Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 76, NWS Atlanta, GA

July 31, 1986Heard County, Troup County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 31, 1986, 5:24 PM EDT for Heard County, Troup County, Georgia. It was in force for 56 min. 2 reports 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
Jul 31, 1986, 5:24 PM EDT (21:24 UTC)
Expired
Jul 31, 1986, 6:20 PM EDT
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Heard County, GA, Troup 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
Jul 31, 5:45 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Heard, GA
Jul 31, 6:10 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Troup, 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

Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 200 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, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 12:00Z on 1986-07-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1201 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, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 12:00Z on 1986-07-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 11 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
1201 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-202 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1706 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-30 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 312126
SVRATL
GAC149-285-312220-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
524 PM EDT THU JUL 31 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 620 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES OF

WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA...HEARD AND TROUP

AT 520PM, NATIOANAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM ABOUT 20 MILES NORTH OF LAGRANGE.  THIS STORM
IS MOVING SOUTH 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.
 THIS STORM IS ACCOMPANIED BY FREQiUENT LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY
 WINDS.

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, Jul 31, 2:32 PM EDT, 2 hours 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
230 PM EDT THU JUL 31 1986

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING INTO NORTH GEORGIA.  AT 230 PM,
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THE STRONGEST STORMS
BETWEEN CHATTANOOGA AND ROME IN CHATOOGA, NORTHERN FLOYD, AND
GORDON COUNTIES.   THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING SOOUTHEAST
AT 35 MPH, AND WILL BE MOVING INTO THE ROME AND CALHOUN AREAS
BY 3 PM.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS, SMALL HAIL, AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS CAN
BE EXPECTED IN PARTS OF NORTHWEST GEORGIA AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS
MOVE IN FROM THE NORTHWEST.
Special weather statement, Jul 31, 3:42 PM EDT, 1 hour 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
340 PM EDT THU JUL 31 1986

THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS OVER PORTIONS OF
NORTHWEST GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON. AT 330 PM EDT RADAR SHOWED
A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHING FROM NEAR CEDARTOWN TO LAKE
ALATOONA. ALTHOUGH THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE WEAKENING IN INTENSITY..
SOME WERE STILL PRODUCING HIGH WINDS. REPORTS FROM SUMMERVILLE
IN CHATOOGA COUNTY AND FROM THE ROME AREA ESTIMATE WIND SPEEDS
OF OVER 40 MPH RESULTING IN SOME POWER OUTAGES AND TREE DAMAGE.

RESIDENTS OF NORTHWEST GEORGIA...PARTICULARLY IN POLK..CHEROKEE..
PAULDING..HARALSON..COBB..CARROLL AND DOUGLAS COUNTIES..SHOULD
BE ALERT TO THE POSSIBILITY OF HIGH WINDS..SMALL HAIL AND BRIEF
HEAVY DOWNPOURS OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO.
Special weather statement, Jul 31, 4:36 PM EDT, 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
 430 PM EDT THU JUL 31 1986

 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO NORTHEAST GEORGIA..

AT 430 PM EDT A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING INTO NEWTON COUNTY
IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA.  SOME WIND DAMAGE WAS REPORTED TO TREES AND
POWER LINES WITH THIS STORM AS IT MOVED THROUGH ROCKDALE COUNTY.

PERSONS IN COVINGTON AND NEWTON COUNTY SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS
STORM AS IT MOVES SOUTHEAST AT 30& MILES AN HOUR.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP ACROSS NORTHEAST GEORGIA
DURING THE REMAINDER OF THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
Special weather statement, Jul 31, 4:57 PM EDT, 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
500 PM EDT THU JUL 31 1986

THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS OVER PORTIONS OF
NORTHWEST GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON. AT 445 PM EDT RADAR SHOWED
A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WEST AND SOUTHWEST OF ATLANTA ACROSS
CARROLL COUNTY EXTENDING INTO EXTREME SOUTHWEST FULTON COUNTY.
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS ALSO NOTED NEAR LA GRANGE.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH PRODUGCING HIGH WINDS
AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

RESIDENTS OF CARROLL..HEARD..COWETA..TROUP AND MERIWETHER COUNTIES
SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE POSSIBILITY OF HIGH WINDS..SMALL HAIL AND
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 31, 2:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCDade, Walker13 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.