Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 157, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 8, 1998, 8:06 AM EDT for Quitman County, Georgia. It was in force for 49 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 8, 1998, 8:06 AM EDT (12:06 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 8, 1998, 8:55 AM EDT
- In force
- 49 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Quitman County, GA
The radar
The Ft Rucker radar (KEOX), 61 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:08 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.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 8:30 AM EDT | Hail 1 | Morris, GA | Quarter sized hail was reported over eastern Quitman County around Morris. Report came through the Georgetown PD. |
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 nearest sounding before it
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 174 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 348 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -74 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 520 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 65 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 155 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 128 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
345 WUUS1 KBHM 081207 RRA SVRBHM GAC239-081255- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 706 AM CDT WED APR 8 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 855 AM EDT (755 AM CDT) FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTHWESTERN GEORGIA ...QUITMAN COUNTY... AT 806 AM EDT... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ENTERING EXTREME SOUTHWEST QUITMAN COUNTY. THE STORM WILL AFFECT THE CITIES OF HATCHER AND MORRIS. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. THIS STORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL. <<CALL TO ACTION>> 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 8, 6:14 AM EDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
ALZ001>050-GAZ089-090-102-120-082135- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH/CENTRAL AL AND WEST CENTRAL GA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 514 AM CDT WED APR 8 1998 ...INGREDIENTS ARE COMING TOGETHER FOR AN EXTENDED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM EPISODE OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ALABAMA TODAY AND TONIGHT... THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA HAS PLACED MOST OF NORTHERN ALABAMA UNDER A HIGH RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT. A COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY APPROACH ALABAMA FROM THE WEST TODAY...MOVING INTO AND ACROSS THE STATE OVERNIGHT. IN ADVANCE OF THIS FRONT...THE AIRMASS OVER ALABAMA WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE BY AFTERNOON AS ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS PUMPED NORTHWARD OUT OF THE GULF. IN THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE...A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL ALSO APPROACH THE SOUTHEAST U.S. BY TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED OVER EXTREME NORTHWEST AND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA DURING THE PRE DAWN HOURS. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO WEAKEN LATER THIS MORNING...AND ARE UNLIKELY TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER. HOWEVER...ADDITIONAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT AND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE BY THIS AFTERNOON...PRIMARILY WEST OF A HUNTSVILLE TO BIRMINGHAM TO DEMOPOLIS LINE. THE STORMS SHOULD SPREAD EASTWARD DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS...AFFECTING CENTRAL AND EASTERN ALABAMA BEFORE MIDNIGHT. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA...ESPECIALLY DURING THE LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS TONIGHT. THE DEGREE OF INSTABILITY EXPECTED TO BE PRESENT THIS AFTERNOON...COUPLED WITH A FAVORABLE WIND STRUCTURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE...WILL LIKELY LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SUPERCELLS OFTEN PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND STRONG TORNADOES. STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL WILL LIKELY REQUIRE ACTIVATION LATER TODAY...AND SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR CHANGING WEATHER. FOR THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA... SEE PRODUCT BHMSPSMOB. FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...LOOK AT MIASPSTLH. FOR MORE WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT OUR INTERNET SITE ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT HTTP://WWW.ACESAG.AUBURN.EDU/DEPARTMENT/NWS/
Special weather statement, Apr 8, 6:14 AM EDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
ALZ001>050-GAZ089-090-102-120-082135- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH/CENTRAL AL AND WEST CENTRAL GA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 514 AM CDT WED APR 8 1998 ...INGREDIENTS ARE COMING TOGETHER FOR AN EXTENDED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM EPISODE OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ALABAMA TODAY AND TONIGHT... THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA HAS PLACED MOST OF NORTHERN ALABAMA UNDER A HIGH RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT. A COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY APPROACH ALABAMA FROM THE WEST TODAY...MOVING INTO AND ACROSS THE STATE OVERNIGHT. IN ADVANCE OF THIS FRONT...THE AIRMASS OVER ALABAMA WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE BY AFTERNOON AS ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS PUMPED NORTHWARD OUT OF THE GULF. IN THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE...A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL ALSO APPROACH THE SOUTHEAST U.S. BY TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED OVER EXTREME NORTHWEST AND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA DURING THE PRE DAWN HOURS. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO WEAKEN LATER THIS MORNING...AND ARE UNLIKELY TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER. HOWEVER...ADDITIONAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT AND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE BY THIS AFTERNOON...PRIMARILY WEST OF A HUNTSVILLE TO BIRMINGHAM TO DEMOPOLIS LINE. THE STORMS SHOULD SPREAD EASTWARD DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS...AFFECTING CENTRAL AND EASTERN ALABAMA BEFORE MIDNIGHT. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA...ESPECIALLY DURING THE LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS TONIGHT. THE DEGREE OF INSTABILITY EXPECTED TO BE PRESENT THIS AFTERNOON...COUPLED WITH A FAVORABLE WIND STRUCTURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE...WILL LIKELY LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SUPERCELLS OFTEN PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND STRONG TORNADOES. STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL WILL LIKELY REQUIRE ACTIVATION LATER TODAY...AND SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR CHANGING WEATHER. FOR THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA... SEE PRODUCT BHMSPSMOB. FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...LOOK AT MIASPSTLH. FOR MORE WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT OUR INTERNET SITE ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT HTTP://WWW.ACESAG.AUBURN.EDU/DEPARTMENT/NWS/
Special weather statement, Apr 8, 7:30 AM EDT, 36 minutes before
ALZ001>069-GAZ089-090-102-120-082135- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 630 AM CDT WED APR 8 1998 ...INGREDIENTS COMING TOGETHER FOR AN EXTENDED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM EPISODE OVER MOST OF ALABAMA AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA TODAY AND TONIGHT... THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA HAS PLACED MOST OF NORTHERN ALABAMA UNDER A HIGH RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT. MUCH OF THE CENTRAL AND INTERIOR SOUTHWEST SECTIONS OF ALABAMA...AS WELL AS WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA...ARE UNDER A MODERATE RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. A COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY APPROACH ALABAMA FROM THE WEST TODAY...MOVING INTO AND ACROSS THE STATE OVERNIGHT. IN ADVANCE OF THIS FRONT...THE AIRMASS OVER ALABAMA WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE BY AFTERNOON AS ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS PUMPED NORTHWARD OUT OF THE GULF. IN THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE...A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL ALSO APPROACH THE SOUTHEAST U.S. BY TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED OVER EXTREME NORTHWEST AND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA DURING THE PRE DAWN HOURS. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO WEAKEN LATER THIS MORNING...AND ARE UNLIKELY TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER. HOWEVER...ADDITIONAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALREADY DEVELOPING ALONG THE COLD FRONT OVER EASTERN TEXAS THIS MORNING...AND ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE RAPIDLY TOWARD ALABAMA TODAY. OTHER SCATTERED STORMS MAY ALSO DEVELOP OVER THE AREA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...WELL AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. MOST OF THE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON SHOULD REMAIN WEST OF A HUNTSVILLE TO BIRMINGHAM TO DEMOPOLIS LINE. THE STORMS SHOULD SPREAD EASTWARD AND SOUTHWARD DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS...AFFECTING CENTRAL AND EASTERN ALABAMA BEFORE MIDNIGHT. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA...ESPECIALLY DURING THE LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS TONIGHT. THE DEGREE OF INSTABILITY EXPECTED TO BE PRESENT THIS AFTERNOON...COUPLED WITH A FAVORABLE WIND STRUCTURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE...WILL LIKELY LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SUPERCELLS OFTEN PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND STRONG TORNADOES. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION. PERSONS THROUGHOUT THE AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT...REVIEW THEIR SAFETY RULES... AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL RADIOR OR TV FOR LATER STATEMENTS...WATCHES OR WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Apr 8, 7:30 AM EDT, 36 minutes before
ALZ001>069-GAZ089-090-102-120-082135- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 630 AM CDT WED APR 8 1998 ...INGREDIENTS COMING TOGETHER FOR AN EXTENDED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM EPISODE OVER MOST OF ALABAMA AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA TODAY AND TONIGHT... THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA HAS PLACED MOST OF NORTHERN ALABAMA UNDER A HIGH RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT. MUCH OF THE CENTRAL AND INTERIOR SOUTHWEST SECTIONS OF ALABAMA...AS WELL AS WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA...ARE UNDER A MODERATE RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. A COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY APPROACH ALABAMA FROM THE WEST TODAY...MOVING INTO AND ACROSS THE STATE OVERNIGHT. IN ADVANCE OF THIS FRONT...THE AIRMASS OVER ALABAMA WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE BY AFTERNOON AS ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS PUMPED NORTHWARD OUT OF THE GULF. IN THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE...A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL ALSO APPROACH THE SOUTHEAST U.S. BY TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED OVER EXTREME NORTHWEST AND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA DURING THE PRE DAWN HOURS. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO WEAKEN LATER THIS MORNING...AND ARE UNLIKELY TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER. HOWEVER...ADDITIONAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALREADY DEVELOPING ALONG THE COLD FRONT OVER EASTERN TEXAS THIS MORNING...AND ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE RAPIDLY TOWARD ALABAMA TODAY. OTHER SCATTERED STORMS MAY ALSO DEVELOP OVER THE AREA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...WELL AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. MOST OF THE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON SHOULD REMAIN WEST OF A HUNTSVILLE TO BIRMINGHAM TO DEMOPOLIS LINE. THE STORMS SHOULD SPREAD EASTWARD AND SOUTHWARD DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS...AFFECTING CENTRAL AND EASTERN ALABAMA BEFORE MIDNIGHT. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA...ESPECIALLY DURING THE LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS TONIGHT. THE DEGREE OF INSTABILITY EXPECTED TO BE PRESENT THIS AFTERNOON...COUPLED WITH A FAVORABLE WIND STRUCTURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE...WILL LIKELY LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SUPERCELLS OFTEN PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND STRONG TORNADOES. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION. PERSONS THROUGHOUT THE AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT...REVIEW THEIR SAFETY RULES... AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL RADIOR OR TV FOR LATER STATEMENTS...WATCHES OR WARNINGS.
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.