Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 47, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 6, 1998Fayette County, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 6, 1998, 1:13 AM CST for Fayette County, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. It was in force for 62 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: Mar 6, 1998, 1:13 AM CST (07:13 UTC)
Expired: Mar 6, 1998, 2:15 AM CST
In force: 62 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Whole counties

Counties Fayette County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 78 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:15 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 6, 1:35 AM CST	Hail 1.75	Moores Bridge, AL	Golf ball size hail was at Mayfield, near Moores Bridge.

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 00:00Z, 7.2 hours before the alert went out and 87 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 562 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 52 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.

479 
WUUS1 KBHM 060714 RRA
SVRBHM
ALC057-125-060815-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
113 AM CST FRI MAR 6 1998


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 215 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...SOUTHERN FAYETTE COUNTY...
   ...TUSCALOOSA COUNTY...

AT 111 AM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM EAST OF
MILLPORT MOVING INTO SOUTHERN FAYETTE COUNTY AND NORTHWEST
TUSCALOOSA COUNITES.  THESE STORMS REPORTED GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL IN
MILLPORT.  ALONG WITH HAIL...HIGH WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING WILL
OCCUR.

<<CALL TO ACTION>>
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.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 5, 11:34 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marion	51 min
Mar 6, 12:21 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lamar, Pickens	64 min
Mar 6, 1:49 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lamar	61 min
Mar 6, 2:45 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Pickens, Tuscaloosa	45 min
Mar 6, 4:10 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Talladega	35 min
Mar 6, 4:27 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Coosa, Tallapoosa	48 min
Mar 6, 3:49 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Winston	26 min
Mar 6, 4:38 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lamar	32 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1998 Every 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.