Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 20, NWS Atlanta, GA

February 18, 20094 counties in Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this tornado warning at Feb 18, 2009, 6:33 PM EST for 4 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 42 min. 3 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: Feb 18, 2009, 6:33 PM EST (23:33 UTC)
Expired: Feb 18, 2009, 7:15 PM EST
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Atlanta, GA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Butts County, GA, Henry County, GA, Jasper County, GA, Newton County, GA

The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 56 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:35 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
Feb 18, 6:44 PM EST	HAIL 1.75	Ola, GA	GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL BROKE WINDSHIELDS.
Feb 18, 7:00 PM EST	HAIL 0.88	Worthville, GA	NICKEL SIZED HAIL AND 2 TREES DOWN NEAR KEYES FERRY.
Feb 18, 7:05 PM EST	HAIL 1.75	6 Ene Jackson, GA

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

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Feb 18, 3:32 PM EST	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 50 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 588 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 66 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 605 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 895 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 
WFUS52 KFFC 182333
TORFFC
GAC035-151-159-217-190015-
/O.NEW.KFFC.TO.W.0020.090218T2333Z-090219T0015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
633 PM EST WED FEB 18 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN BUTTS COUNTY IN CENTRAL GEORGIA
  WESTERN JASPER COUNTY IN CENTRAL GEORGIA
  SOUTHEASTERN HENRY COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
  SOUTHERN NEWTON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL GEORGIA

* UNTIL 715 PM EST

* AT 628 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 9 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF LOCUST GROVE...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  JENKINSBURG AND JACKSON.

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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EST WEDNESDAY EVENING
FOR GEORGIA.

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 3350 8406 3348 8368 3323 8371 3331 8413
      3332 8414
TIME...MOT...LOC 2333Z 273DEG 46KT 3341 8416

$$

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS52 KFFC 182353
SVSFFC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
653 PM EST WED FEB 18 2009

GAC151-190003-
/O.CAN.KFFC.TO.W.0020.000000T0000Z-090219T0015Z/
HENRY GA-
653 PM EST WED FEB 18 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN HENRY COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM HAS MOVED OUT OF THE COUNTY.

A TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EST WEDNESDAY 
EVENING FOR MUCH OF GEORGIA.

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 3348 8391 3348 8368 3347 8368 3323 8371
      3331 8401
TIME...MOT...LOC 2353Z 283DEG 49KT 3334 8384

$$

GAC035-159-217-190015-
/O.CON.KFFC.TO.W.0020.000000T0000Z-090219T0015Z/
BUTTS GA-JASPER GA-NEWTON GA-
653 PM EST WED FEB 18 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM EST FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL NEWTON...WESTERN JASPER AND NORTHEASTERN BUTTS COUNTIES...

AT 649 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR STARK...MOVING EAST
AT 55 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO EUDORA
AND CALVIN.

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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EST WEDNESDAY EVENING
FOR MUCH OF GEORGIA.

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 3348 8391 3348 8368 3347 8368 3323 8371
      3331 8401
TIME...MOT...LOC 2353Z 283DEG 49KT 3334 8384

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 18, 3:43 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bartow, Chattooga, Floyd, Gordon	52 min
Feb 18, 3:52 PM EST	Wind Advisory	FFC	Baldwin, Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Bleckley and 90 more	27 hr
Feb 18, 4:19 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Chattahoochee, Marion, Muscogee	41 min
Feb 18, 4:22 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Bartow, Cherokee	38 min
Feb 18, 4:52 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Harris, Talbot	38 min
Feb 18, 4:53 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Cherokee, Forsyth, Fulton	37 min
Feb 18, 5:02 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Carroll	43 min
Feb 18, 5:06 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Marion, Schley, Taylor	24 min
Feb 18, 5:31 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Fulton	44 min
Feb 18, 5:32 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Talbot, Taylor	27 min
Feb 18, 5:33 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Macon, Taylor	22 min
Feb 18, 5:36 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett	54 min
Feb 18, 5:43 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett	34 min
Feb 18, 5:54 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Clayton, Coweta, Fayette, Fulton, Henry, Spalding	51 min
Feb 18, 5:59 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Gwinnett, Walton	46 min
Feb 18, 6:01 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Crawford, Houston, Peach	44 min
Feb 18, 6:13 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Carroll	47 min
Feb 18, 6:19 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Houston, Twiggs	26 min
Feb 18, 6:21 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Clarke, Greene, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Walton	54 min
Feb 18, 6:22 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Carroll, Haralson	38 min
Feb 18, 6:44 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Bleckley, Laurens, Twiggs	25 min
Feb 18, 6:48 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Wilkinson	22 min
Feb 18, 6:50 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Jasper, Putnam	55 min
Feb 18, 6:54 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Fulton	18 min
Feb 18, 6:58 PM EST	Tornado Warning	FFC	Greene, Oglethorpe, Taliaferro, Warren, Wilkes	77 min

Nearby

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