Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 23, NWS Birmingham, AL

February 17, 1998Tallapoosa County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 17, 1998, 5:04 AM CST for Tallapoosa County, Alabama. It was in force for 46 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
Feb 17, 1998, 5:04 AM CST (11:04 UTC)
Expired
Feb 17, 1998, 5:50 AM CST
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Tallapoosa County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Feb 17, 5:15 AM CSTHail 0.75Alexander City, ALDime size hail was reported in Alexander City.

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
Feb 17, 2:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 98 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 1998-02-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 572 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 00:00Z on 1998-02-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 255 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
572 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-33 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
635 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
255 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
271 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
5.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

576 
WUUS1 KBHM 171106 RRA
SVRBHM
ALC123-171150-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
504 AM CST TUE FEB 17 1998


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 550 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...TALLAPOOSA COUNTY...

AT 502 AM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
ENTERING THE WESTERN SECTIONS OF TALLAPOOSA COUNTY NEAR LAKE
MARTIN.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 40 MPH.


<<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, Feb 17, 4:00 AM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes before
ALZ030>033-039-040-049-050-171100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
400 AM CST TUE FEB 17 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CANCELLED THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: SUMTER...GREENE...HALE...PERRY
MARENGO...DALLAS..PIKE AND BARBOUR.
Special weather statement, Feb 17, 4:00 AM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes before
ALZ030>033-039-040-049-050-171100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
400 AM CST TUE FEB 17 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CANCELLED THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: SUMTER...GREENE...HALE...PERRY
MARENGO...DALLAS..PIKE AND BARBOUR.
Special weather statement, Feb 17, 4:35 AM CST, 29 minutes before
ALZ022>025-034-035-041-042-171130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
435 AM CST TUE FEB 17 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CANCELLED THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH FOvR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:PICKENS...TUSCALOOSA...BIBB...CHILTON
...JEFFERSON...SHELBY...AUTAUGA...AND LOWNDES.
Special weather statement, Feb 17, 4:35 AM CST, 29 minutes before
ALZ022>025-034-035-041-042-171130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
435 AM CST TUE FEB 17 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CANCELLED THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH FOvR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:PICKENS...TUSCALOOSA...BIBB...CHILTON
...JEFFERSON...SHELBY...AUTAUGA...AND LOWNDES.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 17, 12:48 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDallas47 min
Feb 17, 1:13 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton47 min
Feb 17, 1:19 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga46 min
Feb 17, 1:45 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXAutauga50 min
Feb 17, 1:49 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXChilton56 min
Feb 17, 2:18 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby47 min
Feb 17, 2:22 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCoosa, Talladega63 min
Feb 17, 2:31 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXCoosa, Talladega64 min
Feb 17, 2:37 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton18 min
Feb 17, 3:12 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton48 min
Feb 17, 3:36 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun64 min
Feb 17, 3:44 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Lowndes46 min
Feb 17, 3:54 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCoosa46 min
Feb 17, 4:03 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa47 min
Feb 17, 4:19 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay51 min
Feb 17, 4:37 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCleburne63 min
Feb 17, 4:44 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRandolph51 min
Feb 17, 5:25 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers50 min
Feb 17, 6:14 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers31 min
Feb 17, 4:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Cleburne62 min
Feb 17, 4:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay, Randolph62 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.