Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 255, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 18, 1998, 9:05 AM CDT for Greene County, Sumter County, Alabama. It was in force for 45 min. 3 reports 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 18, 1998, 9:05 AM CDT (14:05 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 18, 1998, 9:50 AM CDT
- In force
- 45 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Greene County, AL, Sumter County, AL
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 18, 9:28 AM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Emelle, AL | Dime size hail was reported in Emelle. |
| Apr 18, 9:30 AM CDT | Hail 1.75 | Sumterville, AL | Golf ball size hail was reported in Sumterville. |
| Apr 18, 9:50 AM CDT | Hail 1 | Boligee, AL | Hail the size of quarters was reported near Boligee. |
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
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 131 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1180 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 76 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 98 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 114 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
786 WUUS1 KBHM 181407 RRA SVRBHM ALC063-119-181450- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 905 AM CDT SAT APR 18 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... GREENE COUNTY... IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA SUMTER COUNTY... IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA * UNTIL 950 AM CDT * AT 900 AM CDT... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING LARGE HAIL WAS SHOWN... 14 MILES WEST OF BOYD... BY WEATHER RADAR... MOVING NORTHEAST 50 MPH. * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... SUMTERVILLE AROUND 915 AM CDT ... GEIGER AROUND 915 AM CDT ... BOLIGEE AROUND 925 AM CDT ... DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE LIKELY. GO INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS 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 18, 6:00 AM CDT, 3 hours 5 minutes before
ALZ001>050-181600- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 600 AM CDT SAT APR 18 1998 ...MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT... ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PARTS OF NORTH ALABAMA TODAY... A LOW PRESSURE AREA IS FORECAST TO FORM NEAR THE GULF COAST AND MOVE NORTH THROUGH EAST MISSISSIPPI AND WEST ALABAMA TODAY. MOIST GULF AIR WILL INVADE RAPIDLY FROM THE SOUTH WHILE A STRONG SYSTEM IN THE UPPER AIR APPROACHES FROM TEXAS AND MEXICO. THE GREATEST THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER TODAY WILL BE OVER NORTH AND WEST ALABAMA. CONDITIONS COULD BECOME FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER AS EARLY AS 9 OR 10 AM AND CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING. OVER EAST AND CENTRAL ALABAMA...PLACES LIKE ALEXANDER CITY...AUBURN... MONTGOMERY AND SELMA...SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON BUT THE GREATEST THREAT WILL BE DURING THE NIGHT TONIGHT. OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS ALABAMA COULD SEE STORMS PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND EVEN TORNADOES. PERSISTANT HEAVY RAINS COULD ALSO CAUSE FLOODING TODAY...GENERALLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM FORT PAYNE TO CULLMAN TO FAYETTE. STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL SHOULD EXPECT ACTIVATION SOMETIME TODAY. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR LATER UPDATES ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
Special weather statement, Apr 18, 6:00 AM CDT, 3 hours 5 minutes before
ALZ001>050-181600- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 600 AM CDT SAT APR 18 1998 ...MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT... ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PARTS OF NORTH ALABAMA TODAY... A LOW PRESSURE AREA IS FORECAST TO FORM NEAR THE GULF COAST AND MOVE NORTH THROUGH EAST MISSISSIPPI AND WEST ALABAMA TODAY. MOIST GULF AIR WILL INVADE RAPIDLY FROM THE SOUTH WHILE A STRONG SYSTEM IN THE UPPER AIR APPROACHES FROM TEXAS AND MEXICO. THE GREATEST THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER TODAY WILL BE OVER NORTH AND WEST ALABAMA. CONDITIONS COULD BECOME FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER AS EARLY AS 9 OR 10 AM AND CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING. OVER EAST AND CENTRAL ALABAMA...PLACES LIKE ALEXANDER CITY...AUBURN... MONTGOMERY AND SELMA...SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON BUT THE GREATEST THREAT WILL BE DURING THE NIGHT TONIGHT. OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS ALABAMA COULD SEE STORMS PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND EVEN TORNADOES. PERSISTANT HEAVY RAINS COULD ALSO CAUSE FLOODING TODAY...GENERALLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM FORT PAYNE TO CULLMAN TO FAYETTE. STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL SHOULD EXPECT ACTIVATION SOMETIME TODAY. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR LATER UPDATES ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 9:21 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Pike | 34 min |
| Apr 17, 9:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Barbour | 47 min |
| Apr 17, 11:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lowndes, Montgomery | 50 min |
| Apr 18, 1:38 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Sumter | 62 min |
| Apr 18, 9:47 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Greene | 33 min |
| Apr 18, 10:38 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 32 min |
| Apr 18, 10:58 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 62 min |
| Apr 18, 12:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 45 min |
| Apr 18, 12:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 45 min |
| Apr 18, 5:13 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Calhoun | 32 min |
| Apr 18, 5:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 46 min |
| Apr 18, 5:37 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Dallas | 18 min |
| Apr 18, 5:42 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cherokee | 48 min |
| Apr 18, 5:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chilton | 46 min |
| Apr 18, 6:03 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Chilton | 47 min |
| Apr 18, 6:15 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Jackson | 4 hr |
| Apr 18, 6:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 49 min |
| Apr 18, 6:20 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jackson | 50 min |
| Apr 18, 6:20 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Dallas | 50 min |
| Apr 18, 6:26 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cherokee | 19 min |
| Apr 18, 6:35 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Blount, Marshall | 4 hr |
| Apr 18, 6:48 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Perry | 62 min |
| Apr 18, 6:52 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Shelby | 63 min |
| Apr 18, 6:53 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | DeKalb | 47 min |
| Apr 18, 6:56 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Etowah | 49 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.