Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 39, NWS Atlanta, GA

February 28, 2009Macon County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this tornado warning at Feb 28, 2009, 11:14 AM EST for Macon County, Georgia. It was in force for 37 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
Feb 28, 2009, 11:14 AM EST (16:14 UTC)
Expired
Feb 28, 2009, 11:51 AM EST
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Macon County, GA

The radar

The Robins AFB radar (KJGX), 69 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:14 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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Feb 28, 8:25 AM ESTTornado WatchSPC3 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 4.2 hours before the alert went out and 120 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 2009-02-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 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 2009-02-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 524 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
509 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
524 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
700 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 281614
TORFFC
GAC193-281700-
/O.NEW.KFFC.TO.W.0039.090228T1614Z-090228T1700Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1114 AM EST SAT FEB 28 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL MACON COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA

* UNTIL NOON EST

* AT 1109 AM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR IDEAL...
  MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  BARTLETT...WHITEWATER STATE PARK AND WINCHESTER.

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 200 PM EST SATURDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHERN 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 3232 8423 3240 8421 3240 8419 3242 8417
      3247 8385 3243 8385 3243 8383 3238 8383
      3236 8385 3234 8384 3229 8384
TIME...MOT...LOC 1614Z 270DEG 35KT 3237 8415

$$
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS52 KFFC 281622
SVSFFC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1122 AM EST SAT FEB 28 2009

GAC193-281700-
/O.CON.KFFC.TO.W.0039.000000T0000Z-090228T1700Z/
MACON GA-
1121 AM EST SAT FEB 28 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST FOR CENTRAL
MACON COUNTY...

AT 1119 AM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR WHITEWATER STATE 
PARK...AND MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
WINCHESTER.

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 FIRST FLOOR. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
IF DRIVING...DO NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 PM EST SATURDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHERN 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 3232 8423 3240 8421 3240 8419 3242 8417
      3247 8385 3243 8385 3243 8383 3238 8383
      3236 8385 3234 8384 3229 8384
TIME...MOT...LOC 1621Z 269DEG 36KT 3237 8406

$$
000 
WWUS52 KFFC 281651
SVSFFC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1151 AM EST SAT FEB 28 2009

GAC193-281659-
/O.CAN.KFFC.TO.W.0039.000000T0000Z-090228T1700Z/
MACON GA-
1149 AM EST SAT FEB 28 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL MACON COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO HAS MOVED OUT 
OF CENTRAL MACON COUNTY AND SEVERE WEATHER IS NO LONGER EXPECTED FOR 
THIS AREA. THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM HAS MOVED INTO WEST HOUSTON 
COUNTY AND WAS MOVING EASTWARD AT 40 MPH. 

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EST SATURDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHERN 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 3232 8423 3240 8421 3240 8419 3242 8417
      3247 8385 3243 8385 3243 8383 3238 8383
      3236 8385 3234 8384 3229 8384
TIME...MOT...LOC 1649Z 269DEG 36KT 3237 8373

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 28, 8:58 AM ESTRiver Flood WarningFFCClarke, Greene, Oconee5 days
Feb 28, 9:03 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHarris57 min
Feb 28, 9:23 AM ESTTornado WarningFFCHarris, Muscogee52 min
Feb 28, 9:40 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCChattahoochee, Muscogee50 min
Feb 28, 9:52 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMacon, Marion, Schley, Taylor53 min
Feb 28, 10:13 AM ESTTornado WarningFFCChattahoochee, Marion47 min
Feb 28, 11:05 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHouston, Macon, Peach, Schley, Taylor40 min
Feb 28, 11:18 AM ESTTornado WarningFFCCrawford, Macon, Peach, Taylor27 min
Feb 28, 11:32 AM ESTTornado WarningFFCHouston, Pulaski58 min
Feb 28, 11:35 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDooly, Macon, Pulaski40 min
Feb 28, 12:04 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBleckley, Dodge, Pulaski, Wilcox56 min
Feb 28, 12:42 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCSumter33 min
Feb 28, 12:55 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDodge, Laurens, Montgomery, Telfair, Treutlen, Wheeler50 min
Feb 28, 12:57 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDooly48 min
Feb 28, 1:05 PM ESTAreal Flood WarningFFCLamar, Spalding5 hr
Feb 28, 1:05 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCCrisp, Wilcox40 min
Feb 28, 1:10 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCCrisp, Dooly, Wilcox50 min
Feb 28, 1:36 PM ESTAreal Flood WarningFFCHaralson5 hr
Feb 28, 1:38 PM ESTTornado WarningFFCDodge, Telfair46 min
Feb 28, 1:52 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDodge, Laurens, Telfair, Wheeler38 min
Feb 28, 2:24 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMontgomery, Telfair, Toombs, Wheeler51 min
Feb 28, 3:20 PM ESTWind AdvisoryFFCBaldwin, Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Bleckley and 90 more31 hr
Feb 28, 3:41 PM ESTWinter Weather AdvisoryFFCBaldwin, Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Bleckley and 73 more31 hr
Feb 28, 6:00 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHancock, Washington35 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.