Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 88, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 19, 1998Pickens County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 19, 1998, 8:32 PM CST for Pickens County, Alabama. It was in force for 48 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 19, 1998, 8:32 PM CST (02:32 UTC)
Expired
Mar 19, 1998, 9:20 PM CST
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Pickens County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 72 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:31 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 19, 3:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr
Mar 19, 8:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 122 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 1998-03-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 434 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 1998-03-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 113 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
434 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-35 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
728 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
113 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
158 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
3.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

184 
WUUS1 KBHM 200230 RRA
SVRBHM
ALC107-200320-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
832 PM CST THU MAR 19 1998


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 920 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...PICKENS COUNTY...

AT 832 PM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. THIS STORM WILL MOVE INTO
PICKENSVILLE AROUND 840PM... NEAR REFORM NEAR 850PM.


<<CALL TO ACTION>>
THIS THUNDERSTORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING EXTREMELY LARGE HAIL
WHICH MAY CAUSE SEVERE DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AND SERIOUS INJURY TO
PEOPLE AND LIVESTOCK. DAMAGING WINDS AND TORRENTIAL RAIN ARE ALSO
LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. MOVE TO A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY
FROM WINDOWS.

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, Mar 19, 8:18 PM CST, 14 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
818 PM CST THU MAR 19 1998

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

0700 PM                              AL   .5 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   MADISON                        1/4 TO 1/2 INCH HAIL
                                          REPORTED IN HAZELGREEN.

0740 PM                              AL   .5 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   MARION                         HIGH WIND AND MARBLE SIZED
                                          HAIL REPORTED IN NORTHERN
                                          MARION COUNTY.

0744 PM    HODGES                    AL   1 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   FRANKLIN                       QUARTER SIZED HAIL NEAR
                                          HODGES...HAM REPORT.
0744 PM                              AL   1 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   MARION                         QUARTER SIZED HAIL
                                          REPORTED IN NORTHERN
                                          MARION COUNTY...HAM
                                          REPORT.

0745 PM    SHADY GROVE               AL   1 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   FRANKLIN                       QUARTER SIZED HAIL IN
                                          SHADY GROVE...HAM REPORT.

0754 PM                              AL   .88 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   FRANKLIN                       NICKLE SIZED HAIL REPORTED
                                          IN PHIL CAMPBELL.

0759 PM    RUSSELLVILLE              AL   1 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   FRANKLIN                       QUARTER SIZED HAIL
                                          REPORTED WITH 65 TO 70
                                          MILE AN HOUR WIND.

0812 PM                              AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   LAWRENCE                       DIME SIZED HAIL COVERING
                                          THE GROUND NEAR MT. HOPE.
0815 PM    HATTON                    AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   LAWRENCE                       DIME SIZED HAIL NEAR
                                          HATTON.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 19, 6:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFranklin49 min
Mar 19, 7:06 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Marion49 min
Mar 19, 7:18 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFranklin42 min
Mar 19, 7:48 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence, Winston47 min
Mar 19, 7:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFranklin19 min
Mar 19, 8:02 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert33 min
Mar 19, 8:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar51 min
Mar 19, 8:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLauderdale, Limestone, Morgan46 min
Mar 19, 8:41 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Marion59 min
Mar 19, 8:42 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter48 min
Mar 19, 8:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison47 min
Mar 19, 9:04 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman, Winston46 min
Mar 19, 9:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker42 min
Mar 19, 9:17 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens48 min
Mar 19, 9:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman45 min
Mar 19, 9:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa49 min
Mar 19, 9:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan47 min
Mar 19, 10:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison, Marshall46 min
Mar 19, 10:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker35 min
Mar 19, 10:22 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount48 min
Mar 19, 10:22 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson63 min
Mar 19, 10:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXHale45 min
Mar 19, 10:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson62 min
Mar 19, 10:38 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman22 min
Mar 19, 10:42 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa33 min
Mar 19, 10:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb, Perry65 min
Mar 19, 11:01 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall49 min
Mar 19, 11:12 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXEtowah, St. Clair58 min
Mar 19, 11:12 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby58 min
Mar 19, 11:25 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson35 min
Mar 19, 11:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDeKalb63 min
Mar 19, 11:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson32 min
Mar 19, 11:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton, Dallas61 min
Mar 19, 11:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Cherokee60 min
Mar 19, 11:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTalladega60 min
Mar 20, 12:08 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXEtowah, St. Clair32 min
Mar 20, 12:08 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby32 min
Mar 20, 12:16 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Lowndes79 min
Mar 20, 12:16 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCoosa79 min
Mar 20, 12:28 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDeKalb47 min
Mar 20, 12:35 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXLowndes60 min
Mar 20, 12:39 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay61 min
Mar 20, 12:47 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXElmore, Montgomery63 min
Mar 20, 12:56 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCleburne64 min
Mar 20, 12:56 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa64 min
Mar 20, 1:22 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRandolph63 min
Mar 20, 1:38 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMacon62 min
Mar 20, 1:54 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers, Lee61 min
Mar 20, 2:55 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLee50 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.