Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 23, NWS Atlanta, GA

May 7, 1986Newton County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 7, 1986, 6:31 PM EDT for Newton County, Georgia. It was in force for 59 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 7, 1986, 6:31 PM EDT (22:31 UTC)
Expired
May 7, 1986, 7:30 PM EDT
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Newton County, GA

The radar

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

The nearest sounding before it

Athens Municipal, GA (KAHN), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 67 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 1986-05-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 891 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 1986-05-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -40 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
891 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-39 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
951 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-40 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-32 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 KAHN 072232 RRA
SVRAHN
GAC217-072330-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
631 PM EDT WED MAY 7 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 730 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTY OF

NORTHEAST GEORGIA...NEWTON

AT 625 PM EDT A RADIO OPERATOR IN COVINGTO REPORTED GOLFBALL
SIZED HAIL IN COVINGTON GEORGIA. RADAR SHOWED AN EXTREMELY
LARGE THUNDERSTORM IN THAT VICINITY. MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST AT 25 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 PRECAkUTIONS.

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, May 7, 1:06 PM EDT, 5 hours 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
105PM EDT WED MAY 7 1986

SEVERAL VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER NORTHERN
GEORGIA AND ARE MOVING INTO NORTHEAST GEORGIA NORTH OF A LINE
FROM DAWSONVILLE TO TOCCOA GEORGIA.

SCATTERED HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE
NEXT SEVERAL HOURS OVER THIS PORTION OF GEORGIA.

PERSONS IN THIS AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR BRIEF HEAVY RAIN,
STRONG GUSTY SURFACE WINDS AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL AS THE HEAVY
THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ACROSS THEIR AREA.

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNING WILL BE ISSUED AS NEEDED.
Special weather statement, May 7, 2:41 PM EDT, 3 hours 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
240PM EDT WED MAY 7 1986

NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS..A FEW VERY HEAVY CONTINUE A CYCLE OF
DEVELOPING AND DISSIPATING ACROSS ALL PARTS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL
HOURS.

PERSONS ACROSS NORTHEAST GEORGIA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR BRIEF HEAVY
RAIN..STRONG GUSTY SURFACE WINDS AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL AS THE HEAVY
THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ACROSS THEIR AREA.

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNING WILL BE ISSUED AS NEEDED.
Special weather statement, May 7, 3:41 PM EDT, 2 hours 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
340PM EDT WED MAY 7 1986

NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS..A FEW VERY HEAVY CONTINUE A CYCLE OF
DEVELOPING AND DISSIPATING ACROSS ALL PARTS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT TWO TO
THREE HOURS.

PERSONS ACROSS NORTHEAST GEORGIA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR BRIEF HEAVY
RAIN..STRONG GUSTY SURFACE WINDS..FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING
AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ACROSS THEIR AREA.

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNING WILL BE ISSUED AS NEEDED.
Special weather statement, May 7, 3:51 PM EDT, 2 hours 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
350PM EDT WED MAY 7 1986

NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS..A FEW VERY HEAVY CONTINUE A CYCLE OF
DEVELOPING AND DISSIPATING ACROSS ALL PARTS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT TWO TO
THREE HOURS.

PERSONS ACROSS NORTHEAST GEORGIA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR BRIEF HEAVY
RAIN..STRONG GUSTY SURFACE WINDS..FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING
AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ACROSS THEIR AREA.

AT 345 PM EDT A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EMPLOYEE REPORTS 1/4 TO 1/2
INCH HAIL COVERING THE GROUND AND WINDS ESTIMATED TO BE 30 TO 40 MILES
AN HOUR AT HIS HOME IN OGLETHORPE COUNTY.

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNING WILL BE ISSUED AS NEEDED.
Special weather statement, May 7, 5:28 PM EDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
527 PM EDT WED MAY 7 1986

AT 523 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED ACROSS NORTHERN
DEKALB COUNTY AND INTO SOUTHERN GWINNETT COUNTY IN THE NORTHEAST
METRO ATLANTA AREA.

THIS STRONG THUNDERSTORM IS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN AND PROBABLY
HAIL.

THE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH AND WILL
BE MOVING OVER THE STONE MOUNTAIN AREA SHORTLY. THE THUNDERSTORM
WI.LL BE MOVING BETWEEN LAWRENCEVILLE AND LITHONIA BEFORE 6PM.

PERSONS IN NORTH DEKALB AND SOUTH GWINNETT COUNTIES SHOULD BE
ALERT FOR THIS STORM AND TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS.
Special weather statement, May 7, 6:08 PM EDT, 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
607 PM EDT WED MAY 7 1986

AT 605 PM EDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ACROSS THE
METRO ATLANTA AREA. HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED ALONG WITH VERY HEAVY
RAIN IN THE BUCKHEAD AREA OF ATLANTA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH AND WILL
CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE METRO ATLANTA AREA FOR THE NEXT HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE ATLANTA AREA...ESPECIALLY IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA...
SSHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND TAKE PRECAUTIONS FROM THESE STORMS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 7, 3:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWilkes67 min
May 7, 4:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBarrow, Hall, Jackson53 min
May 7, 7:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJohnson65 min
May 7, 7:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCJohnson67 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.