Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 25, NWS Birmingham, AL

February 17, 1998Chambers County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 17, 1998, 6:14 AM CST for Chambers County, Alabama. It was in force for 31 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
Feb 17, 1998, 6:14 AM CST (12:14 UTC)
Expired
Feb 17, 1998, 6:45 AM CST
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Chambers County, AL

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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 0.2 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 12:00Z on 1998-02-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 92 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 12:00Z on 1998-02-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 626 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
92 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-90 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
510 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
85 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
626 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
581 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

987 
WUUS1 KBHM 171216 RRA
SVRBHM
ALC017-171245-

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


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 645 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...EASTERN CHAMBERS COUNTY...

AT 612 AM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A BAND OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
OVER EASTERN CHAMBERS COUNTY.  NICKEL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED BETWEEN
LAFAYETTE AND LANETT.  MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 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, 2 hours 14 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, 1 hour 39 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, 1 hour 39 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, 5:35 AM CST, 39 minutes before
ALZ001>005-007-011>017-044-046-171200-

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

THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH: LAUDERDALE...LIMESTONE...FRANKLIN...LAWRENCE
...MORGAN...MARION...WINSTON...CULLMAN...BLOUNT...MARION...WINSTON
...LAMAR...FAYETTE..WALKER...MONTGOMERY AND BULLOCK.
Special weather statement, Feb 17, 5:35 AM CST, 39 minutes before
ALZ001>005-007-011>017-044-046-171200-

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

THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH: LAUDERDALE...LIMESTONE...FRANKLIN...LAWRENCE
...MORGAN...MARION...WINSTON...CULLMAN...BLOUNT...MARION...WINSTON
...LAMAR...FAYETTE..WALKER...MONTGOMERY AND BULLOCK.
Special weather statement, Feb 17, 5:58 AM CST, 16 minutes before
ALZ006-008>010-018>021-026>028-036-037-043-171230-

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

THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH: MADISON...JACKSON...MARSHALL...DEKALB...
ETOWAH...CHEROKEE...ST.CLAIR...CALHOUN...CLEBURNE...TALLADEGA...
CLAY...COOSA...TALLAPOOSA...AND ELMORE.

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, 5:04 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa46 min
Feb 17, 5:25 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers50 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.