Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Watches in 2020

Tornado Watch 44

March 4, 20205 counties in Alabama; 4 counties in Florida; 40 counties in Georgia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Mar 4, 2020, 9:16 AM CST for 5 counties in Alabama; 4 counties in Florida; 40 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 4, 2020, 9:16 AM CST (15:16 UTC)
Expired
Mar 4, 2020, 3:13 PM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
1 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt
All 49 counties

Coffee County, AL, Dale County, AL, Geneva County, AL, Henry County, AL, Houston County, AL, Holmes County, FL, Jackson County, FL, Walton County, FL, Washington County, FL, Appling County, GA, Atkinson County, GA, Bacon County, GA, Baker County, GA, Ben Hill County, GA, Berrien County, GA, Brantley County, GA, Brooks County, GA, Bryan County, GA, Calhoun County, GA, Camden County, GA, Charlton County, GA, Chatham County, GA, Clinch County, GA, Coffee County, GA, Colquitt County, GA, Cook County, GA, Decatur County, GA, Dougherty County, GA, Early County, GA, Echols County, GA, Glynn County, GA, Grady County, GA, Irwin County, GA, Jeff Davis County, GA, Lanier County, GA, Liberty County, GA, Long County, GA, Lowndes County, GA, McIntosh County, GA, Miller County, GA, Mitchell County, GA, Pierce County, GA, Seminole County, GA, Thomas County, GA, Tift County, GA, Turner County, GA, Ware County, GA, Wayne County, GA, Worth County, GA

The radar

The Tallahassee radar (KTLH), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:16 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
40%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
20%
Ten or more severe wind reports
40%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
20%
Ten or more severe hail reports
40%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
20%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
70%

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 4, 9:32 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEBaker, Calhoun, Early28 min
Mar 4, 10:06 AM CSTTornado WarningJAXAppling, Pierce, Wayne24 min
Mar 4, 10:20 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBryan, Chatham, Liberty40 min
Mar 4, 10:30 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXGlynn, Wayne30 min
Mar 4, 10:33 AM CSTTornado WarningJAXWayne27 min
Mar 4, 10:40 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSLiberty, Long, McIntosh50 min
Mar 4, 10:51 AM CSTTornado WarningCHSMcIntosh24 min
Mar 4, 2:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXCoffee, Jeff Davis18 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, 3.3 hours before the alert went out and 97 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 2020-03-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 492 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2020-03-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 135 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
492 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-38 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
625 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
135 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
166 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
2.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

142 
WWUS20 KWNS 041514
SEL4  
SPC WW 041514
ALZ000-FLZ000-GAZ000-CWZ000-042300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 44
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1015 AM EST Wed Mar 4 2020

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  Southeast Alabama
  North Florida
  Southern Georgia
  Coastal Waters

* Effective this Wednesday morning and evening from 1015 AM until
  600 PM EST.

* Primary threats include...
  A couple tornadoes possible
  Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible
  Scattered large hail events to 1 inch in diameter possible

SUMMARY...A line of thunderstorms over southeast Alabama and
southern Georgia will sag southward through the day, with
occasionally intense storms capable of damaging wind gusts or
perhaps a tornado or two.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 35 statute miles
north and south of a line from 55 miles west southwest of Dothan AL
to 40 miles east northeast of Brunswick GA. For a complete depiction
of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS
WOU4).

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 39...WW 42...WW 43...

AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 1 inch. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean
storm motion vector 27035.

...Hart

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 4, 1:19 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Marengo and 5 more2 hr
Mar 4, 1:53 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCBaldwin, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Covington and 6 more8 hr
Mar 4, 2:39 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAutauga, Barbour, Bullock, Dallas, Elmore, Greene and 9 more6 hr
Mar 4, 6:37 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarbour, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw and 7 more2 hr
Mar 4, 5:05 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCMobile2 hr
Mar 4, 11:34 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGadsden, Jackson, Washington86 min
Mar 4, 1:50 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCHamilton, Nassau55 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2020Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2020Tornado Watches in Florida, 2020Every tornado watch in 2020

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.