Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Watches in 1998

Tornado Watch 94

March 8, 199815 counties in Alabama; 10 counties in Florida; Clay County, Early County, Quitman County, Georgia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Mar 8, 1998, 10:00 AM CST for 15 counties in Alabama; 10 counties in Florida; Clay County, Early County, Quitman County, Georgia. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 8, 1998, 10:00 AM CST (16:00 UTC)
Expired
Mar 8, 1998, 3:00 PM CST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 28 counties

Baldwin County, AL, Barbour County, AL, Butler County, AL, Clarke County, AL, Coffee County, AL, Conecuh County, AL, Covington County, AL, Crenshaw County, AL, Dale County, AL, Escambia County, AL, Geneva County, AL, Henry County, AL, Houston County, AL, Monroe County, AL, Pike County, AL, Bay County, FL, Calhoun County, FL, Escambia County, FL, Gulf County, FL, Holmes County, FL, Jackson County, FL, Okaloosa County, FL, Santa Rosa County, FL, Walton County, FL, Washington County, FL, Clay County, GA, Early County, GA, Quitman County, GA

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 8, 10:09 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBButler61 min
Mar 8, 10:14 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMOBCovington, Escambia5 hr
Mar 8, 10:14 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMOBBaldwin5 hr
Mar 8, 10:14 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMOBButler, Conecuh5 hr
Mar 8, 10:14 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMOBCrenshaw5 hr
Mar 8, 10:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEHouston31 min
Mar 8, 11:03 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAECalhoun, Early47 min
Mar 8, 11:37 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXBarbour3 hr
Mar 8, 11:37 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXBullock, Pike3 hr
Mar 8, 12:15 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningTAECoffee6 hr
Mar 8, 1:48 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBConecuh, Covington, Escambia62 min
Mar 8, 2:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin62 min
Mar 8, 2:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBEscambia, Santa Rosa62 min
Mar 8, 2:20 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBButler50 min
Mar 8, 2:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCovington, Escambia63 min
Mar 8, 2:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBConecuh63 min

The nearest sounding before it

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), launched 12:00Z, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 240 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, Tallahassee Rgnl, FL at 12:00Z on 1998-03-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 14 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, Tallahassee Rgnl, FL at 12:00Z on 1998-03-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 650 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
14 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-271 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
636 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
69 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
650 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
709 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

838 
WWUS9 KMKC 081531
SEL4  
MKC WW 081531
FLZ000-ALZ000-082100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 94
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
931 AM CST SUN MAR 8 1998

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   NORTHWEST FLORIDA                            
   SOUTHERN ALABAMA                            
   AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON FROM 1000 AM UNTIL 300
PM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO
70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 80 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF PENSACOLA FLORIDA
TO 20 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF MARIANNA FLORIDA.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH
NUMBER 92.  WATCH NUMBER 92 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 1000 AM
CST.  CONTINUE...WW 93...

DISCUSSION...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP FROM NEAR
MOBILE BAY INTO NORTHWEST FLORIDA/SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...WITH
ADDITIONAL INTENSE CONVECTION NOW EVIDENT OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL
GULF.  STORMS WILL LIKELY INTENSIFY INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS AS
MID/UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK MOVES NORTHEASTWARD TOWARD THE LOWER
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.  AIR MASS IS MODERATELY UNSTABLE WITH LIFTED
INDEX TO -5...AND VAD WIND PROFILE FROM KEVX DISPLAYS SUFFICIENT
SHEAR TO CONTINUE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS INCLUDING
POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES.


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 22060.


...WEISS

315,0875 315,0845 293,0845 293,0875

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 7, 9:45 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBaldwin, Barbour, Butler, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh and 11 more6 hr
Mar 8, 4:00 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCBaldwin, Barbour, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Coffee and 13 more6 hr
Mar 8, 11:45 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBarbour, Bullock, Chambers, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa and 10 more6 hr
Mar 8, 3:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCCoffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Escambia and 4 more6 hr
Mar 8, 3:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAutauga, Barbour, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun and 25 more5 hr
Mar 8, 2:15 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAlachua, Baker, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden and 11 more6 hr
Mar 8, 8:00 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCBaker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Franklin and 12 more7 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Alabama, 1998Tornado Watches in Florida, 1998Tornado Watches in Georgia, 1998Every tornado 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.