Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 142, NWS Mobile, AL

May 3, 1998Escambia County, Florida

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 3, 1998, 8:17 PM CDT for Escambia County, Florida. It was in force for 73 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
May 3, 1998, 8:17 PM CDT (01:17 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 1998, 9:30 PM CDT
In force
73 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Escambia County, FL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:18 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 3, 9:26 PM CDTHail 1.75Molino, FLGolfball size hail was reported in the community.

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
May 3, 7:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 1.3 hours before the alert went out and 230 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 1998-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1568 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 1998-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 61 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1568 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-55 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1328 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
61 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
226 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
3.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

651 
WUUS1 KMOB 040116 RRA
SVRMOB
FLC033-040230-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
817 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN ESCAMBIA COUNTY IN NORTHWESTERN FLORIDA

* UNTIL 930 PM CDT

* AT 816 PM CDT... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 35 MILES WEST OF
  CENTURY OR 15 MILES WEST OF PINEVILLE... AS INDICATED BY DOPPLER
  RADAR AND SPOTTER REPORTS... MOVING EAST 30 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR-
  PINEVILLE AT 820 PM CDT
  WALNUT HILL AT 830 PM CDT

DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE LIKELY. GO INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING
AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 9:10 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBEscambia65 min
May 3, 9:48 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBSanta Rosa72 min
May 4, 1:08 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBSanta Rosa52 min
May 4, 2:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBOkaloosa58 min
May 4, 3:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBOkaloosa58 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Florida, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.