Alert archive / Tennessee / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1991

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 35, NWS Atlanta, GA

March 27, 1991Meigs County, Rhea County, Tennessee

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 27, 1991, 10:01 PM EST for Meigs County, Rhea County, Tennessee. It was in force for 44 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
Mar 27, 1991, 10:01 PM EST (03:01 UTC)
Expired
Mar 27, 1991, 10:45 PM EST
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Meigs County, TN, Rhea County, TN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 27, 10:15 PM ESTThunderstorm Wind 0Rhea, TN
Mar 27, 10:30 PM ESTHail 0.75Meigs, TN

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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 168 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 1991-03-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 1991-03-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -44 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1079 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
70 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
114 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 KCHA 280301
SVRCHA
TNC121-143-280345-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHATTANOOGA TENNESSEE
1001 PM EST WED MAR 27 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHATTANOOGA TENNESSEE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1045 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
 
IN SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE
 
   ...MEIGS COUNTY...RHEA COUNTY
 
AT 1055PM EST WEATHER RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE
WESTERN SECTIONS OF RHEA COUNTY SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE. RADAR INDICATES
HAIL IN THESE THUNDERSTORMS. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.
 
A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES UNTIL 1AM EST FOR SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE AND
NORTHWEST GEORGIA.
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

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, Mar 27, 8:51 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes before
GAZ002-280345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
848 PM EST WED MAR 27 1991

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 78 IS IN EFFECT FOR PART OF NORTH GEORGIA
UNTIL 2 AM EST THIS MORNING.

IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA THE WATCH AREA INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
RABUN...DAWSON AND UNION.

AT 945 PM EST RADAR SHOWED A BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER EAST TENNESSEE
AND NORTHEAST ALABAMA BETWEEN CROSSVILLE TENNESSEE AND HUNTSVILLE
ALABAMA. eTHESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO NORTH GEORGIA DURING
THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVER THUNDERSTORMS IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA.
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 8:56 PM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes before
GAZ002-280345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
848 PM EST WED MAR 27 1991

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 78 IS IN EFFECT FOR PART OF NORTH GEORGIA
UNTIL 2 AM EST THIS MORNING.

IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA THE WATCH AREA INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
RABUN...TOWNS AND UNION.

AT 945 PM EST RADAR SHOWED A BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER EAST TENNESSEE
AND NORTHEAST ALABAMA BETWEEN CROSSVILLE TENNESSEE AND HUNTSVILLE
ALABAMA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO NORTH GEORGIA DURING
THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVER THUNDERSTORMS IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA.
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 9:31 PM EST, 30 minutes before
GAZALL-280400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
930 PM EST WED MAR 27 1991

...TORNADO WATCH FOR EXTREME NORTH GEORGIA UNTIL 2 AM EST...

A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR EXTREME NORTHERN SECTIONS OF GEORGIA...
INCLUDING ROME...DALTON...ELLIJAY...BLAIRSVILLE...CLAYTON...AND
SURROUNDING AREAS.

AT 925 PM EST RADAR SHOWED A BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS EAST TENNESSEE
AND NORTH ALABAMA FROM NEAR KNOXVILLE TO NEAR CHATTANOOGA TO NEAR
BIRMINGHAM. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 50 MPH AND WILL BE
MOVING INTO NORTHWEST GEORGIA OVER THE NEXT HOUR.

DURING THE EVENING THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL
AND TORNADOES WITH SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS IN THIS BAND.

PEOPLE IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA ARE URGED TO BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A
PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...OR IF A
WARNING IS ISSUED. STAY ABREAST OF LATEST DEVELOPMENTS BY
LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR TO REPORTS FROM RADIO
OR TELEVISION.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 27, 9:45 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGrundy, Marion, Sequatchie45 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Tennessee, 1991Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1991

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.