Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 117, NWS Atlanta, GA

May 4, 2009Glascock County, Jefferson County, Washington County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this tornado warning at May 4, 2009, 2:26 PM EDT for Glascock County, Jefferson County, Washington County, Georgia. It was in force for 49 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 4, 2009, 2:26 PM EDT (18:26 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 2009, 3:15 PM EDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Glascock County, GA, Jefferson County, GA, Washington County, GA

The radar

The Robins AFB radar (KJGX), 82 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:29 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, 6.4 hours before the alert went out and 176 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 2009-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 71 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 12:00Z on 2009-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 155 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
71 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-108 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
680 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
155 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
271 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KFFC 041826
TORFFC
GAC125-163-303-041915-
/O.NEW.KFFC.TO.W.0117.090504T1826Z-090504T1915Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
226 PM EDT MON MAY 4 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL GLASCOCK COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA
  WEST CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA
  CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA

* UNTIL 315 PM EDT

* AT 226 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 13 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF EDGEHILL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  DOWNS...GRANGE AND STAPLETONS CROSSROADS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 A
BASEMENT OR INTERIOR ROOM ON THE GROUND FLOOR. STAY AWAY FROM
WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

IF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE HOME OR VEHICLE...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE
A STURDY SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

IF YOU SEE WIND DAMAGE...LARGE HAIL OR SIGNIFICANT FLOODING...WAIT
UNTIL AFTER 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 3322 8256 3305 8247 3298 8278 3305 8282
TIME...MOT...LOC 1826Z 242DEG 22KT 3302 8278

$$
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS52 KFFC 041844
SVSFFC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
244 PM EDT MON MAY 4 2009

GAC125-163-303-041915-
/O.CON.KFFC.TO.W.0117.000000T0000Z-090504T1915Z/
WASHINGTON GA-JEFFERSON GA-GLASCOCK GA-
244 PM EDT MON MAY 4 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 315 PM EDT FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL GLASCOCK...WEST CENTRAL JEFFERSON AND NORTHEASTERN WASHINGTON
COUNTIES...

AT 244 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR DOWNS...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
GRANGE...EDGEHILL AND STAPLETONS CROSSROADS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE HOME OR VEHICLE...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE
A STURDY SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

IF YOU SEE WIND DAMAGE...LARGE HAIL OR SIGNIFICANT FLOODING...WAIT
UNTIL AFTER 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.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EDT MONDAY
EVENING FOR SOUTHEAST GEORGIA. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO
REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT MONDAY EVENING FOR EAST CENTRAL
GEORGIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3303 8267 3311 8273 3322 8256 3307 8248
TIME...MOT...LOC 1845Z 242DEG 20KT 3307 8267

$$
000 
WWUS52 KFFC 041907
SVSFFC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
307 PM EDT MON MAY 4 2009

GAC125-163-303-041916-
/O.EXP.KFFC.TO.W.0117.000000T0000Z-090504T1915Z/
WASHINGTON GA-JEFFERSON GA-GLASCOCK GA-
307 PM EDT MON MAY 4 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL GLASCOCK...WEST CENTRAL
JEFFERSON AND NORTHEASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTIES WILL BE ALLOWED TO
EXPIRE AT 315 PM EDT...

THE ROTATION IN THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED
AND HAS MOVED INTO NORTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY. THE LIKELIHOOD OF A 
TORNADO HAS DIMINISHED.

IF YOU SAW WIND DAMAGE...LARGE HAIL OR SIGNIFICANT FLOODING...WAIT
UNTIL AFTER 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.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT MONDAY
EVENING FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA.

LAT...LON 3303 8267 3311 8273 3322 8256 3307 8248
TIME...MOT...LOC 1906Z 242DEG 20KT 3312 8255

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 10:12 PM EDTRiver Flood WarningFFCWhitfield49 hr
May 4, 1:18 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBleckley, Dodge, Laurens, Wilkinson42 min
May 4, 2:05 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCWashington25 min
May 4, 2:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCEmanuel22 min
May 4, 3:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJefferson19 min

Nearby

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