Alert archive / Georgia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2009

Flash Flood Warning 56, NWS Atlanta, GA

December 15, 2009Sumter County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this flash flood warning at Dec 15, 2009, 1:09 AM EST for Sumter County, Georgia. It was in force for 6 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Dec 15, 2009, 1:09 AM EST (06:09 UTC)
Expired
Dec 15, 2009, 7:00 AM EST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
Major

County Sumter County, GA

The radar

The Robins AFB radar (KJGX), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:09 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 6.2 hours before the alert went out and 148 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 2009-12-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 12 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 2009-12-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 186 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
12 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-71 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
520 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
186 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
243 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 
WGUS52 KFFC 150609
FFWFFC
GAC261-151200-
/O.NEW.KFFC.FF.W.0056.091215T0609Z-091215T1200Z/
/00000.3.DM.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
109 AM EST TUE DEC 15 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR WATER OVERTOPPING DAMS IN...
  SUMTER COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA

* UNTIL 700 AM EST

* AT 1258 AM EST...THE MCMATH MILLPOND...MURPHY MILL AND LAKE 
COLLINS DAMS NEAR AMERICUS WERE BEING OVERTOPPED WITH WATER. SEVERAL
ROADS NEAR THESE DAMS HAVE FLOWING WATER OVER THEM. SUMTER COUNTY 
EMERGENCY OFFICIALS HAVE ALREADY RESCUED TWO PEOPLE IN A CAR ON 
MURPHY MILL DAM ROAD.  THE DAMS ARE BEING MONITORED FOR POTENTIAL
FAILURE AND THE EMA DIRECTOR HAS REQUESTED THAT MOTORISTS STAY AWAY 
FROM THESE AREAS.

PEOPLE BELOW THESE DAMS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION BY MONITORING
LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION AND FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ANY REQUIRED
EVACUATION AS OUTLINED BY LOCAL EMERGENCY OFFICIALS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. MOVE UP TO
HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO
FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

IF YOU SEE SIGNIFICANT FLOODING CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
TOLL FREE AT 1 8 6 6 7 6 3 4 4 6 6.

&&

LAT...LON 3198 8440 3214 8441 3216 8404 3200 8403

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS72 KFFC 150832
FFSFFC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
332 AM EST TUE DEC 15 2009

GAC261-151200-
/O.CON.KFFC.FF.W.0056.000000T0000Z-091215T1200Z/
/00000.3.DM.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
SUMTER GA-
332 AM EST TUE DEC 15 2009

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR WATER OVERTOPPING DAMS REMAINS IN 
EFFECT UNTIL 700 AM EST FOR NORTHERN SUMTER COUNTY...

AT 326 AM EST...THE MCMATH MILLPOND...MURPHY MILL AND LAKE COLLINS 
DAMS NEAR AMERICUS WERE STILL BEING OVERTOPPED WITH WATER. CONDITIONS
REMAIN UNCHANGED WITH SEVERAL ROADS NEAR THESE DAMS HAVING WATER 
FLOW OVER THEM. SUMTER COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE 
CONTINUING TO MONITOR THE DAMS FOR POTENTIAL FAILURE. THE EMA 
DIRECTOR STILL REQUESTS THAT MOTORISTS STAY AWAY FROM THESE AREAS.

PEOPLE BELOW THESE DAMS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION BY MONITORING
LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION AND FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ANY REQUIRED
EVACUATION AS OUTLINED BY LOCAL EMERGENCY OFFICIALS.

AFFECTED LOCATIONS INCLUDE AMERICUS AND PLAINS

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. MOVE UP TO
HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO
FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS 
SAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. TURN AROUND DONT DROWN.

IF YOU SEE SIGNIFICANT FLOODING CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
TOLL FREE AT 1 8 6 6 7 6 3 4 4 6 6.

&&

LAT...LON 3198 8440 3214 8441 3216 8404 3200 8403

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Atlanta, GA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 14, 7:24 PM ESTAreal Flood WarningFFCBleckley, Dodge, Emanuel, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery and 6 more23 hr
Dec 14, 8:14 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCCrisp6 hr
Dec 14, 10:13 PM ESTRiver Flood WarningFFCMontgomery, Telfair, Wheeler16 days
Dec 15, 1:40 AM ESTRiver Flood WarningFFCBleckley, Pulaski11 days
Dec 15, 1:40 AM ESTRiver Flood WarningFFCMontgomery, Treutlen, Wheeler20 days
Dec 15, 7:24 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCSumter3 hr
Dec 15, 4:03 PM ESTRiver Flood WarningFFCPulaski35 hr
Dec 15, 4:03 PM ESTRiver Flood WarningFFCSumter9 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Georgia, 2009Every flash flood warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.