Alert archive / Georgia / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 268

March 25, 2021Coweta County, Fayette County, Heard County, Georgia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Mar 25, 2021, 11:26 PM EDT for Coweta County, Fayette County, Heard County, Georgia. It was in force for 64 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 25, 2021, 11:26 PM EDT (03:26 UTC)
Expired
Mar 26, 2021, 12:30 AM EDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Tornado watch 52

Counties Coweta County, GA, Fayette County, GA, Heard County, GA

The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 35 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:28 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, 3.4 hours before the alert went out and 42 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 2021-03-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 344 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2021-03-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 328 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
344 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1291 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
76 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
328 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
476 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
6.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

750 
ACUS11 KWNS 260327
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 260326 
GAZ000-ALZ000-260430-

Mesoscale Discussion 0268
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1026 PM CDT Thu Mar 25 2021

Areas affected...parts of west-central GA

Concerning...Tornado Watch 52...

Valid 260326Z - 260430Z

The severe weather threat for Tornado Watch 52 continues.

SUMMARY...Tornado potential will maximize near the GA/AL border and
eventually spread into the greater Atlanta exurbia through 1230 am
EDT.  It is uncertain how far east the higher probabilities for a
tornado will eventually develop due to increasingly marginal
low-level moisture with east extent.

DISCUSSION...Surface analysis indicates mid 60s deg F dewpoints
straddling the GA/AL border in west-central GA to the east of a
supercell with a history of producing tornadoes (likely strong) over
east-central AL.  The latest RAP/NAM indicate lowest 100 mb mean
mixing ratios increasing into the 13-14 g/kg range over the next
hour with MLCAPE increasing from 750 J/kg to 1000-1200 J/kg.  The
KFFC VAD showed 500 m2/s2 0-1km SRH within the moist/sufficiently
unstable airmass. Current thinking is the increasingly rich
low-level moisture (dewpoints rising from 64-65 to 66) may enable a
greater risk for a tornado over the next hour or so.

..Smith.. 03/26/2021

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...FFC...BMX...

LAT...LON   33298539 33548489 33558440 33218430 33088530 33298539

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 26, 12:34 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarrow, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta and 11 more56 min
Mar 26, 1:55 AM EDTTornado WatchSPCBanks, Barrow, Butts, Clarke, Clayton, Coweta and 31 more3 hr
Mar 26, 4:21 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarrow, Clarke, Clayton, Coweta, DeKalb, Elbert and 11 more54 min
Mar 26, 1:56 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke and 44 more94 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Georgia, 2021Every mesoscale discussion in 2021

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.