Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 11, NWS Mobile, AL

April 17, 1998Clarke County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 17, 1998, 6:02 PM CDT for Clarke County, Alabama. It was in force for 63 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 17, 1998, 6:02 PM CDT (23:02 UTC)
Expired
Apr 17, 1998, 7:05 PM CDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Clarke County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 17, 6:30 PM CDTHail 0.75Coffeeville, ALDime size hail was reported near Coffeeville.

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
Apr 17, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 194 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 12:00Z on 1998-04-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 1998-04-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 108 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
615 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
66 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
108 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
266 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

666 
WFUS1 KMOB 172304 RRA
TORMOB
ALC025-180005-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
602 PM CDT FRI APR 17 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CLARKE COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA

* UNTIL 705 PM CDT

* AT 601 PM CDT... A TORNADO WAS LOCATED 41 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GROVE
  HILL OR 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CARLTON... AS INDICATED BY DOPPLER
  RADAR... MOVING EAST 45 MPH.

* TORNADO WILL BE NEAR-
  CARLTON AT 625 PM CDT
  CHOCTAW BLUFF AT 625 PM CDT

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...SEEK SAFETY IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...OR
CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 17, 4:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBEscambia65 min
Apr 17, 4:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCovington66 min
Apr 17, 5:25 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBCovington60 min
Apr 17, 5:29 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBWashington61 min
Apr 17, 6:17 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBWashington48 min
Apr 17, 6:21 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin, Monroe64 min
Apr 17, 6:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMobile60 min
Apr 17, 6:49 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBConecuh61 min
Apr 17, 6:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBEscambia62 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.