Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 146, NWS Birmingham, AL

June 5, 1998Chattahoochee County, Muscogee County, Georgia

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Jun 5, 1998, 6:14 PM EDT for Chattahoochee County, Muscogee County, Georgia. It was in force for 51 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, 6:14 PM EDT (22:14 UTC)
Expired
Jun 5, 1998, 7:05 PM EDT
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Chattahoochee County, GA, Muscogee County, GA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 5, 6:26 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 60Columbus, GANumerous trees and power lines were down in Columbus. A gust to 69 mph was reported at the Columbus airport. At least 60,000 residents were without power. One person was injured in the storm. Several trees blocked roads. Three or four small planes were da

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, 4:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 109 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 1998-06-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1574 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 1998-06-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 192 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 052214 RRA
TORBHM
GAC053-215-052305-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CHATTAHOOCHEE COUNTY... IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA
  MUSCOGEE COUNTY... IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA

* UNTIL 705 PM EDT (605 PM CDT)

* AT 613 PM EDT... A TORNADO WAS DETECTED...BY NATIONAL WEATHER
  SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR EAST OF PH(ENIX CITY MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...COLUMBUS GA BETWEEN 620
AND 640 PM EDT.

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, 4:58 PM EDT, 1 hour 16 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, 4:58 PM EDT, 1 hour 16 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, 5:50 PM EDT, 24 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.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 5, 6:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXQuitman, Stewart63 min
Jun 5, 6:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChattahoochee, Muscogee63 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Georgia, 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.