Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 43, NWS Atlanta, GA

July 27, 1987Rabun County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 27, 1987, 3:08 PM EDT for Rabun County, Georgia. It was in force for 32 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
Jul 27, 1987, 3:08 PM EDT (19:08 UTC)
Expired
Jul 27, 1987, 3:40 PM EDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Rabun 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 27, 3:17 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Rabun, 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, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 104 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 1987-07-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 687 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 1987-07-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 5 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
687 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-133 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1437 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
12 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 271908
SVRAHN
GAC241-272015-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
308 PM EDT MON JUL 27 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  415 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA
          ...NORTHEASTERN RABUN
 
AT 3PM EDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN THE NOTHEAST CORNER
OF RABURN COUNTY GEORGIA AND WAS MOVING SOUTH AT 5 MILES AN HOUR.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

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 27, 2:07 PM EDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
206 PM EDT MON JUL 27 1987

TEMPERATURES HAVE WARMED WELL INTO THE 90S TODAY AND THE DEVELOPMENT
OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS HAS ALREADY BEGUN.

AT 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED JUST EAST OF
ATLANTA HARTSFIELD AIRPORT AND WAS MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST AT
5 MPH.

THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE ACROSS CLAYTON COUNTY INCLUDING THE
RIVERDALE...JONESBORO AND MORROW AREAS UNTIL 3 OR 330 PM THIS AFTERNOON.

THIS THUNDERSTORM...LIKE THOSE OF THE PAST FEW DAYS...WILL PRODUCE
STRONG GUSTY WINDS...INTENSE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND PERIODS OF
VERY HEAVY RAIN.

WITH ALL THE HEAT AND MOISTURE THAT IS ACROSS GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON...
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME QUITE STRONG...WILL DEVELOP DURING THE
REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS.
Special weather statement, Jul 27, 2:13 PM EDT, 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
 210PM EDT MON JUL 27, 1987

 AT 2PM EDT THUNDERSTORMS WERE FORMING IN  OGLETHORPE, GREENE AND
MORGAN COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME STRONG ENOUGHT TO
PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS.

ALSO THERE WILL BE DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING....

PERSON SHOULD NOT REMAIN OUTSIDE NEAR THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

THE STORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS...
Special weather statement, Jul 27, 2:17 PM EDT, 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
215PM EDT MON JUL 27, 1987

 AT 215PM EDT THUNDERSTORMS WERE INCREASING RAPILY FROM NEAR ATHENS
GEORGIA SOUTH AND EAST INTO  CLARKE, OCONEE, OGLETHORPE, MORGAN ,
GREENE, ND TALIAFERRO COUNTIES OF GEORGIA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME STRONG ENOUGHT TO
PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS.

ALSO THERE WILL BE DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING....

PERSON SHOULD NOT REMAIN OUTSIDE NEAR THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

THE STORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS...
Special weather statement, Jul 27, 2:20 PM EDT, 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
215PM EDT MON JUL 27, 1987

 AT 215PM EDT THUNDERSTORMS WERE INCREASING RAPILY FROM NEAR ATHENS
GEORGIA SOUTH AND EAST INTO  CLARKE, OCONEE, OGLETHORPE, MORGAN ,
GREENE, AND TALIAFERRO COUNTIES OF GEORGIA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME STRONG ENOUGHT TO
PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS.

ALSO THERE WILL BE DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING....

PERSONS SHOULD NOT REMAIN OUTSIDE NEAR THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

THE STORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS...
Special weather statement, Jul 27, 3:04 PM EDT, 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
303 PM EDT MON JUL 27 1987

SHORTLY BEFORE 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE
CONTINUING TO DEVELOP ACROSS GEORGIA.

AT 3PM SOME OF THE STRONGER THUNDERSTROMS WERE LOCATED JUST SOUTHWEST
OF NEWNAN... ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GRIFFIN NEAR THE NORTHERN
MERIWETHER COUNTY LINE...AND JUST NORTH OF BARNESVILLE IN LAMAR COUNTY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS...LIKE MANY OF THOSE EXPERIENCED OVER THE PAST
SEVERAL DAYS WILL PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...INTENSE DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING...AND PERIODS OF VERY HEAVY RAIN.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AT SCATTERED LOCATIONS THIS
AFTERNOON AND PLEASE BE ALERT TO ANY THUNDERSHOWER DEVELOPING NEAR YOU.
WE HAVE ALREADY HAD TOO PEOPLE HURT AND KILLED BY LIGHTNING THIS YEAR.
DON'T LET YOURSELF BECOME THE NEXT STATISTIC.

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 1987Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1987

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.