Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 116, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 7, 1998, 8:38 PM CDT for Marshall County, Alabama. It was in force for 52 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, 8:38 PM CDT (01:38 UTC)
- Expired
- May 7, 1998, 9:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 52 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Marshall County, AL
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 8:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 139 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2677 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -3 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 985 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 74 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 132 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 224 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 3.5
- Supercell composite
- 12.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
179 WFUS1 KBHM 080137 RRA TORBHM ALC095-080225- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 838 PM CDT THU MAY 7 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... MARSHALL COUNTY... IN NORTHERN ALABAMA * UNTIL 930 PM CDT * AT 836 PM CDT... A TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY WEATHER RADAR TO MOVING INTO NORTHERN MARSHALL COUNTY. THIS STORM WAS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AND WILL FIRST AFFECT THE GRANT AREA. GO INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.
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
Local storm report, May 7, 5:07 PM CDT, 3 hours 31 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
507 PM CDT THU MAY 07 1998
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0505 PM NEW MARKET AL 1.75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98 MADISON GOLFBALL HAIL
0505 PM CENTER STAR AL
05/07/98 LAUDERDALE HALF INCH HAILLocal storm report, May 7, 5:07 PM CDT, 3 hours 31 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
507 PM CDT THU MAY 07 1998
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0505 PM NEW MARKET AL 1.75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98 MADISON GOLFBALL HAIL
0505 PM CENTER STAR AL
05/07/98 LAUDERDALE HALF INCH HAILSpecial weather statement, May 7, 6:33 PM CDT, 2 hours 5 minutes before
ALZ006-008>010-018>021-028-029-038-080020- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 633 PM CDT THU MAY 7 1998 TORNADO WATCH 302 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR ALL SECTIONS OF NORTHEAST AND NORTH-CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS SHIFTED NORTH AND EAST OF THE AREA. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING WEST OF THE STATE BUT WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING... THIS THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD GRADUALLY DIMINISH. HOWEVER...A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINS VERY CLOSE TO NORTH ALABAMA AND IT REMAINS POSSIBLE THAT ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP. UPDATES WILL BE ISSUED AS NECESSARY. NO WATCHES OR WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE STATE AT THIS TIME.
Special weather statement, May 7, 6:33 PM CDT, 2 hours 5 minutes before
ALZ006-008>010-018>021-028-029-038-080020- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 633 PM CDT THU MAY 7 1998 TORNADO WATCH 302 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR ALL SECTIONS OF NORTHEAST AND NORTH-CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS SHIFTED NORTH AND EAST OF THE AREA. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING WEST OF THE STATE BUT WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING... THIS THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD GRADUALLY DIMINISH. HOWEVER...A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINS VERY CLOSE TO NORTH ALABAMA AND IT REMAINS POSSIBLE THAT ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP. UPDATES WILL BE ISSUED AS NECESSARY. NO WATCHES OR WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE STATE AT THIS TIME.
Special weather statement, May 7, 6:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
ALZ006-008>010-018>021-028-029-038-080020- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 635 PM CDT THU MAY 7 1998 TORNADO WATCH 302 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR ALL SECTIONS OF NORTHEAST AND EAST-CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS SHIFTED NORTH AND EAST OF THE AREA. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING WEST OF THE STATE BUT WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING... THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD GRADUALLY DIMINISH. HOWEVER...A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINS VERY CLOSE TO NORTH ALABAMA AND IT REMAINS POSSIBLE THAT ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP. UPDATES WILL BE ISSUED AS NECESSARY. NO WATCHES OR WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE STATE AT THIS TIME.
Special weather statement, May 7, 6:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
ALZ006-008>010-018>021-028-029-038-080020- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 635 PM CDT THU MAY 7 1998 TORNADO WATCH 302 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR ALL SECTIONS OF NORTHEAST AND EAST-CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS SHIFTED NORTH AND EAST OF THE AREA. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING WEST OF THE STATE BUT WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING... THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD GRADUALLY DIMINISH. HOWEVER...A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINS VERY CLOSE TO NORTH ALABAMA AND IT REMAINS POSSIBLE THAT ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP. UPDATES WILL BE ISSUED AS NECESSARY. NO WATCHES OR WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE STATE AT THIS TIME.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 7:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Madison | 31 min |
| May 7, 7:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone | 50 min |
| May 7, 7:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jackson | 65 min |
| May 7, 7:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lawrence, Winston | 64 min |
| May 7, 7:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Madison | 50 min |
| May 7, 8:00 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cullman, Winston | 65 min |
| May 7, 8:06 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Madison | 49 min |
| May 7, 8:08 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Morgan | 62 min |
| May 7, 8:11 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | DeKalb, Jackson | 64 min |
| May 7, 8:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lawrence | 65 min |
| May 7, 8:43 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Blount | 62 min |
| May 7, 8:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Franklin | 35 min |
| May 7, 8:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Winston | 62 min |
| May 7, 8:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cherokee | 35 min |
| May 7, 9:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | DeKalb | 51 min |
| May 7, 9:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cullman | 66 min |
| May 7, 9:25 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Etowah, St. Clair | 65 min |
| May 7, 9:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Franklin | 65 min |
| May 7, 9:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cherokee | 49 min |
| May 7, 9:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Winston | 64 min |
| May 7, 9:54 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Calhoun | 61 min |
| May 7, 10:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 65 min |
| May 7, 10:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cleburne | 47 min |
| May 7, 10:58 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cleburne | 32 min |
| May 7, 11:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cullman | 49 min |
| May 7, 11:03 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Calhoun | 62 min |
| May 7, 11:24 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Calhoun | 36 min |
| May 7, 11:30 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cleburne | 50 min |
| May 7, 11:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | St. Clair | 50 min |
| May 8, 12:00 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Calhoun | 50 min |
| May 8, 12:18 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cleburne | 62 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.