10 years ago today (April 8, 1998)
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 9:08 am
by CrazyC83
Yet another deadly tornado outbreak took place in what was the deadliest year of the 1990s (which this year is tragically on pace to shatter
). The deadliest was an F5 tornado west of Birmingham, AL that killed 32 (yet thankfully dissipated in time to spare most of the city).
Re: 10 years ago today (April 8, 1998)
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 9:13 am
by rockyman
Lots of info about the Jefferson County tornado here:
http://www.alabamawx.comAnyone in the Birmingham area can catch a 1 hour special tonight on ABC33/40 (not sure if it's going to be broadcast online at abc3340.com).
The Oak Grove community will hold a candlelight prayer service remembering those victims. It's being held at Oak Grove Memorial Park, which was built on the site of the original high school that was also destroyed in the twister. The service starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23994613/
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 9:18 am
by CrazyC83
I know on YouTube there is (was?) a clip of the coverage of that from ABC 33/40 while it was happening (and at the time, that was revolutionary to go continuous coverage of severe weather from beginning to end). That was probably the outbreak that started the modern era of severe weather coverage (the Nashville tornadoes a week later followed suit). Previously, stations usually only broke in briefly for updates.
Re:
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 3:09 pm
by Brent
CrazyC83 wrote:I know on YouTube there is (was?) a clip of the coverage of that from ABC 33/40 while it was happening (and at the time, that was revolutionary to go continuous coverage of severe weather from beginning to end). That was probably the outbreak that started the modern era of severe weather coverage (the Nashville tornadoes a week later followed suit). Previously, stations usually only broke in briefly for updates.
I don't know what happened to that clip but I've seen it before. It can't be found on their website anymore.
Here was a TV special they did afterwards on it though that includes a couple of clips from that night of James Spann warning everyone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5xMESViHKsIt really put ABC 33/40 on the map. They had just signed on the air in the fall of 1996(though most of the talent had worked at other stations before), and for the last 10 years they have been the dominant station in the market, always where people go for weather.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham ... April_1998http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/significant ... /index.php