Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 186, NWS Birmingham, AL

September 29, 1998Russell County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Sep 29, 1998, 12:42 PM CDT for Russell County, Alabama. It was in force for 38 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 29, 1998, 12:42 PM CDT (17:42 UTC)
Expired
Sep 29, 1998, 1:20 PM CDT
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Russell County, AL

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Sep 29, 10:00 AM CDTTornado WatchSPC9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 5.7 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 1998-09-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 96 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 1998-09-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 52 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
96 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-49 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
765 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
52 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
42 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.

303 
WFUS1 KBHM 291744 RRA
TORBHM
ALC113-291820-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1242 PM CDT TUE SEP 29 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 120 PM CDT

* AT 1239 PM CDT... A TORNADO WAS DETECTED...BY NATIONAL WEATHER
  SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR OVER WESTERN STEWART COUNTY NEAR FLORENCE
  MOVING NORTHWEST AT 40 MPH.  A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED EARLIER NEAR
  LUMPKIN.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR COTTONTON BY 1 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, Sep 29, 10:07 AM CDT, 2 hours 35 minutes before
ALZ001>050-GAZ089-090-102-120-300240-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
FOR NORTH/CENTRAL AL AND WEST CENTRAL GA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1007 AM CDT TUE SEP 29 1998

GEORGES HAS NOW WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION...AND WAS OVER
SOUTHWEST ALABAMA THIS MORNING.  IT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SLOWLY
EASTWARD ACROSS SOUTH ALABAMA THROUGH TONIGHT.

HEAVY RAIN...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES...CAN BE EXPECTED EAST OF THE
CENTER OF THE TROPICAL SYSTEM...TODAY AND INTO TONIGHT.  THE GREATEST
THREAT OF ADDITIONAL FLOODING...AND SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE OVER
SOUTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA.  A
TORNADO WATCH WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...AND WEST
CENTRAL GEORGIA UNTIL 7 PM CDT/8 PM EDT...AND A FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL
REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE SAME AREA THROUGH TODAY.

AS LONG AS THE TROPICAL DEPRESSION REMAINS OVER SOUTH ALABAMA...THERE
WILL BE LITTLE THREAT FOR HAZARDOUS WEATHER OVER NORTH AND WEST CENTRAL
ALABAMA.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED
OVER EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA
TODAY...AND MAY ALSO BE REQUIRED TONIGHT.

THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...SEE PRODUCT
BHMSPSMOB. FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...LOOK AT MIASPSTLH.  FOR MORE
WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT OUR INTERNET SITE ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT
HTTP://WWW.ACESAG.AUBURN.EDU/DEPARTMENT/NWS/
Special weather statement, Sep 29, 10:07 AM CDT, 2 hours 35 minutes before
ALZ001>050-GAZ089-090-102-120-300240-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
FOR NORTH/CENTRAL AL AND WEST CENTRAL GA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1007 AM CDT TUE SEP 29 1998

GEORGES HAS NOW WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION...AND WAS OVER
SOUTHWEST ALABAMA THIS MORNING.  IT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SLOWLY
EASTWARD ACROSS SOUTH ALABAMA THROUGH TONIGHT.

HEAVY RAIN...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES...CAN BE EXPECTED EAST OF THE
CENTER OF THE TROPICAL SYSTEM...TODAY AND INTO TONIGHT.  THE GREATEST
THREAT OF ADDITIONAL FLOODING...AND SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE OVER
SOUTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA.  A
TORNADO WATCH WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...AND WEST
CENTRAL GEORGIA UNTIL 7 PM CDT/8 PM EDT...AND A FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL
REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE SAME AREA THROUGH TODAY.

AS LONG AS THE TROPICAL DEPRESSION REMAINS OVER SOUTH ALABAMA...THERE
WILL BE LITTLE THREAT FOR HAZARDOUS WEATHER OVER NORTH AND WEST CENTRAL
ALABAMA.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED
OVER EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA
TODAY...AND MAY ALSO BE REQUIRED TONIGHT.

THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...SEE PRODUCT
BHMSPSMOB. FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...LOOK AT MIASPSTLH.  FOR MORE
WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT OUR INTERNET SITE ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT
HTTP://WWW.ACESAG.AUBURN.EDU/DEPARTMENT/NWS/

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 28, 7:15 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLee, Macon35 min
Sep 28, 7:48 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLee17 min
Sep 28, 8:03 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXTallapoosa27 min
Sep 29, 4:02 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXRussell48 min
Sep 29, 6:20 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXDallas, Lowndes4 hr
Sep 29, 9:50 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXDallas, Lowndes, Montgomery6 hr
Sep 29, 9:50 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXBarbour, Bullock, Pike6 hr
Sep 29, 12:06 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMacon34 min
Sep 29, 12:56 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMacon34 min
Sep 29, 1:21 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXRussell34 min
Sep 29, 1:33 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLee32 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.