Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Watches in 2018

Tornado Watch 435

December 1, 20186 counties in Alabama; 17 counties in Florida; 32 counties in Georgia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Dec 1, 2018, 5:53 PM CST for 6 counties in Alabama; 17 counties in Florida; 32 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 9 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Dec 1, 2018, 5:53 PM CST (23:53 UTC)
Expired
Dec 2, 2018, 3:00 AM CST
In force
9 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
1 in
Strongest gust expected
50 kt
All 55 counties

Coffee County, AL, Covington County, AL, Dale County, AL, Geneva County, AL, Henry County, AL, Houston County, AL, Bay County, FL, Calhoun County, FL, Franklin County, FL, Gadsden County, FL, Gulf County, FL, Holmes County, FL, Jackson County, FL, Jefferson County, FL, Lafayette County, FL, Leon County, FL, Liberty County, FL, Madison County, FL, Okaloosa County, FL, Taylor County, FL, Wakulla County, FL, Walton County, FL, Washington County, FL, Baker County, GA, Ben Hill County, GA, Berrien County, GA, Brooks County, GA, Calhoun County, GA, Clay County, GA, Colquitt County, GA, Cook County, GA, Crisp County, GA, Decatur County, GA, Dodge County, GA, Dougherty County, GA, Early County, GA, Grady County, GA, Irwin County, GA, Lanier County, GA, Laurens County, GA, Lee County, GA, Lowndes County, GA, Miller County, GA, Mitchell County, GA, Quitman County, GA, Randolph County, GA, Seminole County, GA, Telfair County, GA, Terrell County, GA, Thomas County, GA, Tift County, GA, Turner County, GA, Wheeler County, GA, Wilcox County, GA, Worth County, GA

The radar

The Ft Rucker radar (KEOX), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:56 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 SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes
30%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
20%
Ten or more severe wind reports
20%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
5%
Ten or more severe hail reports
20%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
5%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
50%

Warnings issued inside it

17 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 1, 6:20 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningTAEHolmes, Jackson, Washington4 hr
Dec 1, 6:40 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningTAEDecatur, Grady, Seminole4 hr
Dec 1, 7:36 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningTAESeminole2 hr
Dec 1, 10:48 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningTAECalhoun, Lee, Randolph, Terrell3 hr
Dec 1, 10:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEDale, Geneva, Henry, Houston47 min
Dec 1, 11:23 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEBaker, Calhoun, Dougherty, Lee, Terrell37 min
Dec 1, 11:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEHenry, Houston48 min
Dec 1, 11:35 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningFFCCrisp, Dooly, Sumter6 hr
Dec 2, 12:25 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEBaker, Calhoun, Dougherty, Early, Terrell50 min
Dec 2, 12:40 AM CSTTornado WarningTAECalhoun, Dougherty, Lee, Terrell35 min
Dec 2, 1:01 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEDougherty, Lee, Worth44 min
Dec 2, 1:16 AM CSTTornado WarningTAEDougherty, Worth29 min
Dec 2, 1:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAECoffee, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston51 min
Dec 2, 1:26 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningFFCDodge, Pulaski, Wilcox6 hr
Dec 2, 1:54 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEDale, Henry, Houston51 min
Dec 2, 2:20 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEHolmes, Walton40 min
Dec 2, 2:26 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEHenry49 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 93 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, Tallahassee Rgnl, FL at 12:00Z on 2018-12-01Temperature 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, Tallahassee Rgnl, FL at 12:00Z on 2018-12-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 259 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
976 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
259 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
531 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

673 
WWUS20 KWNS 012350
SEL5  
SPC WW 012350
ALZ000-FLZ000-GAZ000-CWZ000-020700-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 435
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
655 PM EST Sat Dec 1 2018

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  southeast Alabama
  portions of the Florida Panhandle and northern Florida
  the southwest quarter of Georgia
  Coastal Waters

* Effective this Saturday night and Sunday morning from 655 PM
  until 200 AM EST.

* Primary threats include...
  A couple tornadoes possible
  Isolated damaging wind gusts to 60 mph possible
  Isolated large hail events to 1 inch in diameter possible

SUMMARY...Thunderstorms are forecast to continue over the next
several hours across the watch area.  A few severe storms are
expected, with potential for a couple of tornadoes this evening, in
addition to risk for locally damaging winds and hail.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles
north and south of a line from 45 miles west northwest of Panama
City FL to 30 miles north northeast of Valdosta GA. For a complete
depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update
(WOUS64 KWNS WOU5).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
and possible warnings.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 433...WW 434...

AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 1 inch. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 50 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean
storm motion vector 25040.

...Goss

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 1, 4:31 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile and 2 more59 min
Dec 1, 11:16 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCCoffee, Covington, Dale, Escambia, Geneva, Henry and 1 more7 hr
Dec 1, 1:35 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCoffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Houston85 min
Dec 1, 3:07 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Bibb, Chilton, Clay, Coosa, Dallas and 10 more113 min
Dec 1, 3:38 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCoffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Houston97 min
Dec 1, 5:28 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCColbert, Cullman, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale and 7 more62 min
Dec 1, 10:45 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson and 4 more2 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2018Tornado Watches in Florida, 2018Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2018Every tornado watch in 2018

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.