Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Birmingham, AL

February 17, 1998Autauga County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Feb 17, 1998, 1:45 AM CST for Autauga County, Alabama. It was in force for 50 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
Feb 17, 1998, 1:45 AM CST (07:45 UTC)
Expired
Feb 17, 1998, 2:35 AM CST
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Autauga County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 73 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 1998-02-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 572 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 1998-02-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 255 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
572 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-33 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
635 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
255 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
271 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
5.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

530 
WFUS1 KBHM 170747 RRA
TORBHM
ALC001-170835-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
145 AM CST TUE FEB 17 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 235 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...AUTAUGA COUNTY...

AT 143 AM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A TORNADO IN WESTERN AUTAUGA
NEAR BONITA MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

<<CALL TO ACTION>>
IF YOU LIVE IN A HOME OR APARTMENT... SEEK REFUGE IN THE INNERMOST
PORTION OF THE BUILDING ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. GET TO A BASEMENT IF ONE
IS AVAILABLE. AVOID WINDOWS AND PROTECT YOUR BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS
WITH CUSHIONS... BLANKETS... OR PILLOWS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 17, 12:48 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDallas47 min
Feb 17, 1:13 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton47 min
Feb 17, 1:19 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga46 min
Feb 17, 1:49 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXChilton56 min
Feb 17, 2:18 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby47 min
Feb 17, 2:22 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCoosa, Talladega63 min
Feb 17, 2:31 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXCoosa, Talladega64 min
Feb 17, 2:37 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton18 min
Feb 17, 3:12 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton48 min
Feb 17, 3:36 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun64 min
Feb 17, 3:44 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Lowndes46 min
Feb 17, 3:54 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCoosa46 min
Feb 17, 4:03 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa47 min
Feb 17, 4:19 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay51 min
Feb 17, 4:37 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCleburne63 min
Feb 17, 4:44 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRandolph51 min
Feb 17, 5:04 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa46 min
Feb 17, 5:25 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers50 min
Feb 17, 6:14 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers31 min
Feb 17, 4:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Cleburne62 min
Feb 17, 4:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay, Randolph62 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.