Alert archive / Georgia / Mesoscale Discussions in 2011

Mesoscale Discussion 488

April 20, 20114 counties in Alabama; 42 counties in Georgia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Apr 20, 2011, 5:39 AM CDT for 4 counties in Alabama; 42 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 66 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 20, 2011, 5:39 AM CDT (10:39 UTC)
Expired
Apr 20, 2011, 6:45 AM CDT
In force
66 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 46 counties

Calhoun County, AL, Cherokee County, AL, Cleburne County, AL, St. Clair County, AL, Banks County, GA, Barrow County, GA, Bartow County, GA, Carroll County, GA, Chattooga County, GA, Cherokee County, GA, Clarke County, GA, Clayton County, GA, Cobb County, GA, Coweta County, GA, Dawson County, GA, DeKalb County, GA, Douglas County, GA, Fayette County, GA, Floyd County, GA, Forsyth County, GA, Franklin County, GA, Fulton County, GA, Gilmer County, GA, Gordon County, GA, Gwinnett County, GA, Hall County, GA, Haralson County, GA, Heard County, GA, Henry County, GA, Jackson County, GA, Lumpkin County, GA, Madison County, GA, Morgan County, GA, Murray County, GA, Newton County, GA, Oconee County, GA, Oglethorpe County, GA, Paulding County, GA, Pickens County, GA, Polk County, GA, Rockdale County, GA, Spalding County, GA, Walker County, GA, Walton County, GA, White County, GA, Whitfield County, GA

The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 75 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:43 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 watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 76 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 00:00Z on 2011-04-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2011-04-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 52 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
3375 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
52 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
97 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.

621 
ACUS11 KWNS 201040
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 201039
GAZ000-ALZ000-201145-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0488
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0539 AM CDT WED APR 20 2011

AREAS AFFECTED...PARTS OF NERN AL...NRN GA

CONCERNING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 166...

VALID 201039Z - 201145Z

THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 166
CONTINUES.

TRENDS WILL CONTINUE TO BE MONITORED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF A NEW WW
ACROSS NORTHERN GEORGIA.

A MODESTLY STRONG AND ORGANIZED MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE SYSTEM HAS
EVOLVED ACROSS NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI INTO NORTHERN ALABAMA...AND IS
ADVANCING EASTWARD AROUND 50 KTS.  AT THIS MOVEMENT...ACTIVITY WILL
BEGIN PROGRESSING EAST OF WW 166 INTO NORTHERN GEORGIA BETWEEN
11-12Z.  WHILE THE ENVIRONMENT ACROSS NORTHERN GEORGIA IS SLOWLY
MOISTENING...IT REMAINS CONSIDERABLY DRIER AND MORE STABLE THAN THAT
WHICH EXISTS TO THE WEST.  AS SYSTEM-RELATIVE EASTERLY LOW-LEVEL
INFLOW BEGINS TO CIRCULATE THIS AIR INTO THE CONVECTIVE SYSTEM...IT
SEEMS LIKELY TO CONTRIBUTE TO WEAKENING TRENDS.  COUPLED WITH THE
LOSS OF UPPER SUPPORT...SHIFTING NORTHEAST OF THE UPPER TENNESSEE
VALLEY...IT IS NOT CERTAIN THAT A NEW WW WILL BE NEEDED.

..KERR.. 04/20/2011

...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...

ATTN...WFO...GSP...FFC...BMX...HUN...

LAT...LON   34108590 34908548 34878455 34588341 33928279 33408343
            33228453 33378587 33518654 34108590

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 19, 9:39 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCColbert, Franklin, Lauderdale66 min
Apr 19, 11:56 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCColbert, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone and 4 more94 min
Apr 20, 3:19 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBlount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah and 16 more86 min
Apr 20, 3:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton and 33 more8 hr
Apr 20, 8:42 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Bibb, Chilton, Clay, Coosa, Elmore and 11 more63 min
Apr 20, 1:16 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Chambers and 28 more89 min
Apr 20, 1:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAutauga, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Chambers and 33 more6 hr
Apr 20, 5:24 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore, Fayette and 10 more96 min
Apr 20, 6:51 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCFayette, Greene, Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Tuscaloosa and 2 more84 min
Apr 20, 6:55 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBanks, Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Catoosa and 50 more3 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Georgia, 2011Mesoscale Discussions in Alabama, 2011Every mesoscale discussion in 2011

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.