Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Charleston, SC

May 5, 2009McIntosh County, Georgia

NWS Charleston, SC issued this tornado warning at May 5, 2009, 6:03 PM EDT for McIntosh County, Georgia. It was in force for 42 min. 4 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 5, 2009, 6:03 PM EDT (22:03 UTC)
Expired: May 5, 2009, 6:45 PM EDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Charleston, SC
Area: Storm-based polygon

County McIntosh County, GA

The radar

The Jacksonville radar (KJAX), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:03 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 5, 6:13 PM EDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	1 W Ardick, GA
May 5, 6:13 PM EDT	HAIL 0.75	2 E Townsend, GA	PENNY SIZE HAIL REPORTED AT THE LAKE HARMONY RV PARK ON LAKE HARMONY DRIVE.
May 5, 6:15 PM EDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	Shellman Bluff, GA
May 5, 6:30 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Meridian, GA	UTILITY POLE DOWN ON HIGHWAY 99.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Jacksonville, FL (KJAX), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 114 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: 2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -262 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1549 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 37 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 72 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KCHS 052203
TORCHS
GAC191-052245-
/O.NEW.KCHS.TO.W.0013.090505T2203Z-090505T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
603 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN MCINTOSH COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST GEORGIA...

* UNTIL 645 PM EDT

* AT 602 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR COX...OR
  ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF TIBET...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THE STORM INCLUDE...
  COX...
  EULONIA...RIDGEVILLE...
  CARNIGAN...
  CRESCENT...PINE HARBOR...
  VALONA...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A TORNADO MAY FORM AT ANY TIME. TAKE COVER NOW. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES
AND VEHICLES. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM OR HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

THIS STORM IS ALSO CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER SUCH AS HAIL...DOWNED TREES...LIMBS...AND
POWER LINES...PLEASE CONTACT THE CHARLESTON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
TOLL FREE AT 1-888-383-2024.

&&

LAT...LON 3133 8128 3143 8159 3152 8158 3153 8158
      3160 8120 3156 8122 3155 8126 3153 8125
      3154 8124 3155 8120 3148 8120 3137 8128
      3139 8130 3136 8128
TIME...MOT...LOC 2203Z 263DEG 17KT 3149 8152

$$

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS52 KCHS 052216
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
616 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

GAC191-052245-
/O.CON.KCHS.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-090505T2245Z/
MCINTOSH GA-
616 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM EDT FOR MCINTOSH
COUNTY...

AT 615 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR ARDICK...OR ABOUT
6 MILES NORTH OF DARIEN...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
CARNIGAN...COX...CRESCENT...EULONIA...MERIDIAN...PINE HARBOR...
RIDGEVILLE...SAPELO ISLAND...SHELLMAN BLUFF...TOWNSEND AND VALONA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS STORM IS ALSO CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AND 
DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER SUCH AS HAIL...DOWNED TREES...LIMBS...AND
POWER LINES...PLEASE CONTACT THE CHARLESTON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
TOLL FREE AT 1-888-383-2024 OR EMAIL YOUR REPORTS TO
CHS.SKYWARN@NOAA.GOV.

&&

LAT...LON 3133 8128 3143 8159 3152 8158 3153 8158
      3160 8120 3156 8122 3155 8126 3153 8125
      3154 8124 3155 8120 3148 8120 3137 8128
      3139 8130 3136 8128
TIME...MOT...LOC 2216Z 285DEG 15KT 3146 8144

$$

000 
WWUS52 KCHS 052240
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
640 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

GAC191-052248-
/O.EXP.KCHS.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-090505T2245Z/
MCINTOSH GA-
640 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR MCINTOSH COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT 645 PM
EDT...

AT 638 PM EDT...RADAR INDICATED THAT THE THUNDERSTORM THAT PROMPTED 
THE WARNING WAS NO LONGER CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES. THE 
TORNADO WARNING HAS THEREFORE BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

ALTHOUGH THE TORNADO WARNING IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT...A SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING 
WINDS IN MCINTOSH COUNTY UNTIL 715 PM EDT. 

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER SUCH AS HAIL...DOWNED TREES...LIMBS...AND
POWER LINES...PLEASE CONTACT THE CHARLESTON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
TOLL FREE AT 1-888-383-2024 OR EMAIL YOUR REPORTS TO
CHS.SKYWARN@NOAA.GOV.

LAT...LON 3133 8128 3143 8159 3152 8158 3153 8158
      3160 8120 3156 8122 3155 8126 3153 8125
      3154 8124 3155 8120 3148 8120 3137 8128
      3139 8130 3136 8128
TIME...MOT...LOC 2238Z 285DEG 15KT 3144 8134

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Charleston, SC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 5, 10:21 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Jenkins, Screven	39 min
May 5, 11:31 AM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CHS	Jenkins	59 min
May 5, 11:46 AM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CHS	Screven	89 min
May 5, 12:15 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CHS	Screven	90 min
May 5, 12:28 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CHS	Jenkins	92 min
May 5, 1:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Bulloch, Jenkins, Screven	48 min
May 5, 2:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Effingham, Screven	47 min
May 5, 3:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Bulloch, Effingham, Screven	46 min
May 5, 4:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Chatham, Effingham	64 min
May 5, 4:52 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	CHS		83 min
May 5, 5:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Long, McIntosh	65 min
May 5, 6:15 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	CHS		90 min
May 5, 6:37 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	McIntosh	38 min
May 5, 7:18 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	McIntosh	28 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Georgia, 2009 Every tornado warning in 2009 Tornadoes in 2009

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.