Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 150, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 3, 1998DeKalb County, Jackson County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 3, 1998, 5:47 PM CST for DeKalb County, Jackson County, Alabama. It was in force for 63 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
Apr 3, 1998, 5:47 PM CST (23:47 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 1998, 6:50 PM CST
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties DeKalb County, AL, Jackson County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 3, 6:15 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 50Ft Payne, ALTrees were downed along CR 35 between Rainsville and Fort Payne.

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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 3, 1:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 179 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 12:00Z on 1998-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 216 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 1998-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 355 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
216 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-127 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
619 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
355 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
434 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
6.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

076 
WUUS1 KBHM 032349 RRA
SVRBHM
ALC049-071-040050-

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


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 650 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN NORTHERN ALABAMA

   ...DEKALB COUNTY...
   ...JACKSON COUNTY...

AT 544 PM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SEVERAL SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
OVER EASTERN JACKSON COUNTY...FROM NEAR BRIDGEPORT SOUTH TO NEAR
ALBERTVILLE.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.  THEY
WILL BE MOVING INTO AND ACROSS DEKALB COUNTY BETWEEN 550 AND 650 PM.



<<CALL TO ACTION>>
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. REMEMBER...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT FOR
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

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

Local storm report, Apr 3, 3:42 PM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
342 PM CST FRI APR 03 1998

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0230 PM    OWENS XRDS                AL   .75 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   MADISON                        DIME SIZE HAIL WAS
                                          REPORTED IN OWENS
                                          CROSSROADS.

0243 PM    WOODVILLE                 AL   1.75 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   JACKSON                        GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL WAS
                                          REPORTED IN WOODVILLE.

0320 PM    OMAHA                     GA   TORNADO
04/03/98   STEWART                        A TORNADO WAS REPORTED ON
                                          THE GROUND NEAR THE OMAHA
                                          COMMUNITY.

0327 PM    HIGDON                    AL   .88 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   JACKSON                        NICKEL HAIL WAS REPORTED
                                          IN HIGDON.
Local storm report, Apr 3, 3:42 PM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
342 PM CST FRI APR 03 1998

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0230 PM    OWENS XRDS                AL   .75 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   MADISON                        DIME SIZE HAIL WAS
                                          REPORTED IN OWENS
                                          CROSSROADS.

0243 PM    WOODVILLE                 AL   1.75 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   JACKSON                        GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL WAS
                                          REPORTED IN WOODVILLE.

0320 PM    OMAHA                     GA   TORNADO
04/03/98   STEWART                        A TORNADO WAS REPORTED ON
                                          THE GROUND NEAR THE OMAHA
                                          COMMUNITY.

0327 PM    HIGDON                    AL   .88 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   JACKSON                        NICKEL HAIL WAS REPORTED
                                          IN HIGDON.
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 5:20 PM CST, 27 minutes before
ALZ004>005-014-032345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
520 PM CST FRI APR 3 1998

THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
IN NORTH ALABAMA...

LIMESTONE...LAWRENCE...AND WINSTON

THE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NINE COUNTIES TO THE EAST OF THE
CLEARED COUNTIES.
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 5:20 PM CST, 27 minutes before
ALZ004>005-014-032345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
520 PM CST FRI APR 3 1998

THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
IN NORTH ALABAMA...

LIMESTONE...LAWRENCE...AND WINSTON

THE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NINE COUNTIES TO THE EAST OF THE
CLEARED COUNTIES.

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, 1:30 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Hale50 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

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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.