Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 145, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Jun 5, 1998, 4:53 PM CDT for Russell County, Alabama. It was in force for 47 min. 2 reports 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, 4:53 PM CDT (21:53 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 5, 1998, 5:40 PM CDT
- In force
- 47 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Russell County, AL
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 5, 5:15 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Phenix City, AL | In Phenix City there were several trees and power lines down. |
| Jun 5, 5:15 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 60 | Hurtsboro, AL | Two people sustained minor injuries in the storm in Hurtsboro when they lost the roof to their home. Trees and power lines were down across the city. |
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 5, 3:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 7 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 136 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
- 1574 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -8 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 565 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 38 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 192 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 163 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.0
- Supercell composite
- 5.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KBHM 052153 RRA TORBHM ALC113-052240- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 453 PM CDT FRI JUN 5 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... RUSSELL COUNTY... IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA * UNTIL 540 PM CDT * AT 451 PM CDT... A TORNADO WAS DETECTED...BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR ON THE MACON AND RUSSELL COUNTY LINE NORTH OF HURTSBORO. IT IS MOVING EAST AT ~40 MPH. * THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...SEALE AROUND 500 PM AND FT MITCHELL AROUND 515 PM. 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, Jun 5, 3:58 PM CDT, 55 minutes before
ALZ001>004-011>014-022-023-030>032-052130- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 358 PM CDT FRI JUN 5 1998 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 514... LAUDERDALE...FRANKLIN...COLBERT...LAWRENCE...MARION...WINSTON... LAMAR...FAYETTE...PICKENS...TUSCALOOSA...SUMTER...GREENE AND HALE. CONTINUE OTHER PORTIONS OF WATCH NUMBER 514 AND ALL OF WATCH 515.
Special weather statement, Jun 5, 3:58 PM CDT, 55 minutes before
ALZ001>004-011>014-022-023-030>032-052130- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 358 PM CDT FRI JUN 5 1998 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 514... LAUDERDALE...FRANKLIN...COLBERT...LAWRENCE...MARION...WINSTON... LAMAR...FAYETTE...PICKENS...TUSCALOOSA...SUMTER...GREENE AND HALE. CONTINUE OTHER PORTIONS OF WATCH NUMBER 514 AND ALL OF WATCH 515.
Special weather statement, Jun 5, 4:50 PM CDT, 3 minutes before
ALZ005-007-015-016-024-025-033>035-039-040-052255- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 450 PM CDT FRI JUN 5 1998 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 514... IN ALABAMA ...LIMESTONE... MORGAN... WALKER... CULLMAN... JEFFERSON... SHELBY ...PERRY... BIBB... CHILTON... MARENGO... DALLAS
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 4, 8:23 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb | 47 min |
| Jun 4, 8:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chilton, Shelby | 48 min |
| Jun 5, 3:52 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale | 63 min |
| Jun 5, 3:52 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 63 min |
| Jun 5, 4:23 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lamar | 47 min |
| Jun 5, 4:37 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lawrence, Limestone | 63 min |
| Jun 5, 4:44 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette, Walker, Winston | 61 min |
| Jun 5, 5:02 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Madison, Morgan | 48 min |
| Jun 5, 5:02 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cullman | 48 min |
| Jun 5, 5:16 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Pickens, Tuscaloosa | 49 min |
| Jun 5, 5:25 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Blount, Jefferson, Marshall | 45 min |
| Jun 5, 5:25 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jackson | 45 min |
| Jun 5, 5:42 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | DeKalb | 48 min |
| Jun 5, 5:57 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cherokee, Etowah | 48 min |
| Jun 5, 6:04 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | St. Clair, Shelby | 46 min |
| Jun 5, 6:21 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Calhoun, Cleburne | 34 min |
| Jun 5, 6:52 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Calhoun, Cleburne, Talladega | 18 min |
| Jun 5, 2:08 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Greene, Pickens, Sumter | 52 min |
| Jun 5, 2:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Hale, Tuscaloosa | 61 min |
| Jun 5, 2:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lamar | 50 min |
| Jun 5, 2:29 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Pickens | 46 min |
| Jun 5, 2:38 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb | 47 min |
| Jun 5, 2:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette | 80 min |
| Jun 5, 2:46 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 64 min |
| Jun 5, 2:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson, Walker | 77 min |
| Jun 5, 2:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Shelby | 77 min |
| Jun 5, 2:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Hale, Marengo | 62 min |
| Jun 5, 2:55 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Fayette | 50 min |
| Jun 5, 2:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lamar | 34 min |
| Jun 5, 3:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Greene, Sumter | 35 min |
| Jun 5, 3:05 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 65 min |
| Jun 5, 3:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Perry | 66 min |
| Jun 5, 3:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chilton, Coosa | 96 min |
| Jun 5, 3:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb | 46 min |
| Jun 5, 3:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Elmore | 66 min |
| Jun 5, 3:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Autauga, Dallas | 51 min |
| Jun 5, 3:35 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Talladega | 80 min |
| Jun 5, 3:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Tallapoosa | 65 min |
| Jun 5, 3:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | St. Clair | 64 min |
| Jun 5, 3:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Clay | 66 min |
| Jun 5, 4:02 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lowndes, Montgomery | 63 min |
| Jun 5, 4:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Macon | 78 min |
| Jun 5, 4:21 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chambers, Lee | 79 min |
| Jun 5, 4:27 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bullock | 63 min |
| Jun 5, 4:37 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Pike | 63 min |
| Jun 5, 4:37 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Lee, Macon | 48 min |
| Jun 5, 4:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Russell | 61 min |
| Jun 5, 4:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Barbour | 64 min |
| Jun 5, 5:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Etowah | 35 min |
| Jun 5, 5:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cherokee, DeKalb | 64 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.