Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 152, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 3, 1998Cherokee County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 3, 1998, 6:36 PM CST for Cherokee County, Alabama. It was in force for 49 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, 6:36 PM CST (00:36 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 1998, 7:25 PM CST
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Cherokee County, AL

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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 136 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 1998-04-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2522 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 1998-04-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 270 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
2522 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
530 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
151 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
270 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
676 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
34.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

378 
WUUS1 KBHM 040038 RRA
SVRBHM
ALC019-040125-

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


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 725 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN NORTHERN ALABAMA

   ...CHEROKEE COUNTY...

AT 635 PM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
MOVING INTO CHEROKEE COUNTY FROM THE WEST.  THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST
AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.


<<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 54 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 54 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, 1 hour 16 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, 1 hour 16 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, 5:53 PM CST, 43 minutes before
ALZ006>007-016-040015-

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

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

MADISON...MORGAN...AND CULLMAN.

THE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SIX COUNTIES TO THE EAST OF THE
CLEARED COUNTIES.
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 5:53 PM CST, 43 minutes before
ALZ006>007-016-040015-

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

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

MADISON...MORGAN...AND CULLMAN.

THE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SIX 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, 6:05 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall35 min
Apr 3, 6:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXEtowah33 min
Apr 3, 7:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa35 min
Apr 3, 7:12 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers33 min
Apr 3, 7:16 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXChambers29 min
Apr 3, 8:07 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers33 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.