Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 61, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 8, 1998Montgomery County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 8, 1998, 11:15 AM CST for Montgomery County, Alabama. It was in force for 65 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
Mar 8, 1998, 11:15 AM CST (17:15 UTC)
Expired
Mar 8, 1998, 12:20 PM CST
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Montgomery County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 5.3 hours before the alert went out and 119 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 1998-03-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 93 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 1998-03-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 409 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
93 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-114 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
537 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
72 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
409 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
343 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

416 
WUUS1 KBHM 081719 RRA
SVRBHM
ALC101-081820-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1115 AM CST SUN MAR 8 1998


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1220 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...MONTGOMERY COUNTY...

AT 1115 AM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING
INTO THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE COUNTY NEAR SELLERS AND GRADY.  THE
STORM IS MOVING NORTHEAST AT NEAR 30 MPH.  THIS STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS
THE CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE COUNTY.  LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND MAY
RESULT FROM THIS STORM.



<<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.

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

Special weather statement, Mar 8, 8:03 AM CST, 3 hours 12 minutes before
ALZ049-050-GAZ089-090-102-120-081705-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
803 AM CST SUN MAR 8 1998

THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN
SOUTHEAST ALABAMA AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA.

IN ALABAMA...PIKE...BARBOUR.   IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA...MUSCOGEE..
CHATTAHOOCHE...STEWART...AND QUITMAN.

AT 8 AM CST(9AM EST)...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE EASTWARD INTO
GEORGIA AND THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAM AND WEST-
CENTRAL GEORGIA HAS DIMINSISHED.
Special weather statement, Mar 8, 8:03 AM CST, 3 hours 12 minutes before
ALZ049-050-GAZ089-090-102-120-081705-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
803 AM CST SUN MAR 8 1998

THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN
SOUTHEAST ALABAMA AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA.

IN ALABAMA...PIKE...BARBOUR.   IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA...MUSCOGEE..
CHATTAHOOCHE...STEWART...AND QUITMAN.

AT 8 AM CST(9AM EST)...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE EASTWARD INTO
GEORGIA AND THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAM AND WEST-
CENTRAL GEORGIA HAS DIMINSISHED.
Special weather statement, Mar 8, 9:21 AM CST, 1 hour 54 minutes before
ALZ001>050-GAZ089-090-102-120-081900-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
FOR NORTH/CENTRAL AL AND WEST CENTRAL GA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
930 AM CST SUN MAR 0891998

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS MORNING FOR WEST CENTRAL
GEORGIA FOR TODAY...

NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTHWEST TO
NORTHEAST ACROSS MOST OF SOUTH ALABAMA.   THIS WILL CONTINUE TO
PRODUCE CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR FLASH FLOODING OVER PARTS OF SOUTH
ALABAMA AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA TODAY.

IN ADDITION WARM AIR AND MOISTURE FLOWING NORTHWARD WILL INCREASE
CHANCES FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS MOST OF SOUTH
ALABAMA...WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA...AND THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE TODAY.

THERE REMAINS THE THREAT OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND POSSIBLY
TORNADOES ACROSS THE SAME AREA TODAY.  ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS
IS ANTICIPATED THROUGH TODAY.   EMERAGENCY MANAGEMENT AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLY WARNINGS...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF
ALABAMA...AND PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA TODAY.

FOLLOW UP STATEMENTS WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED TODAY.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 7, 11:21 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXLowndes29 min
Mar 7, 11:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga31 min
Mar 7, 11:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXElmore, Montgomery35 min
Mar 8, 12:53 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBullock, Pike47 min
Mar 8, 1:19 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXPike31 min
Mar 8, 1:41 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBullock34 min
Mar 8, 1:55 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPike20 min
Mar 8, 2:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour45 min
Mar 8, 7:04 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXBarbour2 hr
Mar 8, 7:55 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXRandolph2 hr
Mar 8, 8:44 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXBarbour, Russell3 hr
Mar 8, 8:44 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXPike3 hr
Mar 8, 11:37 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXBarbour3 hr
Mar 8, 11:37 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXRussell3 hr
Mar 8, 11:37 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXBullock, Pike3 hr
Mar 8, 12:07 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa48 min
Mar 8, 2:53 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXLowndes32 min
Mar 8, 3:02 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXBarbour, Russell6 hr
Mar 8, 3:02 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXChambers, Lee, Macon, Tallapoosa6 hr
Mar 8, 3:02 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXBullock, Pike6 hr
Mar 8, 3:12 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Elmore33 min
Mar 8, 3:17 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison33 min
Mar 8, 3:19 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXDeKalb, Etowah31 min
Mar 8, 3:27 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXMadison18 min
Mar 8, 3:34 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson31 min
Mar 8, 3:43 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone, Morgan32 min
Mar 8, 3:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDeKalb50 min
Mar 8, 3:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, St. Clair, Talladega49 min
Mar 8, 4:04 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee, Etowah61 min
Mar 8, 4:09 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXRandolph5 hr
Mar 8, 4:11 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison, Morgan49 min
Mar 8, 4:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson51 min
Mar 8, 4:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman36 min
Mar 8, 5:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson, Madison45 min
Mar 8, 5:25 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall35 min
Mar 8, 5:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount18 min
Mar 8, 5:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson45 min
Mar 8, 5:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXElmore, Tallapoosa35 min
Mar 8, 5:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall17 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.