Alabama, 1998

Tornado in Alabama, April 17, 1998

April 17, 1998 · NWS MOB · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$1.0 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The Ft Rucker radar (KEOX), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:17 UTC.

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Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Covington

When
April 17, 4:15 PM CST to 4:20 PM CST
Where
Covington County, Opp
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
300 yd
Property damage
$1.0 million
Coordinates
31.280, -86.250

A tornado touched down just east of the Opp country club, then moved southeast crossing U S Highway 84 just south of downtown before lifting back into the cloud just west of U S Highway 331. The tornado damaged the Opp mill and tore off part of the roof from the South Highlands Elementary school. The tornado damaged more than ninety homes and several businesses. No injuries were reported.

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Alabama in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 1998Warnings in Alabama, April 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5642581.