Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 371, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 9, 1998Talladega County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 9, 1998, 9:58 PM CDT for Talladega County, Alabama. It was in force for 47 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
May 9, 1998, 9:58 PM CDT (02:58 UTC)
Expired
May 9, 1998, 10:45 PM CDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Talladega County, AL

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 9, 7:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 61 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 1998-05-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 213 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 1998-05-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 241 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
213 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-309 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1398 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
70 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
241 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
355 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 9, 8:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
806 PM CDT SAT MAY 09 1998

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

0720 PM                              AL   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/09/98   TUSCALOOSA                     GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED NEAR HIGHWAY 82
                                          AND 86. TREES DOWN ALONG
                                          HIGHWAY 82..REPORTED BY
                                          HAM RADIO.

0720 PM                              AL   TORNADO
05/09/98   TUSCALOOSA                     POSSIBLE TORNADO REPORTED
                                          15 MILES WEST OF
                                          NORTHPORT..REPORTED BY HAM
                                          RADIO.
0740 PM                              AL   1 INCH HAIL
05/09/98   TUSCALOOSA                     QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                          NORTH OF
                                          TUSCALOOSA..REPORTED BY
                                          HAM RADIO.

0749 PM                              AL   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/09/98   TUSCALOOSA                     GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED AT HIGHWAY 43 AND
                                          62..REPORTED BY HAMS.
Local storm report, May 9, 8:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
806 PM CDT SAT MAY 09 1998

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

0720 PM                              AL   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/09/98   TUSCALOOSA                     GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED NEAR HIGHWAY 82
                                          AND 86. TREES DOWN ALONG
                                          HIGHWAY 82..REPORTED BY
                                          HAM RADIO.

0720 PM                              AL   TORNADO
05/09/98   TUSCALOOSA                     POSSIBLE TORNADO REPORTED
                                          15 MILES WEST OF
                                          NORTHPORT..REPORTED BY HAM
                                          RADIO.
0740 PM                              AL   1 INCH HAIL
05/09/98   TUSCALOOSA                     QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                          NORTH OF
                                          TUSCALOOSA..REPORTED BY
                                          HAM RADIO.

0749 PM                              AL   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/09/98   TUSCALOOSA                     GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED AT HIGHWAY 43 AND
                                          62..REPORTED BY HAMS.
Local storm report, May 9, 8:41 PM CDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
841 PM CDT SAT MAY 09 1998

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

0752 PM                              AL   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/09/98   TUSCALOOSA                     GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL
                                          REPORTED JUST NORTH OF
                                          NORTHPORT.

0830 PM                              AL   TORNADO
05/09/98   TUSCALOOSA                     POSSIBLE TORNADO 8 MILES
                                          NORTH OF MOUNDVILLE NEAR
                                          TUSCALOOSA...1 INCH DIA
                                          HAIL AND NUMEROUS TREES
                                          AND POWER LINES DOWN IN
                                          MALLARD CREEK SUBDIV.
Local storm report, May 9, 8:41 PM CDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
841 PM CDT SAT MAY 09 1998

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

0752 PM                              AL   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/09/98   TUSCALOOSA                     GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL
                                          REPORTED JUST NORTH OF
                                          NORTHPORT.

0830 PM                              AL   TORNADO
05/09/98   TUSCALOOSA                     POSSIBLE TORNADO 8 MILES
                                          NORTH OF MOUNDVILLE NEAR
                                          TUSCALOOSA...1 INCH DIA
                                          HAIL AND NUMEROUS TREES
                                          AND POWER LINES DOWN IN
                                          MALLARD CREEK SUBDIV.
Special weather statement, May 9, 9:21 PM CDT, 37 minutes before
ALZ001>018-020-100515-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
921 PM CDT SAT MAY 9 1998

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT TIL 1 AM CDT...
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS STILL POSSIBLE ACROSS EXTREME NORTHERN ALABAMA
   LATER TONIGHT...

AT MID EVENING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE CONTINUING ACROSS CENTRAL
ALABAMA...WITH LITTLE OR NO PRECIPITATION OCCURRING ACROSS THE
NORTHERN THIRD OF THE STATE.  HOWEVER...A STRONG UPPER LEVEL
DISTURBANCE CONTINUES TO MOVE EASTWARD TOWARD THE STATE...WITH A MOIST
UNSTABLE AIRMASS PERSISTING ACROSS THE AREA.

THIS SYSTEM WAS TRIGGERING A NEW ROUND OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS
ACROSS SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS.  THESE STORMS SHOULD MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS
NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI INTO NORTHERN ALABAMA LATER TONIGHT...MOST
LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.  THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS IS EXPECTED
TO BE LARGE HAIL...OR POSSIBLY DAMAGING WINDS.

IT IS LIKELY THAT AN ADDITIONAL WATCH WILL BE REQUIRED FOR PORTIONS OF
NORTHERN ALABAMA AFTER 1 AM CDT.  EMA OFFICIALS AND STORM SPOTTERS
SHOULD REMAIN ALERT...AND BE READY FOR ADDITIONAL ACTIVATION LATER
TONIGHT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 9, 7:06 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXTuscaloosa69 min
May 9, 7:33 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXGreene62 min
May 9, 7:39 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJefferson76 min
May 9, 7:41 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPickens34 min
May 9, 7:48 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXSumter77 min
May 9, 7:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker48 min
May 9, 8:09 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXTuscaloosa51 min
May 9, 8:24 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXHale61 min
May 9, 8:29 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXGreene36 min
May 9, 8:35 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBibb65 min
May 9, 8:48 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXShelby77 min
May 9, 8:53 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJefferson47 min
May 9, 9:22 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXChilton63 min
May 9, 9:50 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCoosa65 min
May 9, 9:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens50 min
May 9, 10:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa63 min
May 9, 11:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson63 min
May 9, 11:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay36 min
May 9, 11:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRandolph50 min
May 9, 11:39 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJefferson51 min
May 9, 11:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa47 min
May 9, 11:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair50 min
May 10, 12:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson, Shelby62 min
May 10, 12:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Talladega66 min
May 10, 1:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCleburne45 min
May 10, 6:49 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXChambers31 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.