1998 Oak Grove–Birmingham tornado

1998 Oak Grove - Birmingham tornado

Counterclockwise from top: The track of the F5 tornado through Tuscaloosa and Jefferson Counties; F5 tornado damage in Rock Creek; Radar image of the tornado as it approached Oak Grove
Meteorological history
Formed	April 8, 1998, 7:42 p.m. CDT (UTC–05:00)
Dissipated	April 8, 1998, 8:28 p.m. CDT (UTC–05:00)
F5 tornado
on the Fujita scale
Highest winds	>261 mph (420 km/h)
Overall effects
Fatalities	32
Injuries	259
Damage	$202.83 million (1998 USD)
Part of the Tornado outbreak of April 6–9, 1998 and Tornadoes of 1998

During the evening hours of April 8, 1998, a violent and deadly tornado would devastate multiple suburban communities of Birmingham, Alabama. Primarily Oak Grove, Rock Creek, Edgewater, and McDonald Chapel. The tornado was part of a larger tornado outbreak which included the Great Plains, Dixie Alley, and the Carolinas, tracking for 30.3 miles through Tuscaloosa and Jefferson Counties in Central Alabama, where it would claim 32 lives, injure a further 259, and cause $202.83 million (1998 USD) in damages. The tornado would be known as the Oak Grove - Birmingham Tornado and would be given an official rating of F5 on the Fujita Scale.

The tornado began in rural Tuscaloosa County at 7:42 PM CDT, entering Jefferson County shortly after, producing F1 damage. However, around the same time, an outflow boundary formed from storms earlier in the day and collided with the tornado’s parent supercell, causing the tornado to strengthen to F3 intensity as it entered Oak Grove, where it would destroy the town’s high school and fire station, claiming the lives of 3 people as the tornado destroyed a mobile home. The tornado then intensified further to F5 intensity as it impacted the town of Rock Creek, where many homes were destroyed or swept away. 11 people would be killed here. The tornado struck two power transmission lines just to the east, cutting off power to western Birmingham. The tornado then weakened before striking the town of Sylvian Springs at F4 intensity, where more homes were destroyed and 4 were killed. Shortly thereafter, the tornado would re-intensify to F5 once again, striking the communities of Edgewater and McDonald Chapel. The tornado claimed 14 more lives in this area, with multiple homes being swept away. It then began to weaken as it left McDonald Chapel, entering Northern Birmingham at F3 intensity shortly after, causing substantial damage to homes in the Pratt City Neighborhood. The tornado would then lift a few miles to the east of Birmingham International Airport, 3 miles north of Interstate 20 along Highway 78.

As of 2025, the Oak Grove-Birmingham tornado was the last F5 to hit the state of Alabama before the adoption of the Enhanced Fujita Scale in 2007. Since then, the state would be struck by 2 EF5 tornadoes in 2011, with one impacting Hackleburg and Phil Campbell, while the other would impact Rainsville.

Meteorological Synopsis

Storm Prediction Center Outlook for April 8, 1998. A High Risk was issued and lasted for the entire Outlook Cycle.

A highly unstable atmospheric environment was present over the deep south on April 8, 1998. A strong jet stream was active, and a cyclonic system (low-pressure system) was moving northeast from Iowa to southern Minnesota. At the same time, a weather disturbance from Texas was moving east into eastern Texas. High winds (over 120 knots) in the upper atmosphere were affecting north-central Texas on the evening of April 7 and moving into the lower Mississippi Valley by the evening of April 8.

In the middle atmosphere (about 700-500 mb), a strong weather front was developing over the southern plains in the morning and moved east into the lower Mississippi Valley by the evening. There was a "dry punch" in the southwest flow (a dry air mass) moving over southern Louisiana and southwestern Alabama in the evening. Closer to the ground, warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico was being pushed northward by south winds, causing temperatures and dew points to rise throughout the southeastern U.S.

Weather observations at the Shelby County Airport (south of Birmingham, Alabama) showed that the atmosphere became more unstable throughout the day. By 6:00 PM (UTC), the available energy for thunderstorms (CAPE) was 1300 J/kg and increased to 2370 J/kg by midnight. A very dry layer of air above 700 mb caused a steep temperature decrease with height, indicating instability. Storm rotation (helicity) values increased from 55 to 220 m²/s² between 6:00 PM and midnight, and the next forecast model predicted even higher helicity values in northern Alabama. In the lower levels of the atmosphere, wind shear increased from 18 to 26 m/s (35 to 50 knots) between 6:00 PM and midnight.

Due to the conditions models showed for April 8, the Storm Prediction Center issued a high risk for severe thunderstorms across northern Mississippi, Alabama, and northwest Georgia, that would last the entire Outlook Cycle. At 2:00 PM CDT on April 8, the SPC would issue the first Tornado Watch for northern and central Mississippi and northern and central Alabama, which was valid until 8:00 p.m CDT. There would be multiple more tornado watches issued at 7:30 PM, 7:36 PM, and 1:15 AM respectively.

Tornado Summary

Tuscaloosa County

Satellite image of the tornadoes track through eastern Tuscaloosa County. (Credit: United States Geological Survey)

A high precipitation supercell would form along the Mississippi - Alabama border and would quickly become tornadic. After producing an F3 tornado which tracked through rural areas north of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the parent supercell would cycle and drop the Oak Grove - Birmingham tornado in eastern Tuscaloosa County at 7:42 PM CDT around 1.5 miles east of the Warrior River and at 7:45 PM a tornado warning would be issued for Jefferson County. The tornado would only produce F0 damage to structures, however the tornado did destroy 1,000 acres of forest during its track through Tuscaloosa County. The tornado would track through the community of Bull City before crossing into Jefferson County.

Oak Grove

The Oak Grove High School after the tornado. (Credit: NWS Birmingham)

At 7:50 PM CDT, the tornado would cross into Jefferson County still at F0 intensity. At around the same time, a stray outflow boundary from thunderstorms earlier in the day would collide with the supercell, this would cause the tornado to rapidly intensify to F3 strength as the tornado would enter the community of Oak Grove. The tornado would destroy a mobile home with 4 occupants inside, only one of which would survive. The tornado would then impact the Oak Grove High School, where at the time a cheerleader squad consisting of 25 cheerleaders were practicing in the schools gymnasium when the tornado hit. All 25 would dive into the schools lobby for shelter. The schools lobby would be the only part of the structure to avoid collapse as the support beams would bend from the center over the lobby, shielding it from debris. Debris consisting of metal lockers, concrete blocks, bleachers, and other materials littered the gymnasium floor, sometimes up to 3 feet deep. All 25 cheerleaders would escape serious injury. The tornado would also destroy the eastern Concord fire station in Oak Grove as it crossed County Road 23/54.

Rock Creek and Sylvian Springs

F4 Damage in Sylvian Springs (Credit: NWS Birmingham)

The tornado continued to intensify and grow in size as it crossed Warrior River Road into Rock Creek, the tornado would heavily damage or destroy countless homes in the community at F5 intensity. The tornado would destroy another fire station in Rock Creek, this time, the Central Concord Volunteer Fire Station. The tornado also ripped the roof off of the Rock Creek Church of God's Family Life Center. The church became a makeshift trauma center after the tornado to treat the injured. Unfortunately 11 people were killed in Rock Creek as multiple homes were swept clean by winds in excess of 260 MPH. After leaving Rock Creek, the F5 tornado would topple large power transmission lines from the Miller Steam Plant electric generating station north of Rock Creek. When the transmission towers were toppled, a power surge was generated and caused the western side of Birmingham to lose all power, the moment was captured on live television when meteorologist James Spann was showing the ABC 33/40 tower camera, which was pointed towards the western sections of Birmingham. The tornado would then weaken slightly as it entered Sylvian Springs at F4 intensity where multiple additional homes in the area would be destroyed, and an additional 4 people would lose their lives. The tornado would track through mostly rural areas after leaving Sylvian Springs, though a few homes north of Pleasant Grove would be destroyed.

Edgewater and McDonald Chapel

F4 Damage in Edgewater (Credit: NWS Birmingham)

After tracking through mostly rural areas after leaving Sylvian Springs, the tornado would strike the community of Edgwater, the damage in Edgewater was inconsistent, some homes would receive light damage, while others in the same blocks would be completely destroyed. The tornado would then re-intensify back to F5 strength as it entered McDonald Chapel. The tornado would sweep homes off their foundations and destroy countless more as it tracked through the town. At the Open Door Baptist Church in McDonald Chapel, 67 people were gathered for Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting. The church would receive a phone call about the incoming tornado around 15 minutes prior to the tornado striking the church. Everyone in the church had gathered in a long hallway. The tornado would directly hit the church, causing the roof and multiple exterior walls to collapse, the hallway the churchgoers were gathered in remained intact which protected the lives of all of them, though multiple sustained injuries when debris struck like missiles. The cars in the church parking lot were picked up and tossed into a nearby ravine like toys. In both Edgwater and McDonald Chapel, 13 people would lose their lives.

Birmingham

F3 damage to apartment buildings in Sandusky (Credit: NWS Birmingham)

After tracking through McDonald Chapel, the tornado would cross Alabama 269 into Birmingham. The tornado would claim its last life when it struck the neighborhood of West Ensley. The supercell would detach from the outflow boundary at around this time, and the tornado would begin to weaken. The tornado, still at F3 intensity, would enter the neighborhoods of Sandusky and North Pratt. The tornado would remove the roof off of apartments in Sandusky, and destroy more homes in North Pratt. Shortly after at around 8:28 PM, the tornado would lift while in the neighborhood of Pratt City. Had the tornado stayed on the ground for another 2 - 3 miles, it would have affected the high rise buildings in Northern Birmingham, and a few more miles beyond that, the tornado would have impacted the Birmingham International Airport.

Aftermath

A 30.6 mile long track of destruction was left in the wake of the F5 tornado. 608 homes were destroyed, 556 sustained major damage, and another 810 had minor damage according to an analysis by the American Red Cross. The US Forest Service estimated that 1,000 acres of timber were lost in Tuscaloosa County, and a further 4,000 were lost in Jefferson County. The tornado caused $202.83 million 1998 USD in damages, claimed the lives of 32 people, with most being in Rock Creek, Edgewater, and McDonald Chapel, and a further 259 sustained injuries. At the time the Oak Grove - Birmingham F5 tornado was the seventh deadliest in Alabama state history, and the worst tornado in Alabama since the 1932 Deep South Tornado Outbreak at the time. 2 more tornadoes since have claimed more lives, the Hackleburg - Phil Campbell EF5, and the Tuscaloosa - Birmingham EF4, the latter of which went through some of the same areas as the Oak Grove - Birmingham F5.