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On This Day in 1998: F5 Tornado Strikes Alabama
April 8, 2021 at 08:10 PM EDT
By WeatherBug's Christopher Smith
On this day in 1998, the most destructive tornado in more than 20 years plowed through Jefferson County, Ala.
It was less than an hour after sunset when terror would arise in Jefferson County, Ala., the same county that holds the state’s largest city, Birmingham, Ala. Around 7:42 p.m., a tornado touched down just east of the Warrior River in Tuscaloosa County, Ala. After pushing through Tuscaloosa County, Ala., as an F0 tornado on the Fujita Scale with winds less than 70 mph, the tornado would begin its path of destruction in Jefferson County at 7:50 p.m.
Many towns including Oak Grove, Concord, Pleasant Grove, and other parts of the Birmingham, Ala., metro area were caught in the tornado’s path. The tornado peaked twice in intensity, first near Concord, Ala., and then closer to Birmingham, Ala., in the Edgewater/McDonalds Chapel area. At both points, the tornado was rated an F5, packing winds in excess of 260 mph.
Luckily, the tornado dissipated just before impacting downtown Birmingham, Ala., and the nearby airport, sparing the most populated areas.
The tornado caused 32 deaths and more than 250 injuries. In addition, more than 1,900 homes were destroyed or heavily damaged. The tornado was part of a Southeast tornado outbreak that caused damages in excess of $484 million in today’s currency.
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) had issued a high risk for severe storms on April 8, 1998, across much of Alabama and northern Georgia for the threat of significant tornadoes and widespread damaging wind gusts.
Source: weather.gov
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Story Image: Significant destruction can be seen from the tornado in Jefferson County, Ala. (NWS Birmingham).
It was less than an hour after sunset when terror would arise in Jefferson County, Ala., the same county that holds the state’s largest city, Birmingham, Ala. Around 7:42 p.m., a tornado touched down just east of the Warrior River in Tuscaloosa County, Ala. After pushing through Tuscaloosa County, Ala., as an F0 tornado on the Fujita Scale with winds less than 70 mph, the tornado would begin its path of destruction in Jefferson County at 7:50 p.m.
Many towns including Oak Grove, Concord, Pleasant Grove, and other parts of the Birmingham, Ala., metro area were caught in the tornado’s path. The tornado peaked twice in intensity, first near Concord, Ala., and then closer to Birmingham, Ala., in the Edgewater/McDonalds Chapel area. At both points, the tornado was rated an F5, packing winds in excess of 260 mph.
Luckily, the tornado dissipated just before impacting downtown Birmingham, Ala., and the nearby airport, sparing the most populated areas.
The tornado caused 32 deaths and more than 250 injuries. In addition, more than 1,900 homes were destroyed or heavily damaged. The tornado was part of a Southeast tornado outbreak that caused damages in excess of $484 million in today’s currency.
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) had issued a high risk for severe storms on April 8, 1998, across much of Alabama and northern Georgia for the threat of significant tornadoes and widespread damaging wind gusts.
Source: weather.gov
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Story Image: Significant destruction can be seen from the tornado in Jefferson County, Ala. (NWS Birmingham).