Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 325, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 6, 1998Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 6, 1998, 6:27 PM CDT for Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. It was in force for 33 min. 2 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
May 6, 1998, 6:27 PM CDT (23:27 UTC)
Expired
May 6, 1998, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Tuscaloosa County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 6, 6:45 PM CDTHail 1.25Tuscaloosa, ALHail the size of half dollars was reported in Tuscaloosa.
May 6, 6:55 PM CDTHail 1Duncanville, ALQuarter size hail was reported in Duncanville.

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, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 70 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 12:00Z on 1998-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4 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 12:00Z on 1998-05-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 122 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
4 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-335 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1290 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
122 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
221 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

537 
WUUS1 KBHM 062328 RRA
SVRBHM
ALC125-070000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
627 PM CDT WED MAY 6 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  TUSCALOOSA COUNTY... IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA

* UNTIL 700 PM CDT

* AT 625 PM CDT... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING LARGE HAIL WAS
  SHOWN...BY SPOTTERS AND RADAR IN THE COTTONDALE AREA EAST OF
TUSCALOOSA.  THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS OF DIME TO QUARTER SIZED
HAIL WITH THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...COALING BY 640 PM.  MOVEMENT
WAS SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF LARGE HAIL. GO INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING
AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS

THIS THUNDERSTORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING EXTREMELY LARGE HAIL
WHICH MAY CAUSE SEVERE DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AND SERIOUS INJURY TO
PEOPLE AND LIVESTOCK. DAMAGING WINDS AND TORRENTIAL RAIN ARE ALSO
LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. MOVE TO A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY
FROM WINDOWS.

&

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

Local storm report, May 6, 4:18 PM CDT, 2 hours 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
418 PM CDT WED MAY 06 1998

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

0411 PM    MOULTON                   AL   1 INCH HAIL
05/06/98   LAWRENCE                       QUARTER SIZED HAIL NORTH
                                          OF MOULTON

0412 PM    FALKVILLE                 AL   .75 INCH HAIL
05/06/98   MORGAN                         DIME SIZED HAIL IN
                                          FALKVILLE

0414 PM    RUSSELLVILLE              AL   .75 INCH HAIL
05/06/98   FRANKLIN                       DIME SIZED HAIL 6 MILES
                                          NORTH OF RUSSELLVILLE
Local storm report, May 6, 4:18 PM CDT, 2 hours 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
418 PM CDT WED MAY 06 1998

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

0411 PM    MOULTON                   AL   1 INCH HAIL
05/06/98   LAWRENCE                       QUARTER SIZED HAIL NORTH
                                          OF MOULTON

0412 PM    FALKVILLE                 AL   .75 INCH HAIL
05/06/98   MORGAN                         DIME SIZED HAIL IN
                                          FALKVILLE

0414 PM    RUSSELLVILLE              AL   .75 INCH HAIL
05/06/98   FRANKLIN                       DIME SIZED HAIL 6 MILES
                                          NORTH OF RUSSELLVILLE
Special weather statement, May 6, 6:00 PM CDT, 27 minutes before
ALZ001>004-011-014-070000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
600 PM CDT WED MAY 6 1998

THE TORNADO WATCH FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN ALABAMA HAS BEEN
CANCELLED...

IN ALABAMA

LAUDERDALE...FRANKLIN...COLBERT...LAWRENCE...MARION AND WINSTON.

OTHER WATCHES AND WARNINGS WILL BE POSSIBLE AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT
ACROSS THESE COUNTIES.
Special weather statement, May 6, 6:00 PM CDT, 27 minutes before
ALZ001>004-011-014-070000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
600 PM CDT WED MAY 6 1998

THE TORNADO WATCH FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN ALABAMA HAS BEEN
CANCELLED...

IN ALABAMA

LAUDERDALE...FRANKLIN...COLBERT...LAWRENCE...MARION AND WINSTON.

OTHER WATCHES AND WARNINGS WILL BE POSSIBLE AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT
ACROSS THESE COUNTIES.
Special weather statement, May 6, 6:15 PM CDT, 12 minutes before
ALZ005>010-016-070015-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
615 PM CDT WED MAY 6 1998

THE TORNADO WATCH FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN ALABAMA HAS BEEN
CANCELLED...

IN ALABAMA

LIMESTONE...MADISON...MORGAN...MARSHALL...JACKSON...DEKALB AND
CULLMAN.

OTHER WATCHES AND WARNINGS WILL BE POSSIBLE AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT
ACROSS THESE COUNTIES.
Special weather statement, May 6, 6:15 PM CDT, 12 minutes before
ALZ005>010-016-070015-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
615 PM CDT WED MAY 6 1998

THE TORNADO WATCH FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN ALABAMA HAS BEEN
CANCELLED...

IN ALABAMA

LIMESTONE...MADISON...MORGAN...MARSHALL...JACKSON...DEKALB AND
CULLMAN.

OTHER WATCHES AND WARNINGS WILL BE POSSIBLE AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT
ACROSS THESE COUNTIES.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 6, 1:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert48 min
May 6, 2:04 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXColbert51 min
May 6, 2:51 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXColbert49 min
May 6, 3:01 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLawrence34 min
May 6, 3:06 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFranklin34 min
May 6, 3:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan31 min
May 6, 3:35 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFranklin35 min
May 6, 3:39 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLawrence51 min
May 6, 3:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan65 min
May 6, 4:03 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMorgan47 min
May 6, 4:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall60 min
May 6, 4:09 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMarion, Winston51 min
May 6, 5:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman48 min
May 6, 5:22 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCullman48 min
May 6, 5:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa47 min
May 6, 5:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount62 min
May 6, 6:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens50 min
May 6, 6:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb46 min
May 6, 6:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson46 min
May 6, 6:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair63 min
May 6, 6:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby47 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.