Alabama, 1998

Hail and Damaging Wind in Alabama, April 8 to 17, 1998

April 8 to 17, 1998 · NWS TAE · 10 events in 3 counties and zones

7 hail, 2 funnel cloud, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$5,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
10

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), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:10 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 hail, 2 funnel cloud, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Houston

When
April 8, 9:10 AM EST
Where
Houston County, Cottonwood
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.050, -85.300

Golfball sized hail reported by Houston County Fire Department.

Hail, Houston

When
April 8, 9:30 AM EST
Where
Houston County, Ashford
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.180, -85.230

Golfball sized hail reported by Houston County EMA.

Thunderstorm Wind, Houston

When
April 8, 9:30 AM EST
Where
Houston County, Taylor
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
31.170, -85.470

Trees and power lines down in Taylor.

Funnel Cloud, Houston

When
April 8, 9:30 AM EST
Where
Houston County, Madrid
Coordinates
31.153, -85.302 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Funnel cloud observed by road and bridge crew just north of Madrid.

Hail, Houston

When
April 8, 9:40 AM EST
Where
Houston County, Columbia
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
31.300, -85.120

Quarter sized hail reported by Houston County EMA.

Funnel Cloud, Coffee

When
April 8, 10:38 AM EST to 10:40 AM EST
Where
Coffee County, Elba
Coordinates
31.403, -85.988 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public reports of funnel cloud across northern Coffee County including Elba.

Hail, Dale

When
April 8, 11:10 AM EST
Where
Dale County, Ozark
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.450, -85.650

Dime sized hail reported by Dale County EMA.

Hail, Coffee

When
April 8, 11:58 AM EST
Where
Coffee County, Elba
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.420, -86.070

Dime sized hail reported by Coffee County EMA.

Hail, Coffee

When
April 17, 9:00 PM EST
Where
Coffee County, Elba
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.420, -86.070

Golfball sized hail reported two miles south of Elba.

Hail, Dale

When
April 17, 9:46 PM EST
Where
Dale County, Ozark
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.450, -85.650

Dime sized hail reported three miles north of Ozark.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Funnel Cloud
A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.

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 historyWarnings 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: 5637070, 5637177, 5637178, 5637182, 5637179, 5637183, 5637180, 5637181, 5637184, 5637185.