Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 175, NWS Birmingham, AL

September 28, 1998Lee County, Russell County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Sep 28, 1998, 5:20 PM CDT for Lee County, Russell County, Alabama. It was in force for 30 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
Sep 28, 1998, 5:20 PM CDT (22:20 UTC)
Expired
Sep 28, 1998, 5:50 PM CDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Lee County, AL, Russell County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Sep 28, 5:26 PM CDTTornado F0Phenix City, AL
Sep 28, 5:28 PM CDTTornado F0J C Meadows Xrds, 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Sep 28, 3:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC10 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 126 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 1998-09-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 172 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°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 1998-09-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -1 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
172 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-186 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1101 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
70 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.

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 282223 COR
TORBHM
ALC081-113-282250-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
520 PM CDT MON SEP 28 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  LEE COUNTY... IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA
  NORTHERN RUSSELL COUNTY... IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA

* UNTIL 555 PM CDT

* AT 515 PM CDT... A TORNADO WAS DETECTED...BY NATIONAL WEATHER
  SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR JUST TO THE SOUTH OF CRAWFORD.  MOVEMENT OF
THIS STORM WAS TO THE NORTH NORTHWEST NEAR 20 MILES PER HOUR.  THIS
STORM IS MOVING TOWARDS THE TOWN OF GRIFFIN MILL...AND SHOULD PASS
JUST TO THE EAST OF OPELIKA.

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

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SAFETY IN A NEARBY STURDY
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT... SEEK REFUGE IN A CULVERT...
DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS. BEWARE
THE THREAT OF RISING WATER.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 28, 1:35 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPike40 min
Sep 28, 1:55 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBarbour20 min
Sep 28, 2:10 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPike35 min
Sep 28, 2:30 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBullock35 min
Sep 28, 2:34 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLowndes36 min
Sep 28, 2:43 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBarbour17 min
Sep 28, 3:02 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBullock33 min
Sep 28, 3:16 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBarbour19 min
Sep 28, 3:31 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBullock34 min
Sep 28, 3:36 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPike34 min
Sep 28, 4:02 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMacon33 min
Sep 28, 4:15 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBullock40 min
Sep 28, 4:20 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXRussell35 min
Sep 28, 4:30 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXElmore35 min
Sep 28, 4:34 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMacon36 min
Sep 28, 4:49 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBullock36 min
Sep 28, 5:03 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXElmore32 min
Sep 28, 5:12 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMacon, Montgomery33 min
Sep 28, 5:38 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXElmore32 min
Sep 28, 5:53 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBarbour32 min
Sep 28, 5:56 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBarbour34 min
Sep 28, 6:19 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXRussell31 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.