Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 20, 1998Elmore County, Montgomery County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 20, 1998, 12:47 AM CST for Elmore County, Montgomery County, Alabama. It was in force for 63 min. 5 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: Mar 20, 1998, 12:47 AM CST (06:47 UTC)
Expired: Mar 20, 1998, 1:50 AM CST
In force: 63 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Whole counties

Counties Elmore County, AL, Montgomery County, AL

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 20, 1:00 AM CST	Thunderstorm Wind 55	Millbrook, AL	A 30 to 40 foot antenna was blown down and numerous trees were blown down in a path about 150 yards long.
Mar 20, 1:05 AM CST	Hail 1.25	Hope Hull, AL
Mar 20, 1:25 AM CST	Hail 1.75	Montgomery, AL
Mar 20, 1:28 AM CST	Hail 0.88	Montgomery, AL
Mar 20, 1:43 AM CST	Hail 0.75	Mt Meigs, AL

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
Mar 19, 11:45 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 103 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 434 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -35 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 728 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 113 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 158 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.4
Supercell composite: 3.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

332 
WFUS1 KBHM 200646 RRA
TORBHM
ALC051-101-200750-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1247 AM CST FRI MAR 20 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 150 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...ELMORE COUNTY...
   ...MONTGOMERY COUNTY...

AT 1244 AM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
AND POSSIBLE TORNADO IN NORTHERN LOWNDES COUNTY.  THIS STORM WAS
MOVING EAST AROUND 40 MPH...AND WILL MOVE INTO THE MONTGOMERY
METRO AREA AROUND 1 AM.


<<CALL TO ACTION>>
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO... THE SAFEST PLACE IS A BASEMENT.
 IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE... SEEK SAFETY IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH
AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF
STURDY FURNITURE. USE BLANKETS... PILLOWS... OR CUSHIONS TO COVER
YOUR BODY. AVOID 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

Local storm report, Mar 19, 10:12 PM CST, 2 hours 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
1012 PM CST THU MAR 19 1998

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0900 PM    FAYETTE                   AL   WIND DAMAGE
03/19/98   FAYETTE                        A FEW TREES AND POWER
                                          LINES DOWN IN AND AROUND
                                          THE CITY OF FAYETTE...ALSO
                                          HAIL OF UNKNOWN
                                          SIZE..REPORTED BY FAYETTE
                                          PD.

0920 PM                              AL   1.75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   WALKER                         DIME TO GOLFBALL SIZED
                                          HAIL REPORTED IN AND
                                          AROUND CARBON HILL..BY
                                          CARBON HILL PD.

Local storm report, Mar 19, 10:12 PM CST, 2 hours 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
1012 PM CST THU MAR 19 1998

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0900 PM    FAYETTE                   AL   WIND DAMAGE
03/19/98   FAYETTE                        A FEW TREES AND POWER
                                          LINES DOWN IN AND AROUND
                                          THE CITY OF FAYETTE...ALSO
                                          HAIL OF UNKNOWN
                                          SIZE..REPORTED BY FAYETTE
                                          PD.

0920 PM                              AL   1.75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   WALKER                         DIME TO GOLFBALL SIZED
                                          HAIL REPORTED IN AND
                                          AROUND CARBON HILL..BY
                                          CARBON HILL PD.

Local storm report, Mar 19, 10:45 PM CST, 2 hours 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
1045 PM CST THU MAR 19 1998

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0847 PM                              AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   MARION                         DIME TO PENNY SIZED HAIL
                                          REPORTED IN GUIN AND
                                          WINFIELD BY HAMILTON PD.

0948 PM                              AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   CULLMAN                        DIME SIZED HAIL REPORTED
                                          IN JONES CHAPEL BY CULLMAN
                                          EMA.

1000 PM    NORTHPORT                 AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   TUSCALOOSA                     DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                          JUST EAST OF NORTHPORT BY
                                          EMA.

1002 PM                              AL   .88 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   CULLMAN                        DIME TO NICKLE SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED NEAR THE
                                          BATTLEGROUNDS NORTH OF
                                          CULLMAN.

1007 PM                              AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   CULLMAN                        DIME SIZE HAIL IN THE CITY
                                          OF CULLMAN..REPORTED BY
                                          THE EMA.

1007 PM                              AL   1 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   TUSCALOOSA                     DIME TO QUARTER SIZED HAIL
                                          REPORTED NEAR THE CITY OF
                                          TUSCALOOSA...FOSTERS AND
                                          MANY OTHERS LOCATIONS IN
                                          THE COUNTY.

1008 PM                              AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   CULLMAN                        AT LEAST 1 INCH OF HAIL
                                          COVERING THE GROUND NEAR
                                          HIGHWAY 57 AND INTERSTATE
                                          65..BY CULLMAN EMA.

1034 PM    HUNTSVILLE                AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   MADISON                        DIME SIZED HAIL REPORTS
                                          COMING IN FROM ALL OVER
                                          THE COUNTY...REPORTED BY
                                          EMA AND HAMS.

Local storm report, Mar 19, 10:45 PM CST, 2 hours 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
1045 PM CST THU MAR 19 1998

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0847 PM                              AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   MARION                         DIME TO PENNY SIZED HAIL
                                          REPORTED IN GUIN AND
                                          WINFIELD BY HAMILTON PD.

0948 PM                              AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   CULLMAN                        DIME SIZED HAIL REPORTED
                                          IN JONES CHAPEL BY CULLMAN
                                          EMA.

1000 PM    NORTHPORT                 AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   TUSCALOOSA                     DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                          JUST EAST OF NORTHPORT BY
                                          EMA.

1002 PM                              AL   .88 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   CULLMAN                        DIME TO NICKLE SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED NEAR THE
                                          BATTLEGROUNDS NORTH OF
                                          CULLMAN.

1007 PM                              AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   CULLMAN                        DIME SIZE HAIL IN THE CITY
                                          OF CULLMAN..REPORTED BY
                                          THE EMA.

1007 PM                              AL   1 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   TUSCALOOSA                     DIME TO QUARTER SIZED HAIL
                                          REPORTED NEAR THE CITY OF
                                          TUSCALOOSA...FOSTERS AND
                                          MANY OTHERS LOCATIONS IN
                                          THE COUNTY.

1008 PM                              AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   CULLMAN                        AT LEAST 1 INCH OF HAIL
                                          COVERING THE GROUND NEAR
                                          HIGHWAY 57 AND INTERSTATE
                                          65..BY CULLMAN EMA.

1034 PM    HUNTSVILLE                AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   MADISON                        DIME SIZED HAIL REPORTS
                                          COMING IN FROM ALL OVER
                                          THE COUNTY...REPORTED BY
                                          EMA AND HAMS.

Local storm report, Mar 19, 11:37 PM CST, 1 hour 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
1137 PM CST THU MAR 19 1998

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1039 PM    NEW HOPE                  AL   WIND DAMAGE
03/19/98   MADISON                        ROOF BLOWN OFF HOUSE..A
                                          COUPLE OF TRAILERS
                                          DESTROYED..AND HAIL OF
                                          UNKNOWN SIZE REPORTED BY
                                          EMA.

1058 PM    ARAB                      AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   MARSHALL                       DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN
                                          ARAB BY HAMS.

1107 PM    HUEYTOWN                  AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   JEFFERSON                      DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN
                                          HUEYTOWN BY HAMS.

1117 PM                              AL   WIND DAMAGE
03/19/98   JACKSON                        WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES
                                          FROM WOODVILLE TO
                                          SCOTTSBORO..DUE TO
                                          LIGHTNING STRIKES AND
                                          POWER LINES DOWN.

1136 PM    TRIMBLE                   AL   FLOODING
03/19/98   CULLMAN                        COUNTY ROAD 222 CLOSED DUE
                                          TO WATER COVERING THE
                                          ROAD.

Local storm report, Mar 19, 11:37 PM CST, 1 hour 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
1137 PM CST THU MAR 19 1998

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1039 PM    NEW HOPE                  AL   WIND DAMAGE
03/19/98   MADISON                        ROOF BLOWN OFF HOUSE..A
                                          COUPLE OF TRAILERS
                                          DESTROYED..AND HAIL OF
                                          UNKNOWN SIZE REPORTED BY
                                          EMA.

1058 PM    ARAB                      AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   MARSHALL                       DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN
                                          ARAB BY HAMS.

1107 PM    HUEYTOWN                  AL   .75 INCH HAIL
03/19/98   JEFFERSON                      DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN
                                          HUEYTOWN BY HAMS.

1117 PM                              AL   WIND DAMAGE
03/19/98   JACKSON                        WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES
                                          FROM WOODVILLE TO
                                          SCOTTSBORO..DUE TO
                                          LIGHTNING STRIKES AND
                                          POWER LINES DOWN.

1136 PM    TRIMBLE                   AL   FLOODING
03/19/98   CULLMAN                        COUNTY ROAD 222 CLOSED DUE
                                          TO WATER COVERING THE
                                          ROAD.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 19, 6:21 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Franklin	49 min
Mar 19, 7:06 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lamar, Marion	49 min
Mar 19, 7:18 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Franklin	42 min
Mar 19, 7:48 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lawrence, Winston	47 min
Mar 19, 7:56 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Franklin	19 min
Mar 19, 8:02 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Colbert	33 min
Mar 19, 8:14 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lamar	51 min
Mar 19, 8:24 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lauderdale, Limestone, Morgan	46 min
Mar 19, 8:32 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pickens	48 min
Mar 19, 8:41 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Marion	59 min
Mar 19, 8:42 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Sumter	48 min
Mar 19, 8:53 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Madison	47 min
Mar 19, 9:04 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cullman, Winston	46 min
Mar 19, 9:08 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Walker	42 min
Mar 19, 9:17 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pickens	48 min
Mar 19, 9:45 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cullman	45 min
Mar 19, 9:56 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	49 min
Mar 19, 9:58 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Morgan	47 min
Mar 19, 10:14 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Madison, Marshall	46 min
Mar 19, 10:15 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Walker	35 min
Mar 19, 10:22 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount	48 min
Mar 19, 10:22 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jefferson	63 min
Mar 19, 10:30 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Hale	45 min
Mar 19, 10:33 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jackson	62 min
Mar 19, 10:38 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cullman	22 min
Mar 19, 10:42 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	33 min
Mar 19, 10:45 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb, Perry	65 min
Mar 19, 11:01 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marshall	49 min
Mar 19, 11:12 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Etowah, St. Clair	58 min
Mar 19, 11:12 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Shelby	58 min
Mar 19, 11:25 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jefferson	35 min
Mar 19, 11:27 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	DeKalb	63 min
Mar 19, 11:33 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jackson	32 min
Mar 19, 11:39 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Chilton, Dallas	61 min
Mar 19, 11:55 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Cherokee	60 min
Mar 19, 11:55 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Talladega	60 min
Mar 20, 12:08 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Etowah, St. Clair	32 min
Mar 20, 12:08 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Shelby	32 min
Mar 20, 12:16 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga, Lowndes	79 min
Mar 20, 12:16 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Coosa	79 min
Mar 20, 12:28 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	DeKalb	47 min
Mar 20, 12:35 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Lowndes	60 min
Mar 20, 12:39 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Clay	61 min
Mar 20, 12:56 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cleburne	64 min
Mar 20, 12:56 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Tallapoosa	64 min
Mar 20, 1:22 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Randolph	63 min
Mar 20, 1:38 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Macon	62 min
Mar 20, 1:54 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Chambers, Lee	61 min
Mar 20, 2:55 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lee	50 min

Nearby

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