Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 62, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 16, 1998, 9:34 PM CDT 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 16, 1998, 9:34 PM CDT (02:34 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 16, 1998, 10:10 PM CDT
- In force
- 36 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Jackson County, AL
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 9:55 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Bridgeport, AL | Large trees were down along US 72 and CR 94. |
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 4:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
| Apr 16, 9:15 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 192 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.
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KBHM 170233 RRA TORBHM ALC071-170310- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 934 PM CDT THU APR 16 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... EASTERN JACKSON COUNTY... IN NORTHERN ALABAMA * UNTIL 1010 PM CDT * AT 933 PM CDT... A TORNADO WAS DETECTED...BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR HEADING TOWARDS STEVENSON AT 30 MPH. * THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...STEVENSON AT 945 AND BRIDGEPORT BY 955 PM. 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 41 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 41 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, 1 hour 17 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.Special weather statement, Apr 16, 9:16 PM CDT, 18 minutes before
ALZ001>005-007-011>015-022-023-030-031-051-170250- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 916 PM CDT THU APR 16 1998 THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... IN ALABAMA ...LAUDERDALE... COLBERT... FRANKLIN... LAWRENCE... LIMESTONE ...MORGAN... MARION... LAMAR... FAYETTE... WINSTON... WALKER ...PICKENS... TUSCALOOSA... SUMTER... GREENE... CHOCTAW SEVERE WEATHER IS NO LONGER A THREAT IN THESE COUNTIES.
Special weather statement, Apr 16, 9:16 PM CDT, 18 minutes before
ALZ001>005-007-011>015-022-023-030-031-051-170250- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 916 PM CDT THU APR 16 1998 THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... IN ALABAMA ...LAUDERDALE... COLBERT... FRANKLIN... LAWRENCE... LIMESTONE ...MORGAN... MARION... LAMAR... FAYETTE... WINSTON... WALKER ...PICKENS... TUSCALOOSA... SUMTER... GREENE... CHOCTAW SEVERE WEATHER IS NO LONGER A THREAT IN THESE COUNTIES.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 7:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lawrence | 49 min |
| Apr 16, 7:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Colbert | 34 min |
| Apr 16, 7:11 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Lamar | 49 min |
| Apr 16, 7:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lauderdale | 51 min |
| Apr 16, 7:35 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Fayette | 45 min |
| Apr 16, 7:48 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Limestone | 47 min |
| Apr 16, 8:03 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Walker | 47 min |
| Apr 16, 8:14 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Madison | 66 min |
| Apr 16, 8:29 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jackson | 61 min |
| Apr 16, 8:32 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Winston | 48 min |
| Apr 16, 8:35 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cullman | 65 min |
| Apr 16, 8:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone | 34 min |
| Apr 16, 9:05 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Blount | 60 min |
| Apr 16, 9:32 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Etowah | 63 min |
| Apr 16, 9:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marshall | 50 min |
| Apr 16, 9:43 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | St. Clair | 32 min |
| Apr 16, 10:05 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Marshall | 35 min |
| Apr 16, 10:06 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | DeKalb | 64 min |
| Apr 16, 10:13 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cherokee | 47 min |
| Apr 16, 10:38 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marshall | 32 min |
| Apr 16, 11:07 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | DeKalb | 48 min |
| Apr 16, 11:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cherokee | 50 min |
| Apr 17, 12:22 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 48 min |
| Apr 17, 12:26 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cherokee | 44 min |
| Apr 17, 3:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Barbour | 50 min |
| Apr 17, 6:08 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Barbour | 47 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.