Alert archive / Georgia / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 495

May 3, 202142 counties in Georgia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 3, 2021, 3:05 PM EDT for 42 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 55 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 3, 2021, 3:05 PM EDT (19:05 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 2021, 4:00 PM EDT
In force
55 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Tornado watch 127
All 42 counties

Baldwin County, GA, Barrow County, GA, Bibb County, GA, Butts County, GA, Carroll County, GA, Chattahoochee County, GA, Clarke County, GA, Clayton County, GA, Cobb County, GA, Coweta County, GA, Crawford County, GA, DeKalb County, GA, Douglas County, GA, Fayette County, GA, Fulton County, GA, Greene County, GA, Gwinnett County, GA, Harris County, GA, Heard County, GA, Henry County, GA, Jackson County, GA, Jasper County, GA, Jones County, GA, Lamar County, GA, Marion County, GA, Meriwether County, GA, Monroe County, GA, Morgan County, GA, Muscogee County, GA, Newton County, GA, Oconee County, GA, Paulding County, GA, Peach County, GA, Pike County, GA, Putnam County, GA, Rockdale County, GA, Spalding County, GA, Talbot County, GA, Taylor County, GA, Troup County, GA, Upson County, GA, Walton County, GA

The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 23 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:10 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 12:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 17 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 2021-05-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 674 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 2021-05-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 207 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
674 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-54 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
671 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
207 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
272 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
4.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

452 
ACUS11 KWNS 031906
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 031905 
GAZ000-ALZ000-032000-

Mesoscale Discussion 0495
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0205 PM CDT Mon May 03 2021

Areas affected...central through north central Georgia

Concerning...Tornado Watch 127...

Valid 031905Z - 032000Z

The severe weather threat for Tornado Watch 127 continues.

SUMMARY...Tornado watch 127 is scheduled to expire at 20Z. Overall
tornado threat is not as high as earlier today, and greatest
short-term threat exists across the eastern third of WW 127.
Expected tendency is for the tornado threat to gradually decrease
with time, but a few storms could still produce locally strong wind
gusts and possibly some hail the remainder of the afternoon.
Depending on trends, WW 127 might be replaced by a severe
thunderstorm watch within the next hour.

DISCUSSION...Low-level winds have been gradually veering during the
afternoon as the primary low-level jet shifts northeast through the
Carolinas and into the Middle Atlantic. This has resulted in a
reduction in size of 0-1 km hodographs and a decrease in overall
tornado threat over most of north Georgia. However, the boundary
layer is destabilizing, and widely scattered storms will continue
developing within a moderately unstable environment where 30-40 kt
effective bulk shear remains sufficient for some storms to develop
mid-level updraft rotation. Isolated downbursts and hail should
become the main threats with any stronger storms developing beyond
20Z.

..Dial.. 05/03/2021

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

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

LAT...LON   34078514 34178336 33708297 32728339 32298435 32378498
            33628522 34078514

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 10:04 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarrow, Butts, Carroll, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta and 15 more86 min
May 3, 10:29 AM EDTTornado WatchSPCBaldwin, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Butts, Carroll and 45 more5 hr
May 3, 11:20 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClayton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Rockdale55 min
May 3, 1:03 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarrow, Butts, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Columbia and 30 more87 min
May 3, 1:25 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCBurke, Columbia, Elbert, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond6 hr
May 3, 3:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBaldwin, Barrow, Bibb, Butts, Carroll, Chattahoochee and 55 more6 hr
May 3, 4:26 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCRichmond94 min
May 3, 5:00 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaldwin, Bibb, Butts, Calhoun, Carroll, Chattahoochee and 45 more90 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.