Alert archive / Georgia / Flash Flood Warnings in 2009

Flash Flood Warning 57, NWS Atlanta, GA

December 15, 2009Sumter County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this flash flood warning at Dec 15, 2009, 7:24 AM EST for Sumter County, Georgia. It was in force for 3 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, 7:24 AM EST (12:24 UTC)
Expired
Dec 15, 2009, 10:53 AM EST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
Unknown

County Sumter County, GA

The radar

The Robins AFB radar (KJGX), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:28 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 12:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 153 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 12:00Z on 2009-12-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 2009-12-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 110 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
4 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
581 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
110 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
69 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 151224
FFWFFC
GAC261-151815-
/O.NEW.KFFC.FF.W.0057.091215T1224Z-091215T1815Z/
/00000.U.DM.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 115 PM EST

* AT 715 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...

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 3191 8439 3193 8441 3208 8443 3213 8443
      3217 8404 3190 8394

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS72 KFFC 151553
FFSFFC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1053 AM EST TUE DEC 15 2009

GAC261-151601-
/O.CAN.KFFC.FF.W.0057.000000T0000Z-091215T1815Z/
/00000.U.DM.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
SUMTER GA-
1053 AM EST TUE DEC 15 2009

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR OVERTOPPING DAMS HAS BEEN CANCELLED 
FOR SUMTER COUNTY...

AT 1045 AM EST...SUMTER COUNTY OFFICIALS REPORTED THAT THE WATER 
LEVELS IN MCMATH MILL POND...MURPHY MILL POND AND LAKE COLLINS WERE 
RECEDING AND THAT THE INTEGRITY OF THE DAMS WAS STABILIZED. THE 
THREAT OF A DAM FAILURE HAS EASED AND THE WARNING IS NO LONGER IN 
EFFECT. 

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

LAT...LON 3191 8439 3193 8441 3208 8443 3213 8443
      3217 8404 3190 8394

$$

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, 1:09 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningFFCSumter6 hr
Dec 15, 1:40 AM ESTRiver Flood WarningFFCBleckley, Pulaski11 days
Dec 15, 1:40 AM ESTRiver Flood WarningFFCMontgomery, Treutlen, Wheeler20 days
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.