Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 119, NWS Atlanta, GA

May 5, 2009Washington County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this tornado warning at May 5, 2009, 7:21 PM EDT for Washington County, Georgia. It was in force for 39 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 5, 2009, 7:21 PM EDT (23:21 UTC)
Expired
May 5, 2009, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Washington County, GA

The radar

The Robins AFB radar (KJGX), 63 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:21 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, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 168 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 2009-05-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 422 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 2009-05-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 88 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
422 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-35 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
584 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
88 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
141 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KFFC 052321
TORFFC
GAC303-060000-
/O.NEW.KFFC.TO.W.0119.090505T2321Z-090506T0000Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
721 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA

* UNTIL 800 PM EDT

* AT 718 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO ABOUT 5 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF SANDERSVILLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  TENNILLE...RIDDLEVILLE...DAVISBORO AND HARRISON.

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.

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS THUNDERSTORM LIKELY CONTAINS VERY
LARGE HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF GOLFBALLS. TAKE COVER NOW

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 3281 8271 3297 8299 3315 8286 3301 8256
TIME...MOT...LOC 2320Z 297DEG 16KT 3302 8287

$$
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS52 KFFC 052333
SVSFFC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
733 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

GAC303-060000-
/O.CON.KFFC.TO.W.0119.000000T0000Z-090506T0000Z/
WASHINGTON GA-
733 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FOR CENTRAL
WASHINGTON COUNTY...

AT 733 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR SANDERSVILLE...
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
TENNILLE...RIDDLEVILLE...DAVISBORO AND HARRISON.

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.

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

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 3281 8271 3297 8299 3315 8286 3301 8256
TIME...MOT...LOC 2333Z 297DEG 16KT 3300 8283

$$
000 
WWUS52 KFFC 052345
SVSFFC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
745 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

GAC303-060000-
/O.CON.KFFC.TO.W.0119.000000T0000Z-090506T0000Z/
WASHINGTON GA-
745 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FOR CENTRAL
WASHINGTON COUNTY...

AT 744 PM EDT...A TORNADO WAS REPORTED. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR
SANDERSVILLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
RIDDLEVILLE...DAVISBORO AND HARRISON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 3281 8271 3297 8299 3315 8286 3301 8256
TIME...MOT...LOC 2345Z 299DEG 15KT 3297 8278

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 5, 12:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCEmanuel, Johnson39 min
May 5, 2:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCEmanuel, Johnson45 min
May 5, 3:31 PM EDTWind AdvisoryFFCChattooga, Dade, Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin and 6 more27 hr
May 5, 4:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDodge, Telfair, Wilcox53 min
May 5, 6:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHancock, Washington44 min
May 5, 6:49 PM EDTTornado WarningFFCBaldwin, Hancock, Washington41 min
May 5, 7:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBaldwin, Washington, Wilkinson42 min
May 5, 7:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWashington51 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.