Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Mobile, AL

April 17, 1998Baldwin County, Monroe County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 17, 1998, 7:23 PM CDT for Baldwin County, Monroe County, Alabama. It was in force for 32 min. 2 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 17, 1998, 7:23 PM CDT (00:23 UTC)
Expired
Apr 17, 1998, 7:55 PM CDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Baldwin County, AL, Monroe County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 17, 7:25 PM CDTHail 1Little River, ALQuarter size hail was again reported near the community of Little River.
Apr 17, 7:45 PM CDTHail 1.75Uriah, ALGolfball size hail was again reported in the south part of Monroe county, near Uriah.

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

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 226 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 1998-04-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 624 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 1998-04-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 168 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
624 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-42 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
591 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
168 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
311 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.1
Supercell composite
4.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

089 
WFUS1 KMOB 180024 RRA
TORMOB
ALC003-099-180055-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN BALDWIN COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA
  MONROE COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA

* UNTIL 755 PM CDT

* AT 721 PM CDT... A NWS DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO BETWEEN
LITTLE RIVER AND TENSAW,AL. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO MOVE TOWARDS URIAH,AL AND WILL ARRIVE BY
750 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, 7:03 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBClarke47 min
Apr 17, 7:15 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBEscambia60 min
Apr 17, 7:44 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBCovington61 min
Apr 17, 7:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWashington62 min
Apr 17, 8:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBConecuh, Escambia44 min
Apr 17, 8:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCovington64 min
Apr 17, 9:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWashington61 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.