Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 140, NWS Birmingham, AL

June 5, 1998Pickens County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Jun 5, 1998, 2:29 PM CDT for Pickens County, Alabama. It was in force for 46 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
Jun 5, 1998, 2:29 PM CDT (19:29 UTC)
Expired
Jun 5, 1998, 3:15 PM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Pickens County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 5, 3:10 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 50Aliceville, ALNumerous trees were down in Aliceville.

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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jun 5, 1:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 7.5 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 12:00Z on 1998-06-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2789 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 1998-06-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 203 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
2789 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
468 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
203 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
188 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.0
Supercell composite
11.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

701 
WFUS1 KBHM 051928 RRA
TORBHM
ALC107-052015-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
229 PM CDT FRI JUN 5 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  PICKENS COUNTY... IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA

* UNTIL 315 PM CDT

SPOTTERS OVER LOWNDES COUNTY MISSISSIPPI HAVE REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR
NEW HOPE.  THIS TORNADO WILL MOVE EAST AT 40 MPH...AND SHOULD BE NEAR
STAFFORD AROUND 235 PM...AND PALMETTO AROUND 250 PM.



GO TO THE BASEMENT OR A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR

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, Jun 5, 9:30 AM CDT, 4 hours 59 minutes before
ALZ001>050-GAZ089-090-102-120-050300-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
FOR NORTH/CENTRAL AL AND WEST CENTRAL GA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
930 AM CDT FRI JUN 5 1998

A RATHER STRONG COLD FRONT WILL ENTER NORTH ALABAMA LATER TODAY.
WARM MOIST AIR AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL CREATE THE POSSIBILITY FOR
MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP.  BEST CHANCES WILL BE BY
LATE AFTERNOON AND DURING THE EVENING HOURS.

STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL SHOULD REMAIN ALERT
FOR CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR
LOCAL TV AND RADIO FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS MAINLY LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH
TONIGHT.

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, Jun 5, 9:30 AM CDT, 4 hours 59 minutes before
ALZ001>050-GAZ089-090-102-120-050300-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
FOR NORTH/CENTRAL AL AND WEST CENTRAL GA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
930 AM CDT FRI JUN 5 1998

A RATHER STRONG COLD FRONT WILL ENTER NORTH ALABAMA LATER TODAY.
WARM MOIST AIR AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL CREATE THE POSSIBILITY FOR
MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP.  BEST CHANCES WILL BE BY
LATE AFTERNOON AND DURING THE EVENING HOURS.

STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL SHOULD REMAIN ALERT
FOR CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR
LOCAL TV AND RADIO FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS MAINLY LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH
TONIGHT.

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
Jun 4, 8:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb47 min
Jun 4, 8:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton, Shelby48 min
Jun 5, 3:52 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert, Franklin, Lauderdale63 min
Jun 5, 3:52 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion63 min
Jun 5, 4:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar47 min
Jun 5, 4:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence, Limestone63 min
Jun 5, 4:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Walker, Winston61 min
Jun 5, 5:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison, Morgan48 min
Jun 5, 5:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman48 min
Jun 5, 5:16 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens, Tuscaloosa49 min
Jun 5, 5:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount, Jefferson, Marshall45 min
Jun 5, 5:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson45 min
Jun 5, 5:42 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDeKalb48 min
Jun 5, 5:57 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee, Etowah48 min
Jun 5, 6:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair, Shelby46 min
Jun 5, 6:21 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Cleburne34 min
Jun 5, 6:52 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Cleburne, Talladega18 min
Jun 5, 2:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Pickens, Sumter52 min
Jun 5, 2:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXHale, Tuscaloosa61 min
Jun 5, 2:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar50 min
Jun 5, 2:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb47 min
Jun 5, 2:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette80 min
Jun 5, 2:46 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXTuscaloosa64 min
Jun 5, 2:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson, Walker77 min
Jun 5, 2:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby77 min
Jun 5, 2:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXHale, Marengo62 min
Jun 5, 2:55 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette50 min
Jun 5, 2:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar34 min
Jun 5, 3:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Sumter35 min
Jun 5, 3:05 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJefferson65 min
Jun 5, 3:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPerry66 min
Jun 5, 3:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton, Coosa96 min
Jun 5, 3:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb46 min
Jun 5, 3:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXElmore66 min
Jun 5, 3:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Dallas51 min
Jun 5, 3:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTalladega80 min
Jun 5, 3:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa65 min
Jun 5, 3:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair64 min
Jun 5, 3:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay66 min
Jun 5, 4:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLowndes, Montgomery63 min
Jun 5, 4:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMacon78 min
Jun 5, 4:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers, Lee79 min
Jun 5, 4:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBullock63 min
Jun 5, 4:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPike63 min
Jun 5, 4:37 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLee, Macon48 min
Jun 5, 4:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRussell61 min
Jun 5, 4:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour64 min
Jun 5, 4:53 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXRussell47 min
Jun 5, 5:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXEtowah35 min
Jun 5, 5:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee, DeKalb64 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.