPED OVER. SEVERAL TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN. SEVERAL PERSONS INJURIES IN VICINITY OF PINE LEVEL ROAD.
Feb 18, 2:04 AM EST	TORNADO	8 N Cairo, GA	* 1 INJ * MOBILE HOME TIPPED OVER. SEVERAL TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN. ONE INJURED WHEN MOBILE HOME WAS NEARLY DESTROYED ON PINE FOREST ROAD.

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Feb 17, 6:58 PM EST	Tornado Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), launched 00:00Z, 6.6 hours before the alert went out and 64 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: 593 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -23 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 478 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 274 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 290 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.9
Supercell composite: 6.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KTAE 180634
TORTAE
GAC131-180715-
/O.NEW.KTAE.TO.W.0014.080218T0633Z-080218T0715Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
133 AM EST MON FEB 18 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  GRADY COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST GEORGIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF CAIRO...

* UNTIL 215 AM EST

* AT 129 AM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  DEVELOPING TORNADO 12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WHIGHAM...OR 10 MILES
  SOUTHEAST OF BAINBRIDGE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  WHIGHAM BY 145 AM EST...
  CAIRO BY 155 AM EST...

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF WIND DAMAGE.

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 THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

RELAY REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN
TALLAHASSEE AT (8 5 0) 9 4 2 8 8 3 3. OR...YOU MAY CONTACT THE
NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OR YOUR COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 AM EST MONDAY MORNING.

LAT...LON 3107 8412 3101 8412 3100 8410 3077 8408
      3071 8437 3104 8436 3106 8425
TIME...MOT...LOC 0633Z 235DEG 38KT 3081 8447

$$

14-MROCZKA

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS52 KTAE 180655
SVSTAE

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
153 AM EST MON FEB 18 2008

GAC131-180715-
/O.CON.KTAE.TO.W.0014.000000T0000Z-080218T0715Z/
GRADY GA-
153 AM EST MON FEB 18 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 215 AM EST FOR GRADY 
COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST GEORGIA...

AT 150 AM EST...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION.  THIS POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS 
LOCATED NEAR WHIGHAM...OR 8 MILES WEST OF CAIRO...MOVING NORTHEAST 
AT 40 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  ELPINO...CAIRO AND 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF GRADY CO A/P BY 200 AM
  EST...
  AKRIDGE AND CAPEL BY 205 AM EST...
  SPENCE BY 210 AM EST...

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM TAKE
COVER IMMEDIATELY.

RELAY REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN
TALLAHASSEE AT (8 5 0) 9 4 2 8 8 3 3. OR...YOU MAY CONTACT THE
NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OR YOUR COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 AM EST MONDAY.

LAT...LON 3107 8412 3101 8412 3100 8410 3077 8408
      3071 8437 3104 8436 3106 8425
TIME...MOT...LOC 0653Z 239DEG 37KT 3091 8430

$$

14-MROCZKA

The office that day

Everything else NWS Tallahassee, FL issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 17, 7:32 PM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Clay	43 min
Feb 17, 9:06 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TAE	Decatur, Grady	39 min
Feb 17, 10:33 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TAE	Decatur, Seminole	57 min
Feb 18, 1:06 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Decatur	39 min
Feb 18, 1:06 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Decatur	39 min
Feb 18, 2:01 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Colquitt, Grady, Mitchell, Thomas	44 min
Feb 18, 2:37 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Colquitt, Tift, Worth	38 min
Feb 18, 3:43 PM EST	Red Flag Warning	TAE	Baker, Ben Hill, Calhoun, Clay, Colquitt, Decatur and 15 more	27 hr

Nearby

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