Birmingham Tornado of April 1998
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- This article refers to a tornado in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. For the 2005 tornado in Birmingham, UK see Birmingham Tornado (UK)
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| Date of tornado outbreak: | April 6-9, 1998 |
| Duration1: | ~4 days |
| Maximum rated tornado2: | F5 tornado |
| Tornadoes caused: | 62 |
| Damages: | unknown |
| Fatalities: | 41 |
| Areas affected: | Illinois, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia), Tennessee and the Carolinas |
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1Time from first tornado to last tornado |
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The Birmingham Tornado was a tornado event that occurred on April 8, 1998 striking the western part of Jefferson County, Alabama, near Birmingham, and continuing into neighboring St. Clair County. It was part of a larger outbreak that started on April 6 across the Great Plains and ended on April 9 across the Carolinas and Georgia. A total of 62 tornadoes touched down from the Middle Atlantic States to the Midwestern United States and Texas. The Birmingham Tornado was one of only two F5 tornadoes that year. The other hit in Lawrence County, Tennessee on April 16, as part of the same outbreak as the Nashville tornadoes. The tornado outbreak was responsible for at least 41 deaths including 7 in Georgia and 34 in Alabama.
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[edit] Tornado event
[edit] Birmingham supercell
[edit] Tuscaloosa County tornado (F3)
The worst of the outbreak started at around 7:00 PM CDT when a supercell originating from Mississippi entered Pickens and Tuscaloosa Counties. It produced an F3 and traveled north of the city of Tuscaloosa. Two injuries were reported and five homes and 11 mobile homes were destroyed from this storm that traveled over 17 miles (27 km) from Holman to north of Northport. 24 homes and 13 mobile homes were also damaged. [http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEv
[edit] Jefferson County tornado (F5)
Shortly after 7:30 P.M., the supercell spawned the Birmingham Tornado, touched down in extreme eastern Tuscaloosa County and then cut a 31-mile long (49 km), 3/4-mile wide swath through nine Birmingham suburbs with F3 to F5 damage including Oak Grove, Sylvan Springs, Rock Creek, McDonald Chapel and Edgewater before lifting in the western limits of the City of Birmingham just northwest of the junctions of Interstates 20, 59 and 65. The worst of the destruction occurred across the Oak Grove, Rock Creek and McDonald Chapel areas. The second area affected by F5 damage was also devastated by a violent tornado in 1956 that tracked through the same areas hit by this storm. [1]
Thirty-two people were killed in this tornado including three in Oak Grove, eleven near Rock Creek, four in Sylvan Springs, two in Wylam Heights, nine in Edgewater, two in McDonald Chapel and one in West Ensley.[2] One young boy died nine days after this event from head injuries. His father was paralyzed from the waist down, and his mother suffered severe injuries. Another mother and her two children were killed when hundreds of pounds of debris was blown onto them.
The community of Oak Grove was one of the hardest hit locations. Oak Grove High School was damaged beyond repair with the elementary school portion destroyed. The Oak Grove fire station was heavily damaged as well. No one inside the school was killed but a group of cheerleaders practicing at the school's gymnasium escaped disaster with only minor injuries when a wall prevented a portion of the roof from falling on them. [3]
The roof of The Rock Creek Church of God was blown off and several cars were blown 500 feet into a ravine. The church was turned into a trauma center. Open Door church also sustained heavy damage as well, with several members having to take shelter in hallways.
Had the storm remained on the ground, it would have gone into the northern sections of downtown Birmingham. A few miles further to the east, the Birmingham International Airport could have been affected as well. The storm lifted before reaching these sections of Birmingham. However, it touched down again in neighboring St. Clair County, where two people were killed.
Debris from the tornado was scattered across central Alabama as far north as sections of Blount County.
The tornado was the seventh deadliest in Alabama history, killing one more person than in a tornado that hit Alabama on March 21, 1932.
The tornado's effects were noticed around the same time by the ABC 33/40 Birmingham tower camera, which was pointed toward the western suburbs. Though it was dark, a massive power failure occurred in western Birmingham, when several transmission lines coming from the Miller Steam Plant electric generating station were knocked off line. This was noticed during the long-form weather coverage on 33/40, which lasted most of the evening. (The station, and several of its competitors, has a policy of pre-empting regular programming and broadcasting only severe weather information when a tornado warning is in effect for any part of its coverage area.)
[edit] St. Clair County tornado (F2)
After crossing the northern suburbs of Birmingham, the supercell dropped another tornado in St. Clair County near Moody just before 9:00 PM CDT killing 2 who were inside a mobile home when the tornado hit. It remained over rural areas for 14 miles (22 km) but the F2 partially destroyed a church, 26 homes and mobile homes and other buildings in the Coal City area. About 90 other homes and mobile homes suffered minor to major damage. An additional 12 people were injured in this storm. [4]
[edit] Georgia tornadoes
| State | Total | County | County total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 34 | Jefferson | 32 |
| St. Clair | 2 | ||
| Georgia | 7 | Bryan | 2 |
| De Kalb | 1 | ||
| Liberty | 1 | ||
| Long | 3 | ||
| Totals | 41 | ||
| All deaths were tornado-related | |||
As the bulk of the activity exited Alabama, the severe weather reached the Atlanta metropolitan area late during the evening. Two tornadoes both rated F2 touched down in the northern suburbs of Atlanta. One of the tornadoes killed one person in DeKalb County. Activity persisted through the early hours of April 9 where two more killer tornadoes touched down west of Savannah. An F3 tornado near Blitchton in Bryan County killed two people and injured 15 others while damaging or destroying nearly 90 homes. An F2 tornado further south in Long and Liberty Counties killed 4 including 3 mobile home occupants in Rye Patch and one soldier at Fort Stewart Army Base.
Other tornadoes touched down on April 9 between Cleveland and Pittsburgh while several tornadoes touched down across southern Illinois on April 7 but without additional fatalities.
[edit] Spring tornado season, hurricanes, and El Niño
The severity of the spring tornadoes of the year is mainly due to the big 1997-1998 El Niño event. More than 1,400 tornadoes were reported in 1998, the second most on record. The second biggest season of tornadoes on record was 2003. 1998 and 2003 also were some of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons in recent memory with 14 and 16 named storms, respectively.
[edit] Tornado table
| Confirmed Total |
Confirmed F0 |
Confirmed F1 |
Confirmed F2 |
Confirmed F3 |
Confirmed F4 |
Confirmed F5 |
| 62 | 39 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
[edit] Confirmed tornadoes
[edit] April 6 event
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | ||||||
| F0 | N of Elliott | Wilbarger | 2313 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown in a field | |
| Iowa | ||||||
| F0 | NE of Adaza | Greene | 2315 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) |
Brief touchdown with no damage | |
| F0 | S of Dayton | Webster | 2355 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown with no damage | |
| F0 | NE of Ralston | Greene | 0000 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) |
Brief touchdown with no damage | |
| Kansas | ||||||
| F1 | E of Schoenchen | Ellis | 2325 | 3.3 miles (5.3 km) |
Damage to a metal building, a chicken house and a quonset hut. 2 people were injured | |
| Oklahoma | ||||||
| F0 | SE of Velma | Stephens | 0145 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief tornado in an open field | |
| Source: Tornado History Project - April 6, 1998 Storm Data | ||||||
[edit] April 7 event
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | ||||||
| F0 | SW of Eden | Peoria | 2101 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown with no damage | |
| F0 | NW of Clear Lake | Cass | 2110 | 0.3 miles (0.5 km) |
Minor damage to 5 cabins. | |
| F2 | NE of Clear Lake | Mason | 2120 | 3 miles (4.8 km) |
A frame house was moved from its foundation with an exterior wall blown off, 3 outbuildings, two grain bins and a barn were destroyed | |
| F1 | NW of Bath | Mason | 2135 | 0.3 miles (0.5 km) |
Damage to a frame house with its garage destroyed. Ten home sustained moderate to major damage with several others along with businesses suffering minor damage. Another garage was destroyed | |
| F0 | NW of Ormonde | Warren | 2231 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
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| F0 | Vermont area | Fulton | 2235 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown on a field | |
| F0 | Monmouth area (1st tornado) | Warren | 2242 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
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| F1 | Monmouth area (2nd tornado) | Warren | 2252 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
Farm buildings were damaged or destroyed. | |
| F0 | SW of Havana | Mason | 2255 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown with no damage | |
| F1 | NE of Monmouth | Warren | 2302 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
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| F2 | NE of Havana | Fulton, Mason | 2304 | 11 miles (17.6 km) |
A mobile home and a machine shed were destroyed. Irrigation equipment was overturned and a pumping station was damaged | |
| F0 | NW of Mount Pulaski | Logan | 2305 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown with no damage | |
| F0 | S of Gerlaw | Warren | 2313 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown with damage to a cemetery. | |
| F0 | NW of Moweaqua | Christian | 2314 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown with no damage | |
| F0 | NE of Pleak | Shelby | 2328 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown in a field | |
| F0 | SE of Todds Point | Shelby | 2340 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown in a field | |
| F2 | W of Chesterville | Moultrie, Douglas | 0008 | 11 miles (17.6 km) |
29 homes and several barns and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. One mobile home was blown off its foundation. 8 people were injured. | |
| F0 | SE of Hartsburg | Logan | 0023 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Damage limited to trees | |
| F0 | SE of Hugo (1st tornado) | Douglas | 0042 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) |
A machine shed was destroyed | |
| F0 | SE of Hugo (2nd tornado) | Douglas | 0058 | 0.3 miles (0.5 km) |
Damage to power poles and outbuildings | |
| F0 | S of Newman | Douglas | 0104 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown in a field with no damage | |
| F0 | W of Hughes | Edgar | 0111 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) |
A shed was destroyed and utility poles were damaged | |
| F0 | Chrisman area | Edgar | 0115 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) |
Minor damage to a barn although debris from it smashed windows of homes and businesses | |
| F0 | SE of Sidell | Vermilion | 0120 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown with no damage | |
| F0 | NW of Metcalf | Edgar | 0129 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown with no damage | |
| F0 | NE of Chrisman | Edgar | 0149 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) |
One home, 2 barns and a machine shed suffered roof damage. | |
| Missouri | ||||||
| F1 | SW of Wayland | Missouri | 2120 | 2.5 miles (4 km) |
2 machine sheds and a barn were destroyed and a mobile home flipped over | |
| Iowa | ||||||
| F0 | W of Fort Madison | Lee | 2145 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown with no damage | |
| F0 | Fort Madison area | Lee | 2200 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown with no damage | |
| F0 | N of New Boston | Lee | 2202 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
One home sustained minor roof damage | |
| Indiana | ||||||
| F0 | NW of Dana | Vermilion | 0133 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
A pole barn was destroyed | |
| F1 | W of North Union | Montgomery | 0245 | 1.2 miles (1.9 km) |
A garage and a pole barn were destroyed while the roof of another barn was damaged | |
| F0 | E of Willisville | Pike | 0251 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
Brief touchdown in a field | |
| Source: Tornado History Project - April 7, 1998 Storm Data | ||||||
[edit] April 8 event
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | ||||||
| F0 | S of Driftwood | Hays | 0940 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
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| F0 | NW of Buda | Hays | 0957 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
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| Louisiana | ||||||
| F1 | NE of Haynesville | Claiborne | 1243 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) |
Damage to carport roofs and patio covers | |
| Alabama | ||||||
| F1 | S of Heath | Covington | 1520 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Damage to a mobile and parts of the roof of a motel | |
| F3 | S of Gordo to N of Northport | Pickens, Tuscaloosa | 0001 | 19.5 miles (31.2 km) |
See this section | |
| F5 | N of Kellerman to Birmingham | Tuscaloosa, Jefferson | 0042 | 30.3 miles (48.5 km) |
32 deaths See this section | |
| F1 | E of Lakeview | DeKalb | 0123 | 1.8 miles (2.9 km) |
A few barns were destroyed | |
| F2 | NE of Moody | St. Clair | 0156 | 14.4 miles (23 km) |
2 deaths See this section | |
| Arkansas | ||||||
| F0 | Sunset area | Crittenden | 2320 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
Damage limited to trees | |
| Tennessee | ||||||
| F0 | N of Leoma | Lawrence | 0000 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
Damage limited to trees | |
| F1 | Manchester area | Coffee | 0100 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
Roof damage to several buildings in downtown Manchester. | |
| Georgia | ||||||
| F1 | N of Tallapoosa | Haralson | 0330 | 3.5 miles (5.6 km) |
One mobile home was destroyed while 36 homes, 7 businesses and 2 churches were damaged | |
| F2 | Smyma to NW of Buckhead | Cobb, Fulton | 0420 | 3.5 miles (5.6 km) |
A commercial building, a fill-in station and a car dealership sustained heavy damage including over one half of a million dollars in damage to cars. Damage to other buildings also occurred and 4 people were injured. | |
| F2 | Dunwoody to N of Lawrenceville | DeKalb, Gwinnett | 0435 | 19 miles (30.4 km) |
1 death Several homes, up to 5000 were damaged to varying degrees. There also heavy damage to several buildings of DeKalb College. In addition to the fatality, 10 others were injured. | |
| Source: Tornado History Project - April 8, 1998 Storm Data | ||||||
[edit] April 9 event
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | ||||||
| F3 | NE of Pembroke to W of Coldbrook | Bryan, Effingham | 0945 | 8 miles (12.8 km) |
2 deaths In Bryan County, 74 homes and other buildings were damaged with 14 of them destroyed including 6 mobile homes, two frame houses, two brick homes and four other buildings. In Effingham County, 40 homes were damaged including six destroyed mobile homes. 17 other people were injured. | |
| F2 | E of Donald to Richmond Hill | Long, Liberty, Bryan | 1035 | 24.5 miles (39.2 km) |
4 deaths Ten mobile homes were destroyed in Rye Patch with two others damaged. In Fort Stewart, 55 buildings were damaged including 7 destroyed. 7 other people were injured | |
| South Carolina | ||||||
| F1 | W of Hardeeville | Jasper | 1022 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
Several buildings and homes were damaged. | |
| Ohio | ||||||
| F0 | NE of Copley | Summit | 1745 | 0.3 miles (0.5 km) |
Minor roof damage | |
| F0 | NW of North Eaton | Lorain | 1745 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown with no damage | |
| F0 | SW of Windham | Portage | 1830 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown with no damage | |
| F0 | Leavittsburg area | Trumbull | 1928 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief touchdown with no damage | |
| Pennsylvania | ||||||
| F1 | NE of New Brighton | Beaver | 1830 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) |
A cinder block warehouse was damaged | |
| Virginia | ||||||
| F0 | Chesapeake area | Chesapeake | 2000 | 5 miles (8 km) |
Damage limited to trees that fell on some homes | |
| Source: Tornado History Project - April 9, 1998 Storm Data | ||||||
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- April 8, 1998 Tornado (NWS Birmingham, AL)
- NWS Service Assessment
- 1998 Tornado Project.
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