Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 60, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 16, 1998Blount County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 16, 1998, 9:05 PM CDT for Blount County, Alabama. It was in force for 60 min. 3 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
Apr 16, 1998, 9:05 PM CDT (02:05 UTC)
Expired
Apr 16, 1998, 10:05 PM CDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Blount County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 16, 9:18 PM CDTTornado F1Bangor, AL
Apr 16, 9:30 PM CDTHail 0.88Blountsville, ALHail the size of nickels was reported in Blountsville.
Apr 16, 9:35 PM CDTTornado F0Oneonta, ALAn F0 tornado touched down just east of Taits Gap and the Oneonta airport and moved northeast along CR 28. Damage was limited to snapped off and uprooted trees. Some trees fell on houses and several barns were damaged. Farmers reported several cows were ki

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 nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 91 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 1998-04-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1586 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 1998-04-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 270 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
1586 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
645 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
74 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
270 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
336 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.6
Supercell composite
16.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

124 
WFUS1 KBHM 170204 RRA
TORBHM
ALC009-170305-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
905 PM CDT THU APR 16 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  BLOUNT COUNTY... IN NORTHERN ALABAMA

* UNTIL 1005 PM CDT

* AT 902 PM CDT... A TORNADO WAS DETECTED...BY NATIONAL WEATHER
  SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR OVER SOUTHERN CULLMAN COUNTY MOVING EAST
  AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NEAR NECTAR AND CLEVELAND BY 9:25
PM CDT...

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

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, Apr 16, 7:53 PM CDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
753 PM CDT THU APR 16 1998

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

0648 PM    TUSCUMBIA                 AL   .75 INCH HAIL
04/16/98   COLBERT                        DIME SIZE HAIL 5 SOUTH
                                          TUSCUMBIA...REPORTED BY
                                          HAMS.

0703 PM    MUSCLE SHOALS             AL   .75 INCH HAIL
04/16/98   COLBERT                        DIME SIZE HAIL AND HIGH
                                          WIND IN MUSCLE
                                          SHOALS...REPORTED BY HAMS.

0711 PM                              AL   .88 INCH HAIL
04/16/98   COLBERT                        NICKEL SIZED HAIL NEAR
                                          HIGHWAY 24 AND
                                          48...REPORTED BY HAMS.

0725 PM                              AL   TORNADO
04/16/98   LAMAR                          TORNADO BETWEEN
                                          MISSISSIPPI STATE LINE AND
                                          VERNON...REPORTED BY EMA.

0730 PM                              AL   1.75 INCH HAIL
04/16/98   LAMAR                          GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL IN
                                          SOUTHERN LAMAR
                                          COUNTY...REPORTED BY EMA.

0734 PM    TUSCUMBIA                 AL   WIND DAMAGE
04/16/98   COLBERT                        BUILDING DESTROYED AND ONE
                                          MORE MOVED OFF
                                          FOUNDATION...7 MILES SW
                                          NEAR COUNTY RD.
                                          41...REPORTED BY HAMS.
Local storm report, Apr 16, 7:53 PM CDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
753 PM CDT THU APR 16 1998

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

0648 PM    TUSCUMBIA                 AL   .75 INCH HAIL
04/16/98   COLBERT                        DIME SIZE HAIL 5 SOUTH
                                          TUSCUMBIA...REPORTED BY
                                          HAMS.

0703 PM    MUSCLE SHOALS             AL   .75 INCH HAIL
04/16/98   COLBERT                        DIME SIZE HAIL AND HIGH
                                          WIND IN MUSCLE
                                          SHOALS...REPORTED BY HAMS.

0711 PM                              AL   .88 INCH HAIL
04/16/98   COLBERT                        NICKEL SIZED HAIL NEAR
                                          HIGHWAY 24 AND
                                          48...REPORTED BY HAMS.

0725 PM                              AL   TORNADO
04/16/98   LAMAR                          TORNADO BETWEEN
                                          MISSISSIPPI STATE LINE AND
                                          VERNON...REPORTED BY EMA.

0730 PM                              AL   1.75 INCH HAIL
04/16/98   LAMAR                          GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL IN
                                          SOUTHERN LAMAR
                                          COUNTY...REPORTED BY EMA.

0734 PM    TUSCUMBIA                 AL   WIND DAMAGE
04/16/98   COLBERT                        BUILDING DESTROYED AND ONE
                                          MORE MOVED OFF
                                          FOUNDATION...7 MILES SW
                                          NEAR COUNTY RD.
                                          41...REPORTED BY HAMS.
Local storm report, Apr 16, 8:17 PM CDT, 48 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
817 PM CDT THU APR 16 1998

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

0726 PM                              AL   TORNADO
04/16/98   LAMAR                          POSSIBLE
                                          TORNADO...NUMEROUS TREES
                                          DOWN SW OF VERNON ON
                                          COUNTY RD. 9 NEAR THE
                                          DEMMAN CROSSROADS
                                          COMMUNITY.

0750 PM                              AL   WIND DAMAGE
04/16/98   LAMAR                          DAMAGE TO A CHURCH IN THE
                                          STARR COMMUNITY.

0813 PM    ATHENS                    AL   TORNADO
04/16/98   LIMESTONE                      POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST EAST
                                          OF ATHENS REPORTED BY
                                          STORM SPOTTERS AND HAMS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 16, 7:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence49 min
Apr 16, 7:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert34 min
Apr 16, 7:11 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLamar49 min
Apr 16, 7:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLauderdale51 min
Apr 16, 7:35 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette45 min
Apr 16, 7:48 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLimestone47 min
Apr 16, 8:03 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXWalker47 min
Apr 16, 8:14 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMadison66 min
Apr 16, 8:29 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJackson61 min
Apr 16, 8:32 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXWinston48 min
Apr 16, 8:35 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCullman65 min
Apr 16, 8:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone34 min
Apr 16, 9:32 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXEtowah63 min
Apr 16, 9:34 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJackson36 min
Apr 16, 9:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall50 min
Apr 16, 9:43 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXSt. Clair32 min
Apr 16, 10:05 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMarshall35 min
Apr 16, 10:06 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXDeKalb64 min
Apr 16, 10:13 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCherokee47 min
Apr 16, 10:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall32 min
Apr 16, 11:07 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXDeKalb48 min
Apr 16, 11:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee50 min
Apr 17, 12:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson48 min
Apr 17, 12:26 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee44 min
Apr 17, 3:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour50 min
Apr 17, 6:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour47 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.