Alabama, 1998

Tornadoes and Hail in Alabama, May 3 to 4, 1998

May 3 to 4, 1998 · NWS TAE · 10 events in 5 counties and zones

8 hail, 2 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
$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 national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 hail, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Henry

When
May 3, 3:15 PM EST
Where
Henry County, Lawrenceville
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.670, -85.270

Dime sized hail reported 10 miles northeast of Abbeville (5 miles east of Lawrenceville) along State Highway 95.

Tornado, Coffee

When
May 3, 5:30 PM EST
Where
Coffee County, New Brockton
Rating
F0
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
0.2 yd
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
31.380, -85.930

Tornado downed trees and power lines at intersection of State Highways 233 and 167 near New Brockton. A funnel cloud was sighted earlier near Elba.

Hail, Coffee

When
May 3, 11:10 PM EST
Where
Coffee County, Enterprise
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.320, -85.850

Golfball sized hail in Enterprise.

Hail, Henry

When
May 3, 11:10 PM EST
Where
Henry County, Abbeville
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
31.570, -85.250

Dime to quarter sized hail in Abbeville.

Hail, Dale

When
May 3, 11:15 PM EST
Where
Dale County, Ariton
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.600, -85.720

Golfball sized hail reported by Dale County S.O. in Ariton.

Hail, Houston

When
May 4, 12:00 AM EST to 12:10 AM EST
Where
Houston County, Dothan
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.230, -85.370

Numerous reports of dime to golfball sized hail in and around the city of Dothan. Nickel sized hail also observed in Ashford.

Hail, Dale

When
May 4, 12:15 AM EST to 12:40 AM EST
Where
Dale County, Midland City
Measured
0.88 in hail
Coordinates
31.320, -85.500

Nickel sized hail in Midland City. Numerous reports of dime to quarter sized hail from Daleville and Fort Rucker.

Hail, Houston

When
May 4, 12:28 AM EST
Where
Houston County, Wicksburg
Measured
0.88 in hail
Coordinates
31.200, -85.630

Nickel sized hail in Wicksburg.

Tornado, Houston

When
May 4, 1:28 AM EST
Where
Houston County, Ashford
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
0.1 yd
Coordinates
31.180, -85.230

Tornado spotted by public three miles east of Ashford.

Hail, Geneva

When
May 4, 1:30 AM EST
Where
Geneva County, Geneva
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.030, -85.880

Dime sized hail reported by Geneva P.D.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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, May 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: 5645110, 5645111, 5645112, 5645113, 5645114, 5645115, 5645116, 5645117, 5645118, 5645119.