Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 404, NWS Birmingham, AL

June 4, 1998Cherokee County, Etowah County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 4, 1998, 4:39 PM CDT for Cherokee County, Etowah County, Alabama. It was in force for 46 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
Jun 4, 1998, 4:39 PM CDT (21:39 UTC)
Expired
Jun 4, 1998, 5:25 PM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cherokee County, AL, Etowah County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 4, 4:50 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 50Centre, ALSeveral trees were down, east of Centre along US 411.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jun 4, 1:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 136 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 1998-06-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1942 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 1998-06-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 91 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1942 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-26 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
615 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
91 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
54 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
5.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

833 
WUUS1 KBHM 042142 RRA
SVRBHM
ALC019-055-042225-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
439 PM CDT THU JUN 4 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CHEROKEE COUNTY... IN NORTHERN ALABAMA
  EASTERN ETOWAH COUNTY... IN NORTHERN ALABAMA

* UNTIL 525 PM CDT

* AT 437 PM CDT... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS SHOWN...BY WEATHER RADAR
JUST WEST OF CENTRE ALONG THE ETOWAH COUNTY AND CHEROKEE COUNTY LINE.
THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL CHEROKEE COUNTY
DURING THE NEXT 45 MINUTES.

DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN ARE LIKELY. GO INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING
AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS

IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...MOVE TO A PLACE OF SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF A
STORM APPROACHES.  MOTORISTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR REDUCED
VISIBILITIES DURING DOWNPOURS OF RAIN.  STREETS MAY FLOOD QUICKLY.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 4, 12:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman35 min
Jun 4, 12:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount47 min
Jun 4, 1:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee47 min
Jun 4, 1:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLauderdale34 min
Jun 4, 1:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison49 min
Jun 4, 1:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount33 min
Jun 4, 1:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman48 min
Jun 4, 1:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXEtowah47 min
Jun 4, 1:52 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXCullman3 hr
Jun 4, 2:21 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXFranklin2 hr
Jun 4, 2:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount66 min
Jun 4, 2:29 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXBlount, Cherokee, Etowah3 hr
Jun 4, 2:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee47 min
Jun 4, 3:47 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXCullman, Winston2 hr
Jun 4, 6:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby34 min
Jun 4, 6:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby, Talladega32 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.