Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 3, 1998Jackson County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 3, 1998, 3:04 PM CST for Jackson County, Alabama. It was in force for 36 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
Apr 3, 1998, 3:04 PM CST (21:04 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 1998, 3:40 PM CST
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Jackson County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 3, 3:27 PM CSTHail 0.88Higdon, ALHail the size of nickels was reported in Higdon.

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
Apr 3, 1:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 160 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1998-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1998-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 83 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
888 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
83 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
46 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

964 
WFUS1 KBHM 032107 RRA
TORBHM
ALC071-032140-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
304 PM CST FRI APR 3 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 340 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN NORTHERN ALABAMA

   ...JACKSON COUNTY...

AT 304 PM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A TORNADO 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
STEVENSON MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO ARE...
STEVENSON                   AROUND 312 PM CST...
FLAT ROCK                   AROUND 316 PM CST...
BRIDGEPORT                  AROUND 323 PM CST...
BRYANT                      AROUND 328 PM CST...

<<CALL TO ACTION>>
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE... SEEK SAFETY IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT... SEEK REFUGE IN A CULVERT... DITCH OR
LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 12:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter46 min
Apr 3, 1:23 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar32 min
Apr 3, 1:30 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Hale50 min
Apr 3, 1:40 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion45 min
Apr 3, 2:01 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert, Lauderdale49 min
Apr 3, 2:09 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb46 min
Apr 3, 2:49 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLauderdale16 min
Apr 3, 2:54 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay31 min
Apr 3, 2:29 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson, Madison46 min
Apr 3, 2:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour, Russell50 min
Apr 3, 2:58 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXRussell47 min
Apr 3, 3:15 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXDeKalb50 min
Apr 3, 3:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone48 min
Apr 3, 4:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence50 min
Apr 3, 4:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan36 min
Apr 3, 4:19 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison, Marshall31 min
Apr 3, 4:28 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison47 min
Apr 3, 4:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone33 min
Apr 3, 4:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson63 min
Apr 3, 5:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall33 min
Apr 3, 5:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDeKalb, Jackson63 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.