Tornado outbreak of April 6–9, 1998: Difference between revisions
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The worst of the outbreak started around 7:00 PM CDT when a supercell originating from Mississippi entered [[Pickens County, Alabama|Pickens]] and [[Tuscaloosa County, Alabama|Tuscaloosa Counties]]. It produced an F3 and traveled north of the city of [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama|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, Alabama|Northport]]. 24 homes and 13 mobile homes were also damaged.[http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEv] |
The worst of the outbreak started around 7:00 PM CDT when a supercell originating from Mississippi entered [[Pickens County, Alabama|Pickens]] and [[Tuscaloosa County, Alabama|Tuscaloosa Counties]]. It produced an F3 and traveled north of the city of [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama|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, Alabama|Northport]]. 24 homes and 13 mobile homes were also damaged.[http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEv] |
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====Birmingham area F5 tornado==== |
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[[Image:OAK GROVE tornado track.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Tornado track of the [[Jefferson County, Alabama|Jefferson County]] F5 tornado]] |
[[Image:OAK GROVE tornado track.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Tornado track of the [[Jefferson County, Alabama|Jefferson County]] F5 tornado]] |
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Shortly after 7:30 P.M. |
Shortly after 7:30 P.M. on April 8th, the deadliest tornado of the outbreak touched down in extreme eastern Tuscaloosa County and cut a 31-mile long (49 km), 3/4-mile wide swath through multiple Birmingham suburbs, producing damage ranging from F3 to F5 and causing massive destruction before lifting in the western limits of the City of Birmingham, just northwest of the junctions of Interstates [[Interstate 20|20]], [[Interstate 59|59]] and [[Interstate 65|65]]. The worst of the destruction occurred across the Oak Grove, [[Rock Creek, Alabama|Rock Creek]] and [[McDonald Chapel, Alabama|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. Debris from the tornado was scattered across central Alabama as far north as sections of [[Blount County, Alabama|Blount County]], and extensive deforestation occurred along the majority of the path.<ref>{cite web |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=event_04081998 |title=April 8, 1998 tornado |date=June 17, 2012 |website=NWS Birmingham |publisher=NOAA |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}</ref>[http://www.tornadoproject.com/past/othralts.htm#top] |
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[[Image:Tornado Damage Birmingham.jpg|thumb|250px|Tornado damage from the Jefferson County tornado (courtesy of NWS Birmingham, Alabama)]] |
[[Image:Tornado Damage Birmingham.jpg|thumb|250px|Tornado damage from the Jefferson County tornado (courtesy of NWS Birmingham, Alabama)]] |
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The tornado began in a rural area of [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama|Tuscaloosa County]], causing only F0 damage in that area. The tornado reached F1 intensity after it entered Jefferson County, and then rapidly intensified to an F3 as it slammed into Oak Grove, an unincorporated town west of Rock Creek. Oak Creek was one of the hardest hit locations, with many structures destroyed in the area. [[Oak Grove High School (Jefferson County, Alabama)|Oak Grove High School]] sustained major structural damage, with the elementary school portion destroyed. The school building was rebuilt two years later and reopened a mile away from the damaged area. 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. The tornado caused its first three fatalities in Oak Grove, two of which occurred when a mobile home completely disintegrated, throwing the occupants across the street. The Oak Grove fire station was severely damaged as well.<ref>{cite web |url=http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/research/qr/qr116/qr116.html |title=WARNING RESPONSE AND RISK BEHAVIOR IN THE OAK GROVE - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, TORNADO OF 08 APRIL 1998 |last1=Legates |first1=David |date=1999 |website=Colorado.edu |publisher=Univesity of Oklahoma |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}</ref><ref>{cite web |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=event_04081998 |title=April 8, 1998 tornado |date=June 17, 2012 |website=NWS Birmingham |publisher=NOAA |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}</ref> [http://www.lindleyonline.com/tornado.htm] |
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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 [[Ensley (Birmingham)|West Ensley]].[http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~315723] 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, despite taking shelter in their underground basement, were killed when hundreds of pounds of debris was blown onto them. |
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The tornado continued to intensify dramatically as it moved northeast, reaching F5 intensity as it struck Rock Creek. Many homes in the town were leveled or swept completely away, and the roof of Rock Creek Church of God was blown off. Several nearby cars were thrown 500 feet into a ravine. The church was turned into makeshift [[trauma center]] immediately after the tornado. A total of eleven people were killed in Rock Creek. The far western fringes of [[Concord, Alabama|Concord]] were impacted in this area as well (particularly the Warrior River Road area). The tornado weakened slightly to F4 intensity as it struck the neighboring community of [[Sylvan Springs, Alabama|Sylvan Springs]], where many additional homes were completely leveled, and four people were killed. Homes were damaged and destroyed just outside of [[Pleasant Grove, Alabama|Pleasant Grove]] as well.<ref>{cite web |url=http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/research/qr/qr116/qr116.html |title=WARNING RESPONSE AND RISK BEHAVIOR IN THE OAK GROVE - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, TORNADO OF 08 APRIL 1998 |last1=Legates |first1=David |date=1999 |website=Colorado.edu |publisher=Univesity of Oklahoma |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}</ref><ref>{cite web |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=event_04081998 |title=April 8, 1998 tornado |date=June 17, 2012 |website=NWS Birmingham |publisher=NOAA |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}</ref> |
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Oak Grove, an unincorporated town west of Rock Creek, was one of the hardest hit locations. [[Oak Grove High School (Jefferson County, Alabama)|Oak Grove High School]] was damaged beyond repair with the elementary school portion destroyed, but they were rebuilt two years later and reopened a mile away from the damaged area. 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. [http://www.lindleyonline.com/tornado.htm] |
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Continuing past Pleasant Grove, the tornado began to encroach on Birmingham's inner suburbs. The tornado regained its maximum F5 strength as it tore through the communities of [[Edgewater, Alabama|Edgewater]] and [[McDonald Chapel, Alabama|McDonald Chapel]], killing 14 people in that area and sweeping away numerous homes. |
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The roofs of Rock Creek Church of God were blown off and several cars were blown 500 feet into a ravine. The church was turned into a [[trauma center]]. The United Methodist churches of Sylvan Springs, Edgewater, and McDonald Chapel were totally damaged by the windstorm. Open Door Church also sustained heavy damage as well, with several members having to take shelter in hallways. |
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The tornado's effects were noticed around the same time by the [[WBMA-LP|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.) The tornado began to weaken somewhat as it crossed State Route 269 into the northern Birmingham neighborhood of Pratt City, though it was still very powerful. F3 damage and one additional fatality occurred in Pratt City before the tornado abruptly dissipated. 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-Shuttlesworth International Airport|Birmingham International Airport]] could have been affected as well. The storm lifted before reaching these sections of Birmingham. However, a new F2 tornado touched down again in neighboring [[St. Clair County, Alabama|St. Clair County]], where two people were killed.<ref>{cite web |url=http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/research/qr/qr116/qr116.html |title=WARNING RESPONSE AND RISK BEHAVIOR IN THE OAK GROVE - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, TORNADO OF 08 APRIL 1998 |last1=Legates |first1=David |date=1999 |website=Colorado.edu |publisher=Univesity of Oklahoma |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}</ref><ref>{cite web |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=event_04081998 |title=April 8, 1998 tornado |date=June 17, 2012 |website=NWS Birmingham |publisher=NOAA |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}</ref> |
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The tornado was the seventh deadliest in [[Alabama]] history, killing one more person than in a tornado that hit Alabama on March 21, 1932. 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, despite taking shelter in their underground basement, were killed when hundreds of pounds of debris was blown onto them. Overall, 32 people were killed by the tornado and hundreds more were injured.<ref>{cite web |url=http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/research/qr/qr116/qr116.html |title=WARNING RESPONSE AND RISK BEHAVIOR IN THE OAK GROVE - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, TORNADO OF 08 APRIL 1998 |last1=Legates |first1=David |date=1999 |website=Colorado.edu |publisher=Univesity of Oklahoma |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}</ref><ref>{cite web |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=event_04081998 |title=April 8, 1998 tornado |date=June 17, 2012 |website=NWS Birmingham |publisher=NOAA |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}</ref> |
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Numerous homes were completely destroyed along the path, with some swept completely away.<ref>http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=event_04081998</ref>`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-Shuttlesworth International Airport|Birmingham International Airport]] could have been affected as well. The storm lifted before reaching these sections of Birmingham. However, a new tornado touched down again in neighboring [[St. Clair County, Alabama|St. Clair County]], where two people were killed. |
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Debris from the tornado was scattered across central Alabama as far north as sections of [[Blount County, Alabama|Blount County]]. |
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The tornado was the seventh deadliest in [[Alabama]] history, killing one more person than in a tornado that hit Alabama on March 21, 1932. |
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The tornado's effects were noticed around the same time by the [[WBMA-LP|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.) |
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====St. Clair County tornado (F2)==== |
====St. Clair County tornado (F2)==== |
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Revision as of 23:57, 2 January 2014
- For the 2005 tornado in Birmingham, UK see 2005 Birmingham tornado. For other tornadoes in the history of Birmingham, Alabama, see Birmingham Tornado (disambiguation).
 Radar shot of the Birmingham supercell with the hook echo tornado signature located near Oak Grove. | |
| Duration | ~4 days |
|---|---|
| Tornadoes confirmed | 62 |
| Max. rating1 | F5 tornado |
| Fatalities | 41 |
| Damage | unknown |
| Areas affected | Illinois, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia), Tennessee and the Carolinas |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
The April 6-9, 1998 tornado outbreak was a large tornado 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 outbreak is infamous for producing a deadly F5 that tore through the suburbs of Birmingham, Alabama, killing 32 people. 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 1998 Nashville tornadoes. The tornado outbreak was responsible for at least 41 deaths, including 7 in Georgia and 34 in Alabama.
Tornado event
Birmingham supercell
Tuscaloosa County tornado (F3)
The worst of the outbreak started 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.[1]
Birmingham area F5 tornado
Shortly after 7:30 P.M. on April 8th, the deadliest tornado of the outbreak touched down in extreme eastern Tuscaloosa County and cut a 31-mile long (49 km), 3/4-mile wide swath through multiple Birmingham suburbs, producing damage ranging from F3 to F5 and causing massive destruction 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. Debris from the tornado was scattered across central Alabama as far north as sections of Blount County, and extensive deforestation occurred along the majority of the path.[1][2]
The tornado began in a rural area of Tuscaloosa County, causing only F0 damage in that area. The tornado reached F1 intensity after it entered Jefferson County, and then rapidly intensified to an F3 as it slammed into Oak Grove, an unincorporated town west of Rock Creek. Oak Creek was one of the hardest hit locations, with many structures destroyed in the area. Oak Grove High School sustained major structural damage, with the elementary school portion destroyed. The school building was rebuilt two years later and reopened a mile away from the damaged area. 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. The tornado caused its first three fatalities in Oak Grove, two of which occurred when a mobile home completely disintegrated, throwing the occupants across the street. The Oak Grove fire station was severely damaged as well.[2][3] [3]
The tornado continued to intensify dramatically as it moved northeast, reaching F5 intensity as it struck Rock Creek. Many homes in the town were leveled or swept completely away, and the roof of Rock Creek Church of God was blown off. Several nearby cars were thrown 500 feet into a ravine. The church was turned into makeshift trauma center immediately after the tornado. A total of eleven people were killed in Rock Creek. The far western fringes of Concord were impacted in this area as well (particularly the Warrior River Road area). The tornado weakened slightly to F4 intensity as it struck the neighboring community of Sylvan Springs, where many additional homes were completely leveled, and four people were killed. Homes were damaged and destroyed just outside of Pleasant Grove as well.[4][5]
Continuing past Pleasant Grove, the tornado began to encroach on Birmingham's inner suburbs. The tornado regained its maximum F5 strength as it tore through the communities of Edgewater and McDonald Chapel, killing 14 people in that area and sweeping away numerous homes. 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.) The tornado began to weaken somewhat as it crossed State Route 269 into the northern Birmingham neighborhood of Pratt City, though it was still very powerful. F3 damage and one additional fatality occurred in Pratt City before the tornado abruptly dissipated. 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, a new F2 tornado touched down again in neighboring St. Clair County, where two people were killed.[6][7]
The tornado was the seventh deadliest in Alabama history, killing one more person than in a tornado that hit Alabama on March 21, 1932. 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, despite taking shelter in their underground basement, were killed when hundreds of pounds of debris was blown onto them. Overall, 32 people were killed by the tornado and hundreds more were injured.[8][9]
St. Clair County tornado (F2)
After crossing the northern suburbs of Birmingham, the supercell dropped another tornado in St. Clair County near Pell City 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 Bethel Baptist Church in Odenville, 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]
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.
Tornado table
| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 39 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 62 |
Confirmed tornadoes
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 | ||||||
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 | S of Cadwell to S of Arthur | 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 | N of Hindsboro (1st tornado) | Douglas | 0042 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) |
A machine shed was destroyed | |
| F0 | NW of Hindsboro (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 | N of Brocton | 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 | ||||||
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 | N of Pell City | 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 | S of Lawrenceburg | 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 | Smyrna 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 | ||||||
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 | ||||||
See also
References
- ^ {cite web |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=event_04081998 |title=April 8, 1998 tornado |date=June 17, 2012 |website=NWS Birmingham |publisher=NOAA |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}
- ^ {cite web |url=http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/research/qr/qr116/qr116.html |title=WARNING RESPONSE AND RISK BEHAVIOR IN THE OAK GROVE - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, TORNADO OF 08 APRIL 1998 |last1=Legates |first1=David |date=1999 |website=Colorado.edu |publisher=Univesity of Oklahoma |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}
- ^ {cite web |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=event_04081998 |title=April 8, 1998 tornado |date=June 17, 2012 |website=NWS Birmingham |publisher=NOAA |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}
- ^ {cite web |url=http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/research/qr/qr116/qr116.html |title=WARNING RESPONSE AND RISK BEHAVIOR IN THE OAK GROVE - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, TORNADO OF 08 APRIL 1998 |last1=Legates |first1=David |date=1999 |website=Colorado.edu |publisher=Univesity of Oklahoma |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}
- ^ {cite web |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=event_04081998 |title=April 8, 1998 tornado |date=June 17, 2012 |website=NWS Birmingham |publisher=NOAA |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}
- ^ {cite web |url=http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/research/qr/qr116/qr116.html |title=WARNING RESPONSE AND RISK BEHAVIOR IN THE OAK GROVE - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, TORNADO OF 08 APRIL 1998 |last1=Legates |first1=David |date=1999 |website=Colorado.edu |publisher=Univesity of Oklahoma |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}
- ^ {cite web |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=event_04081998 |title=April 8, 1998 tornado |date=June 17, 2012 |website=NWS Birmingham |publisher=NOAA |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}
- ^ {cite web |url=http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/research/qr/qr116/qr116.html |title=WARNING RESPONSE AND RISK BEHAVIOR IN THE OAK GROVE - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, TORNADO OF 08 APRIL 1998 |last1=Legates |first1=David |date=1999 |website=Colorado.edu |publisher=Univesity of Oklahoma |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}
- ^ {cite web |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=event_04081998 |title=April 8, 1998 tornado |date=June 17, 2012 |website=NWS Birmingham |publisher=NOAA |accessdate=January 2, 2014}}
External links
- April 8, 1998 Tornado (NWS Birmingham, AL)
- NWS Service Assessment
- 1998 Tornado Project.