Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2009

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 193, NWS Atlanta, GA

April 23, 2009Cobb County, Douglas County, Fulton County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 23, 2009, 7:10 PM EDT for Cobb County, Douglas County, Fulton County, Georgia. It was in force for 35 min. 2 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: Apr 23, 2009, 7:10 PM EDT (23:10 UTC)
Expired: Apr 23, 2009, 7:45 PM EDT
In force: 35 min
Issued by: NWS Atlanta, GA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Cobb County, GA, Douglas County, GA, Fulton County, GA

The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 43 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:11 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
Apr 23, 7:18 PM EDT	HAIL 1	Atlanta, GA
Apr 23, 7:45 PM EDT	HAIL 1	Mableton, GA

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

Did it verify

Verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow matched 2 storm reports to this severe thunderstorm warning; the first came 8 minutes after it went out.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 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.

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: 178 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -153 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1135 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 218 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 184 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS52 KFFC 232310
SVRFFC
GAC067-097-121-232345-
/O.NEW.KFFC.SV.W.0193.090423T2310Z-090423T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
710 PM EDT THU APR 23 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL COBB COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
  NORTHEASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
  CENTRAL FULTON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA

* UNTIL 745 PM EDT

* AT 708 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZED HAIL...AND
  DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR LITHIA
  SPRINGS...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO UNION
  CITY AND MIDTOWN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

QUARTER SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED WITH THIS STORM AS IT MOVED ACROSS 
PAULDING COUNTY. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THE STORM...TAKE 
IMMEDIATE ACTION TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY.

IF YOU SEE WIND DAMAGE...LARGE HAIL OR SIGNIFICANT FLOODING...WAIT
UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED...AND THEN CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE TOLL FREE AT 1 8 6 6 7 6 3 4 4 6 6.

&&

LAT...LON 3380 8436 3356 8452 3370 8477 3387 8465
TIME...MOT...LOC 2310Z 295DEG 18KT 3373 8465

$$

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Atlanta, GA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Apr 23, 6:20 PM EDT, 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 23, 6:20 PM EDT, 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
620 PM EDT THU APR 23 2009

.SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/...
PRIMARY CONCERN IN SHORT TERM PERIOD IS CHC FOR DEEP CONVECTION
...POSSIBLY SEVERE...THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. RADAR AND
SATELLITE TRENDS INDICATE STRONG TSRA CURRENTLY OCCURRING OVER
MIDDLE TN SE OF NASHVILLE. THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD DEVELOP FURTHER
SOUTH ALONG NW- SE ORIENTED BAND OF WARM/MOIST ADVECTION AND
INERTIAL INSTABILITY. MLCAPE CURRENTLY UP TO 2200 J/KG IN NORTH GA
BUT VERTICAL WIND SHEAR IS SOMEWHAT WEAK...WITH 0-1KM BULK SHEAR
AROUND 10KTS AND 0-6KM SHEAR AROUND 30KTS. EXPECT TO SEE ISOLD
COVERAGE OF TSRA...SOME POSS SEVERE...WITH LARGE HAIL THE PRIMARY
THREAT DEVELOP INTO NORTH GA THIS AFTERNOON. THIS MATCHES RECENT
SPC MCD AS WELL. CONVECTION SHOULD DECREASE RAPIDLY AFTER MIDNIGHT
AS INFLUENCE OF OH VALLEY SHORTWAVE AND FLOW ALOFT WEAKEN.

PATTERN NOT TOO MUCH DIFFERENT FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AFTERNOON
EXCEPT THAT LARGE SCALE FORCING AND VERTICAL WIND SHEAR WILL
BECOME NEGLIGIBLE AS UPPER HIGH BUILDS INTO AREA. COULD SEE AN
ISOLD PULSE TSTM IN FAR ERN OR NE GA FRI OR SAT AFTERNOON BUT NOT
MUCH ELSE.

TEMPS WILL BECOME A LITTLE ABOVE NORMAL BUT NOWHERE NEAR DAILY
RECORDS. USED BIAS-ADJUSTED MAV/MET BLEND FOR MOST TEMPS.

.LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
NO MAJOR CHANGES TO MODEL PROGS FROM PREVIOUS RUNS DURING THIS
PERIOD. BASED ON 12Z GFS/12Z ECMWF/00Z GFS ENSEMBLE...STILL
APPEARS THAT UPPER RIDGE WILL REMAIN OVER THE SOUTHEAST THROUGH
MONDAY BEFORE LARGE/BROAD POSITIVELY TILTED LONG WAVE TROUGH OVER
THE WESTERN U.S. SLOWLY PROGRESSES EAST. INDIVIDUAL SHORT WAVES
SHOULD REMAIN TO OUR WEST IN THIS PATTERN...BUT COULD SEE
ISOLD/SCT SHRA/TSRA PARTICULARLY IN NW GA. GOING FCST LOOKS PRETTY
CLOSE TO THIS GIVEN ABOVE SO NO CHANGES.

SNELSON

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD.
ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED CONVECTION SHOULD BE MAINLY ACROSS
NORTH GEORGIA...ENDING AROUND 01Z TONIGHT. CEILINGS IN THESE AREAS
EXPECTED TO REMAIN SCT-BKN AT 045-050. OTHERWISE...FEW-SCT VFR
CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH FRIDAY. LIGHT SOUTHWEST WINDS SHOULD
CONTINUE THROUGH THE PERIOD...WITH HIGHER GUSTS ASSOCIATED WITH
CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY TONIGHT. WIND SHIFT FROM SW TO SE EXPECTED
FRIDAY NIGHT.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
ATHENS          57  88  57  85  55 /  20  20  10  10  10
ATLANTA         61  85  61  83  59 /  20  10  10  10  10
BLAIRSVILLE     52  81  51  80  51 /  20  20   5  20   5
CARTERSVILLE    55  86  53  84  53 /  20  10   5  10  10
COLUMBUS        58  88  59  87  58 /  10  10  10   5  10
GAINESVILLE     59  84  59  82  57 /  20  20   5  10  10
MACON           56  89  57  88  56 /  20  10  10   5  10
ROME            54  88  56  86  56 /  20  10   5  10  10
PEACHTREE CITY  54  85  52  84  52 /  20  10  10  10  10
VIDALIA         59  90  58  87  55 /  10  20   5  10  10

&&

.FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

13/31

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 23, 11:30 AM EDT, 7 hours 40 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1130 AM EDT THU APR 23 2009

GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-
089>098-102>113-240930-
BALDWIN-BANKS-BARROW-BARTOW-BIBB-BLECKLEY-BUTTS-CARROLL-CATOOSA-
CHATTAHOOCHEE-CHATTOOGA-CHEROKEE-CLARKE-CLAYTON-COBB-COWETA-
CRAWFORD-CRISP-DADE-DAWSON-DEKALB-DODGE-DOOLY-DOUGLAS-EMANUEL-
FANNIN-FAYETTE-FLOYD-FORSYTH-GILMER-GLASCOCK-GORDON-GREENE-
GWINNETT-HALL-HANCOCK-HARALSON-HARRIS-HEARD-HENRY-HOUSTON-JACKSON-
JASPER-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-JONES-LAMAR-LAURENS-LUMPKIN-MACON-
MADISON-MARION-MERIWETHER-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-MORGAN-MURRAY-
MUSCOGEE-NEWTON-NORTH FULTON-OCONEE-OGLETHORPE-PAULDING-PEACH-
PICKENS-PIKE-POLK-PULASKI-PUTNAM-ROCKDALE-SCHLEY-SOUTH FULTON-
SPALDING-STEWART-SUMTER-TALBOT-TALIAFERRO-TAYLOR-TELFAIR-TOOMBS-
TOWNS-TREUTLEN-TROUP-TWIGGS-UNION-UPSON-WALKER-WALTON-WARREN-
WASHINGTON-WEBSTER-WHEELER-WHITE-WHITFIELD-WILCOX-WILKES-
WILKINSON-
1130 AM EDT THU APR 23 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH THIS EVENING OVER MOST OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA.

.SYNOPSIS...
A WARM FRONT STRETCHED FROM NORTHERN ALABAMA INTO NORTHWEST AND
CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS MORNING. THIS WARM FRONT WILL LIFT SLOWLY
NORTHEAST THROUGH THE DAY TODAY.

.PRIMARY HAZARDS...
THE PRIMARY HAZARDS FROM ANY THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FREQUENT CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. SOME HAIL IS ALSO
POSSIBLE...MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

.DISCUSSION...
THE ATMOSPHERE SOUTH OF THE WARM FRONT IS MODERATELY UNSTABLE.
THIS AIRMASS WILL SPREAD NORTHEAST ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL
GEORGIA THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY. BY THIS AFTERNOON LIFTED INDICES
WILL BE IN THE MINUS 3 TO MINUS 4 RANGE WITH CAPE BETWEEN 1500 AND
2500. THIS SHOULD ALLOW SOME STORMS TO APPROACH SEVERE LIMITS...
BUT WITH LITTLE LOW OR MID LEVEL SHEAR PRESENT...WIDESPREAD SEVERE
WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.
OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. HOWEVER...
SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH
OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/ATLANTA.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 23, 6:02 PM EDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
602 PM EDT THU APR 23 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0600 PM     HAIL             7 SW CHICKAMAUGA        34.80N 85.38W
04/23/2009  E1.25 INCH       WALKER             GA   PUBLIC

&&

SNELSON

Special weather statement, Apr 23, 6:22 PM EDT, 48 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
622 PM EDT THU APR 23 2009

GAZ008-015-016-023-024-232315-
622 PM EDT THU APR 23 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR PEA SIZED HAIL AND 40 MPH WINDS IN
BANKS...HALL...LUMPKIN...WHITE AND UNION COUNTIES UNTIL 715 PM EDT...

AT 622 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER CLEVELAND...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE PEA SIZED HAIL...FREQUENT
CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AS IT MOVES ACROSS
BANKS...HALL...LUMPKIN...WHITE AND UNION COUNTIES THROUGH 715 PM EDT.
BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS.

Local storm report, Apr 23, 6:25 PM EDT, 45 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
625 PM EDT THU APR 23 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0605 PM     HAIL             7 SW CHICKAMAUGA        34.80N 85.38W
04/23/2009  E1.75 INCH       WALKER             GA   PUBLIC

&&

SNELSON

Local storm report, Apr 23, 6:32 PM EDT, 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
632 PM EDT THU APR 23 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0630 PM     HAIL             3 S DALLAS              33.88N 84.84W
04/23/2009  E1.00 INCH       PAULDING           GA   EMERGENCY MNGR

&&

SNELSON

Local storm report, Apr 23, 6:57 PM EDT, 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
657 PM EDT THU APR 23 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0650 PM     HAIL             1 N CALHOUN             34.52N 84.95W
04/23/2009  E1.25 INCH       GORDON             GA   PUBLIC

&&

SNELSON

Local storm report, Apr 23, 7:01 PM EDT, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
701 PM EDT THU APR 23 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0645 PM     HAIL             RESACA                  34.58N 84.94W
04/23/2009  E1.00 INCH       GORDON             GA   PUBLIC

&&

SNELSON

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 23, 6:36 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Dodge	24 min
Apr 23, 5:49 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Catoosa, Chattooga, Walker, Whitfield	41 min
Apr 23, 6:05 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Cobb, Douglas, Paulding	40 min
Apr 23, 6:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Gordon, Murray, Walker, Whitfield	49 min
Apr 23, 6:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Catoosa, Gordon, Walker, Whitfield	46 min
Apr 23, 6:37 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Cobb, Douglas, Fulton, Paulding	38 min
Apr 23, 6:53 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bartow, Cherokee, Gordon, Pickens	52 min
Apr 23, 6:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Cobb, Fulton, Paulding	48 min
Apr 23, 7:01 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bartow, Chattooga, Floyd, Gordon, Murray, Walker and 1 more	44 min
Apr 23, 7:21 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Banks, Hall, White	39 min
Apr 23, 7:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bartow, Cobb, Paulding	50 min
Apr 23, 7:32 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton	58 min
Apr 23, 7:39 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Clayton, Fayette, Fulton	66 min
Apr 23, 7:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bartow, Cherokee, Gordon	63 min
Apr 23, 7:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Cobb, Douglas, Fulton	45 min
Apr 23, 7:52 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	DeKalb, Gwinnett, Rockdale, Walton	68 min
Apr 23, 7:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Banks, Jackson, Madison	33 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 2009 Every severe thunderstorm 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.