Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Watch 280

May 3, 199839 counties in Alabama; 8 counties in Florida; 7 counties in Mississippi

The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at May 3, 1998, 7:00 PM CDT for 39 counties in Alabama; 8 counties in Florida; 7 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 3, 1998, 7:00 PM CDT (00:00 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 1998, 1:00 AM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 54 counties

Autauga County, AL, Baldwin County, AL, Barbour County, AL, Bibb County, AL, Bullock County, AL, Butler County, AL, Chambers County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Choctaw County, AL, Clarke County, AL, Clay County, AL, Coffee County, AL, Conecuh County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Covington County, AL, Crenshaw County, AL, Dale County, AL, Dallas County, AL, Elmore County, AL, Escambia County, AL, Geneva County, AL, Hale County, AL, Henry County, AL, Houston County, AL, Lee County, AL, Lowndes County, AL, Macon County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Mobile County, AL, Monroe County, AL, Montgomery County, AL, Perry County, AL, Pike County, AL, Randolph County, AL, Russell County, AL, Sumter County, AL, Tallapoosa County, AL, Washington County, AL, Wilcox County, AL, Calhoun County, FL, Escambia County, FL, Holmes County, FL, Jackson County, FL, Okaloosa County, FL, Santa Rosa County, FL, Walton County, FL, Washington County, FL, Clarke County, MS, George County, MS, Greene County, MS, Jackson County, MS, Lauderdale County, MS, Perry County, MS, Wayne County, MS

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 132 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:03 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.

Warnings issued inside it

26 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 7:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin, Clarke76 min
May 3, 7:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMonroe61 min
May 3, 7:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMobile77 min
May 3, 7:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBConecuh79 min
May 3, 8:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBEscambia73 min
May 3, 8:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin78 min
May 3, 8:30 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBConecuh75 min
May 3, 8:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBButler78 min
May 3, 8:48 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBButler, Covington72 min
May 3, 8:52 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin68 min
May 3, 9:10 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBEscambia65 min
May 3, 9:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCrenshaw73 min
May 3, 9:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPike61 min
May 3, 9:48 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBSanta Rosa72 min
May 3, 10:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBButler, Conecuh74 min
May 3, 10:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour49 min
May 3, 10:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAECoffee, Dale48 min
May 3, 10:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCrenshaw51 min
May 3, 11:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPike46 min
May 3, 11:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCovington60 min
May 3, 11:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAECoffee63 min
May 3, 11:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEHenry63 min
May 4, 12:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEDale, Houston65 min
May 4, 12:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCovington, Escambia75 min
May 4, 12:56 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEGeneva, Houston64 min
May 4, 1:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEHenry60 min

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 180 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 1998-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1136 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 1998-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 19 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
1136 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1040 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
19 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
128 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
1.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 4, 12:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBaldwin, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke and 18 more6 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Alabama, 1998Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Florida, 1998Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Mississippi, 1998Every severe thunderstorm watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.