Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 355, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 7, 1998, 8:45 PM CDT for Franklin County, Alabama. It was in force for 35 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
- May 7, 1998, 8:45 PM CDT (01:45 UTC)
- Expired
- May 7, 1998, 9:20 PM CDT
- In force
- 35 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Franklin County, AL
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 8:50 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Russellville, AL | Dime size hail was reported in Russellville. |
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 8:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 171 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
- 2677 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -3 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 985 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 74 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 132 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 224 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 3.5
- Supercell composite
- 12.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
224 WUUS1 KBHM 080144 RRA SVRBHM ALC059-080220- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 845 PM CDT THU MAY 7 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... NORTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY... IN NORTHERN ALABAMA * UNTIL 920 PM CDT * AT 844 PM CDT... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS SHOWN...BY WEATHER RADAR OVER NORTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY JUST WEST OF RUSSELLVILLE. THIS STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. GO INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING... PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS. DO NOT USE TELEPHONES OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
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 7, 5:07 PM CDT, 3 hours 38 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
507 PM CDT THU MAY 07 1998
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0505 PM NEW MARKET AL 1.75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98 MADISON GOLFBALL HAIL
0505 PM CENTER STAR AL
05/07/98 LAUDERDALE HALF INCH HAILLocal storm report, May 7, 5:07 PM CDT, 3 hours 38 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
507 PM CDT THU MAY 07 1998
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0505 PM NEW MARKET AL 1.75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98 MADISON GOLFBALL HAIL
0505 PM CENTER STAR AL
05/07/98 LAUDERDALE HALF INCH HAILSpecial weather statement, May 7, 6:33 PM CDT, 2 hours 12 minutes before
ALZ006-008>010-018>021-028-029-038-080020- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 633 PM CDT THU MAY 7 1998 TORNADO WATCH 302 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR ALL SECTIONS OF NORTHEAST AND NORTH-CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS SHIFTED NORTH AND EAST OF THE AREA. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING WEST OF THE STATE BUT WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING... THIS THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD GRADUALLY DIMINISH. HOWEVER...A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINS VERY CLOSE TO NORTH ALABAMA AND IT REMAINS POSSIBLE THAT ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP. UPDATES WILL BE ISSUED AS NECESSARY. NO WATCHES OR WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE STATE AT THIS TIME.
Special weather statement, May 7, 6:33 PM CDT, 2 hours 12 minutes before
ALZ006-008>010-018>021-028-029-038-080020- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 633 PM CDT THU MAY 7 1998 TORNADO WATCH 302 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR ALL SECTIONS OF NORTHEAST AND NORTH-CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS SHIFTED NORTH AND EAST OF THE AREA. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING WEST OF THE STATE BUT WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING... THIS THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD GRADUALLY DIMINISH. HOWEVER...A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINS VERY CLOSE TO NORTH ALABAMA AND IT REMAINS POSSIBLE THAT ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP. UPDATES WILL BE ISSUED AS NECESSARY. NO WATCHES OR WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE STATE AT THIS TIME.
Special weather statement, May 7, 6:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before
ALZ006-008>010-018>021-028-029-038-080020- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 635 PM CDT THU MAY 7 1998 TORNADO WATCH 302 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR ALL SECTIONS OF NORTHEAST AND EAST-CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS SHIFTED NORTH AND EAST OF THE AREA. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING WEST OF THE STATE BUT WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING... THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD GRADUALLY DIMINISH. HOWEVER...A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINS VERY CLOSE TO NORTH ALABAMA AND IT REMAINS POSSIBLE THAT ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP. UPDATES WILL BE ISSUED AS NECESSARY. NO WATCHES OR WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE STATE AT THIS TIME.
Special weather statement, May 7, 6:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before
ALZ006-008>010-018>021-028-029-038-080020- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 635 PM CDT THU MAY 7 1998 TORNADO WATCH 302 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR ALL SECTIONS OF NORTHEAST AND EAST-CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS SHIFTED NORTH AND EAST OF THE AREA. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING WEST OF THE STATE BUT WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING... THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD GRADUALLY DIMINISH. HOWEVER...A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINS VERY CLOSE TO NORTH ALABAMA AND IT REMAINS POSSIBLE THAT ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP. UPDATES WILL BE ISSUED AS NECESSARY. NO WATCHES OR WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE STATE AT THIS TIME.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 7:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Madison | 31 min |
| May 7, 7:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone | 50 min |
| May 7, 7:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jackson | 65 min |
| May 7, 7:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lawrence, Winston | 64 min |
| May 7, 7:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Madison | 50 min |
| May 7, 8:00 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cullman, Winston | 65 min |
| May 7, 8:06 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Madison | 49 min |
| May 7, 8:08 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Morgan | 62 min |
| May 7, 8:11 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | DeKalb, Jackson | 64 min |
| May 7, 8:38 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Marshall | 52 min |
| May 7, 8:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lawrence | 65 min |
| May 7, 8:43 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Blount | 62 min |
| May 7, 8:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Winston | 62 min |
| May 7, 8:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cherokee | 35 min |
| May 7, 9:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | DeKalb | 51 min |
| May 7, 9:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cullman | 66 min |
| May 7, 9:25 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Etowah, St. Clair | 65 min |
| May 7, 9:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Franklin | 65 min |
| May 7, 9:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cherokee | 49 min |
| May 7, 9:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Winston | 64 min |
| May 7, 9:54 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Calhoun | 61 min |
| May 7, 10:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 65 min |
| May 7, 10:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cleburne | 47 min |
| May 7, 10:58 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cleburne | 32 min |
| May 7, 11:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cullman | 49 min |
| May 7, 11:03 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Calhoun | 62 min |
| May 7, 11:24 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Calhoun | 36 min |
| May 7, 11:30 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cleburne | 50 min |
| May 7, 11:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | St. Clair | 50 min |
| May 8, 12:00 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Calhoun | 50 min |
| May 8, 12:18 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cleburne | 62 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.