Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 107, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 7, 1998Jackson County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 7, 1998, 6:45 AM CDT for Jackson County, Alabama. It was in force for 35 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 7, 1998, 6:45 AM CDT (11:45 UTC)
Expired
May 7, 1998, 7:20 AM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Jackson County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 160 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 1998-05-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 1998-05-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -39 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
986 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-39 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
31 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.

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 071146
TORBHM
ALC071-071220-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
645 AM CDT THU MAY 7 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  JACKSON COUNTY... IN NORTHERN ALABAMA

* UNTIL 720 AM CDT

* AT 644 AM CDT... A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS DETECTED...BY NATIONAL
  WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR LOCATED OVER NORTH CENTRAL JACKSON
  COUNTY NEAR HYTOP AND BRIDGEPORT. TH$E STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 35
  MPH.

IF YOU ARE IN A MULTIPLE STORY BUILDING...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM
AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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, May 7, 3:25 AM CDT, 3 hours 20 minutes before
ALZ001>050-GAZ089-090-102-120-071400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
FOR NORTH/CENTRAL AL AND WEST CENTRAL GA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
325 AM CDT THU MAY 7 1998

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SHOWN BY WEATHER RADAR MOVING
INTO THE NORTHERN PART OF ALABAMA THIS MORNING.  SOME OF THE STORMS
MAY BE STRONG OR SEVERE THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS.  A TORNADO WATCH IS
IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY REGION OF NORTH ALABAMA
TIL 900 AM CDT.

WARM...MOIST...AND UNSTABLE CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF
ALABAMA AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA THROUGH THE REST OF THE DAY.  A COLD
FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF ALABAMA THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON.  THE COMBINATION OF AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE...A COLD FRONT
AND DAYTIME HEATING WILL SET THE STAGE FOR YET ANOTHER SEVERE WEATHER
EVENT ACROSS PARTS OF NORTH/CENTRAL ALABAMA AND PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL
GEORGIA DURING THE DAY AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS.  AS THE COLD
FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA...THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AHEAD AND ALONG
THE FRONT. YOU CAN EXPECTED SOME OF THE STORMS TO BECOME SEVERE...
PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND LARGE HAIL.  PROJECTED
WIND PROFILES THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE SUGGEST THAT CONDITIONS MAY BE
FAVORABLE FOR SOME OF THE STORMS TO ALSO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS OUTLOOKED THE NORTHERN HALF OF ALABAMA
FOR A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER TODAY.  MOST OF THE REMAINING
PARTS OF ALABAMA AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA ARE UNDER A SLIGHT RISK.

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS
EXPECTED TODAY AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS.  SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL SHOULD KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST FORECASTS...
STATEMENTS...AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...SEE PRODUCT
BHMSPSMOB. FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...LOOK AT MIASPSTLH.  FOR MORE WEATHER
INFORMATION VISIT OUR INTERNET SITE ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT
HTTP://WWW.ACESAG.AUBURN.EDU/DEPARTMENT/NWS/
Special weather statement, May 7, 3:25 AM CDT, 3 hours 20 minutes before
ALZ001>050-GAZ089-090-102-120-071400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
FOR NORTH/CENTRAL AL AND WEST CENTRAL GA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
325 AM CDT THU MAY 7 1998

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SHOWN BY WEATHER RADAR MOVING
INTO THE NORTHERN PART OF ALABAMA THIS MORNING.  SOME OF THE STORMS
MAY BE STRONG OR SEVERE THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS.  A TORNADO WATCH IS
IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY REGION OF NORTH ALABAMA
TIL 900 AM CDT.

WARM...MOIST...AND UNSTABLE CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF
ALABAMA AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA THROUGH THE REST OF THE DAY.  A COLD
FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF ALABAMA THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON.  THE COMBINATION OF AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE...A COLD FRONT
AND DAYTIME HEATING WILL SET THE STAGE FOR YET ANOTHER SEVERE WEATHER
EVENT ACROSS PARTS OF NORTH/CENTRAL ALABAMA AND PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL
GEORGIA DURING THE DAY AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS.  AS THE COLD
FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA...THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AHEAD AND ALONG
THE FRONT. YOU CAN EXPECTED SOME OF THE STORMS TO BECOME SEVERE...
PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND LARGE HAIL.  PROJECTED
WIND PROFILES THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE SUGGEST THAT CONDITIONS MAY BE
FAVORABLE FOR SOME OF THE STORMS TO ALSO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS OUTLOOKED THE NORTHERN HALF OF ALABAMA
FOR A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER TODAY.  MOST OF THE REMAINING
PARTS OF ALABAMA AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA ARE UNDER A SLIGHT RISK.

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS
EXPECTED TODAY AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS.  SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL SHOULD KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST FORECASTS...
STATEMENTS...AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...SEE PRODUCT
BHMSPSMOB. FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...LOOK AT MIASPSTLH.  FOR MORE WEATHER
INFORMATION VISIT OUR INTERNET SITE ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT
HTTP://WWW.ACESAG.AUBURN.EDU/DEPARTMENT/NWS/

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 6, 7:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa64 min
May 6, 7:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTalladega60 min
May 6, 7:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb47 min
May 6, 7:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPerry60 min
May 6, 7:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay47 min
May 6, 7:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby47 min
May 6, 7:42 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBibb18 min
May 6, 7:44 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPerry46 min
May 6, 7:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton48 min
May 6, 8:14 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXAutauga, Dallas66 min
May 6, 9:05 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXAutauga45 min
May 6, 9:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa47 min
May 6, 9:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLowndes, Montgomery42 min
May 6, 10:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMontgomery47 min
May 6, 10:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLowndes50 min
May 6, 11:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMontgomery31 min
May 6, 11:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPike65 min
May 7, 12:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour62 min
May 7, 4:29 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXLauderdale36 min
May 7, 5:03 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXLawrence32 min
May 7, 5:06 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXLauderdale19 min
May 7, 5:10 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXLimestone30 min
May 7, 5:41 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXLimestone34 min
May 7, 5:50 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXMadison45 min
May 7, 6:20 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXJackson25 min
May 7, 6:34 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXMadison31 min
May 7, 4:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson47 min
May 7, 4:19 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLimestone51 min
May 7, 4:25 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJackson50 min
May 7, 4:27 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMadison63 min
May 7, 4:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLauderdale51 min
May 7, 5:03 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJackson67 min
May 7, 5:45 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXDeKalb50 min
May 7, 6:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFranklin48 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes 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.