Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 134, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 3, 1998Greene County, Hale County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 3, 1998, 1:30 AM CST for Greene County, Hale County, Alabama. It was in force for 50 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 3, 1998, 1:30 AM CST (07:30 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 1998, 2:20 AM CST
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 103 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:33 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 103 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 1998-04-03Temperature 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 1998-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 16 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
2619 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
5 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.

773 
WUUS1 KBHM 030731 RRA
SVRBHM
ALC063-065-030820-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
130 AM CST FRI APR 3 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 220 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...SOUTHERN GREENE COUNTY...
   ...HALE COUNTY...

AT 129 AM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER
SOUTHERN GREENE COUNTY IN THE FORKLAND AREA.  THE STORM WAS MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 45 MPH.  THE STORM WILL AFFECT THE SAWYERVILLE...
AND GREENSBORO AREAS.


SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...
DESTRUCTIVE HAIL... DEADLY LIGHTNING... AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR
YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF
YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DONT
DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

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 2, 11:43 PM CST, 1 hour 47 minutes before
GAZ089>090-040610-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1243 AM EST SAT APR 3 1998

THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
IN WEST GEORGIA...

MUSCOGEE AND CHATTAHOOCHIE.

STORMS HAVE MOVED EAST OF THE AREA.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 12:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter46 min
Apr 3, 1:23 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar32 min
Apr 3, 1:40 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion45 min
Apr 3, 2:01 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert, Lauderdale49 min
Apr 3, 2:09 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb46 min
Apr 3, 2:49 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLauderdale16 min
Apr 3, 2:54 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay31 min
Apr 3, 2:29 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson, Madison46 min
Apr 3, 2:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour, Russell50 min
Apr 3, 2:58 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXRussell47 min
Apr 3, 3:04 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXJackson36 min
Apr 3, 3:15 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXDeKalb50 min
Apr 3, 3:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone48 min
Apr 3, 4:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence50 min
Apr 3, 4:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan36 min
Apr 3, 4:19 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison, Marshall31 min
Apr 3, 4:28 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison47 min
Apr 3, 4:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone33 min
Apr 3, 4:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson63 min
Apr 3, 5:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall33 min
Apr 3, 5:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDeKalb, Jackson63 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.