Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 155, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 3, 1998Chambers County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 3, 1998, 7:12 PM CST for Chambers County, Alabama. It was in force for 33 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, 7:12 PM CST (01:12 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 1998, 7:45 PM CST
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Chambers County, AL

The radar

The Maxwell AFB radar (KMXX), 56 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:16 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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 97 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.

545 
WUUS1 KBHM 040114 RRA
SVRBHM
ALC017-040145-

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


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 745 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...CHAMBERS COUNTY...

AT 711 PM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
NEAR LAFAYETTE MOVING EAST AT 40 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

Special weather statement, Apr 3, 5:20 PM CST, 1 hour 52 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 52 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, 1 hour 19 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, 1 hour 19 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.
Local storm report, Apr 3, 7:06 PM CST, 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
706 PM CST FRI APR 03 1998

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

0357 PM    MOULTON                   AL   .75 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   LAWRENCE                       DIME SIZE HAIL WAS
                                          REPORTED NE OF MOULTON

0424 PM    HARVEST                   AL   .75 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   MADISON                        DIME SIZE HAIL WAS
                                          REPORTED IN HARVEST.

0437 PM    HARTSELLE                 AL   WIND DAMAGE
04/03/98   MORGAN                         A FEW TREES WERE DOWN
                                          SOUTH OF HARTSELLE.

0440 PM    HAZEL GREEN               AL   1 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   MADISON                        HAIL THE SIZE OF QUARTERS
                                          WAS REPORTED IN HAZEL
                                          GREEN.

0518 PM    UNION GROVE               AL   .75 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   MARSHALL                       DIME SIZE HAIL WAS
                                          REPORTED IN UNION GROVE.

0555 PM    ALBERTVILLE               AL   .75 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   MARSHALL                       DIME SIZE HAIL WAS
                                          REPORTED JUST OUTSIDE
                                          ALBERTVILLE.

0615 PM    RAINSVILLE                AL   WIND DAMAGE
04/03/98   DEKALB                         TREES WERE DOWN BETWEEN
                                          RAINSVILLE AND FT PAYNE

0634 PM    GADSDEN                   AL   WIND DAMAGE
04/03/98   ETOWAH                         A FEW TREES AND POWER
                                          LINES WERE DOWN IN
                                          GADSDEN.
Local storm report, Apr 3, 7:06 PM CST, 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
706 PM CST FRI APR 03 1998

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

0357 PM    MOULTON                   AL   .75 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   LAWRENCE                       DIME SIZE HAIL WAS
                                          REPORTED NE OF MOULTON

0424 PM    HARVEST                   AL   .75 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   MADISON                        DIME SIZE HAIL WAS
                                          REPORTED IN HARVEST.

0437 PM    HARTSELLE                 AL   WIND DAMAGE
04/03/98   MORGAN                         A FEW TREES WERE DOWN
                                          SOUTH OF HARTSELLE.

0440 PM    HAZEL GREEN               AL   1 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   MADISON                        HAIL THE SIZE OF QUARTERS
                                          WAS REPORTED IN HAZEL
                                          GREEN.

0518 PM    UNION GROVE               AL   .75 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   MARSHALL                       DIME SIZE HAIL WAS
                                          REPORTED IN UNION GROVE.

0555 PM    ALBERTVILLE               AL   .75 INCH HAIL
04/03/98   MARSHALL                       DIME SIZE HAIL WAS
                                          REPORTED JUST OUTSIDE
                                          ALBERTVILLE.

0615 PM    RAINSVILLE                AL   WIND DAMAGE
04/03/98   DEKALB                         TREES WERE DOWN BETWEEN
                                          RAINSVILLE AND FT PAYNE

0634 PM    GADSDEN                   AL   WIND DAMAGE
04/03/98   ETOWAH                         A FEW TREES AND POWER
                                          LINES WERE DOWN IN
                                          GADSDEN.

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, 6:36 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee49 min
Apr 3, 6:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXEtowah33 min
Apr 3, 7:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa35 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.