Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 19, NWS Atlanta, GA

April 7, 1986Fannin County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 7, 1986, 8:23 AM EST for Fannin County, Georgia. It was in force for 37 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Apr 7, 1986, 8:23 AM EST (13:23 UTC)
Expired
Apr 7, 1986, 9:00 AM EST
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Fannin County, GA

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 7, 8:40 AM ESTHail 1.75Fannin, GA

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Athens Municipal, GA (KAHN), launched 12:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 138 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, Athens Municipal, GA at 12:00Z on 1986-04-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 642 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, Athens Municipal, GA at 12:00Z on 1986-04-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 95 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
642 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1188 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
95 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.

000 
TTAA00 KATL 071324
SVRATL
GAC111-071400-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
823 AM EST MON APR 7 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 900 AM EST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTY OF

NORTHWEST GEORGIA...FANNIN

AT 820 AM EST A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED BY RADAR
IN NORTHERN FANNIN COUNTY NORTH OF BLUE RIDGE.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS DEFINED AS HAVING WINDS AT LEAST 58 MPH
 AND/OR HAIL 3/4 INCH IN DIAMETER OR LARGER. IF THREATENING
 WEATHER APPROACHES...TAKE IMMEDIATE PRECAUTIONS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 7, 6:42 AM EST, 1 hour 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
 630 AM MON APRIL 7 1986

 ISOLATED HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS LOCATED IN SOUTHEASTERN CORNER
OT TENNESSEE MOVING SOUTHEASTWARD AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND
SOME LIKELY TO ENTER EXTREME NORTH GEORGIA DURING THE NEXT
HOUR..

THE BLAIRSVILLE AREA..UNION COUNTY AND TOWNS COUNTY SHOULD
REMAIN ALERT AS THESE STORMS START MOVING IN..

STORMS LIKELY TO PRODUCE SEVERE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING
AND "GUSTY WINDS...
Local storm report, Apr 7, 8:04 AM EST, 19 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
 8AM EST MON APRIL 7, 1986

0720EST UNION COUNTY ...SOUTH PART HAIL COVERING GROUND.

0729EST LUMPKIN COUNTY...NORTH PART HAIL COVERING GROUND.

07p40EST WHITE COUNTY...NORTH PART HAIL COVERING GROUND.

0800EST HALL COUNTY...MARBLE SIZE HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN NEAR LULA.
Local storm report, Apr 7, 8:14 AM EST, 9 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
813 AM EST MON MARCH 7 1986

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ACROSS FANNIN COUNTY PRODUCED HAIL TO GOLF
BALL SIZE BETWEEN 7AM AND 720 AM EST. HAIL ACCUMULATtED TO A DEPTH OF
2 TO 5 INCHES IN SOME SPOTS.

LARGEST HAIL WAS REPORTED IN THE ASKA COMMUNITY 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
BLUE RIDGE.

NO OTHER DAMAGE HAS BEEN REPORTED FROM THIS STORM.

REPORT FROM U.S. FOREST SERVICE PERSONNEL
Local storm report, Apr 7, 8:20 AM EST, 3 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
820AM EST MON APRIL 7, 1986

0717EST UNION COUNTY ...USDA REPORTS GOLF BALL HAIL IN WEST PART OF
                        COUNTY.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Atlanta, GA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 7, 6:57 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCUnion48 min
Apr 7, 7:00 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCFannin60 min
Apr 7, 7:20 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCLumpkin, White25 min
Apr 7, 7:20 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDawson25 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 1986Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1986

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.