Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 4, NWS Lake Charles, LA

February 15, 1987Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 15, 1987, 5:30 AM CST for Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 60 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Feb 15, 1987, 5:30 AM CST (11:30 UTC)
Expired
Feb 15, 1987, 6:30 AM CST
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Calcasieu Parish, LA, Cameron Parish, LA

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Feb 15, 6:20 AM CSTThunderstorm Wind 90Calcasieu, LA

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 12 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 1987-02-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 1987-02-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 107 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
752 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
107 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
198 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KLCH 151131
SVRLCH
LAC115-011-019-023-150630-

BULLETIN...IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
530 AM CST SUN FEB 15 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 630 AM CST FOR THE FOLLOWING PARISHES OF

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...VERNON...BEAUREGUARD...CALCASIEU...CAMERON.

AT 530 AM...RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS...POSSIBLY SEVERE...FROM EAST
OF VERNON PARISH ALONG THE SABINE RIVER SOUTH TO JUST WEST OF SABINE
PASS. THESE VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EASTWARD AT 45 MPH
...STRONG GUSTY DAMAGING WINDS...INTENSE LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SOME
HAIL ARE LIKELY WITH THIS LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS.
IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES..YOU SHOULD GO TO A SAFE PLACE
IMMEDIATELY AND YOU SHOULD ASK THE NEAREST LAW ENFORECEMENT AGENCY
TO RELAY YOUR SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS TO THE LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 15, 2:48 AM CST, 2 hours 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
240 AM CST SUN FEB 15 1987

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8AM CST THAT INCLUDES THE
FOLLOWING PARISHES IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...VERNON...BEAUREGARD...
CALCASIEU...CAMERON...AND THE ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS OF CAMERON
PARISH...

...THE TORNADO WATCH ALSO INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING PARISHES IN CENTRAL
LOUISIANA...GRANT AND RAPIDES...

AT 227 AM...RADAR SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF RAIN MIXED WITH THUNDERSTORMS
IN EAST TEXAS FROM A HIGH ISLAND TEXAS...BEAUMONT...JASPER...SAN
AUGUSTINE LINE TO WELL WEST OF HOUSTON...LAKE LIVINGSTON...AND LUFKIN.

THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE MIXED IN WITH THE RAIN NEAR
CONROE AND LAKE LIVINGSTON.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.

IN LOUISIANA...WIDELY SCATTERED PATCHES OF LIGHT RAIN CONTINUED FROM
NEAR WINNFIELD TO THE ALEXANDRIA AREA AND IN THE JENA AREA.

THE LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTOzRMS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD EAST
AND WILL BRING RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS TO SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL
LOUISIANA LATER THIS MORNING.

PERSONS THROUGHOUT SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA SHOULD MONITOR THIS
DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY.
Special weather statement, Feb 15, 3:49 AM CST, 1 hour 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
345 AM CST SUN FEB 15 1987

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8AM CST FOR MUCH OF
SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

AT 330 AM...A LINE OF NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY
RAIN...HAD DEVELOPED IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS FROM JUST SOUTHWEST OF LUFKIN
...TO LAKE LIVINGSTON...TO THE HOUSTON AREA...TO JUST NORTHWEST OF
FREEPORT.   THE LINE APPEARED TO BE MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

RADAR ALSO SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF RAIN MIXED WITH THUNDERSTORMS
IN EAST TEXAS FROM A GALVESTON...KOUNTZE...TOLEDO BEND RESERVOIR
LINE TO WELL WEST OF HOUSTON...LUFKIN...AND SAN AUGUSTINE.
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE MIXED IN WITH THE RAIN
BETWEEN JASPER AND LAKE LIVINGSTON.

SCATTERED PATCHES OF RAIN WERE SHOWN ALONG THE TEXAS/LOUISIANA
BORDER FROM WEST OF DEQUINCY TO SABINE PASS...IN THE COASTAL WATERS
SOUTH OF SABINE PASS...AND IN THE LAKE CHARLES AREA.

SCATTERED PATCHES OF LIGHT RAIN ALSO LINGERED BETWEEN LEESVILLE AND
WINNFIELD AND BETWEEN ALEXANDRIA AND MONROE.

MOVEMENT OF THE RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.
Special weather statement, Feb 15, 4:42 AM CST, 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX
445 AM CST SUN FEB 15 1987

A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR MUCH OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS UNTIL 8AM CST.

AT 435AM CST RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG STORMS FROM SAM RAYBURN..
WOODVILLE..SILSBEE TO HIGH ISLAND.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING INTO
BEAUMONT FROM THE WEST.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 TO
40 MILES AN HOUR.

THIS LINE OF STORMS HAS PRODUCED SOME GUSTY WINDS EARLIER THIS
MORNING.
Special weather statement, Feb 15, 4:55 AM CST, 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
455 AM CST SUN FEB 15 1987

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8AM CST FOR MUCH OF
SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

AT 430 AM...A LINE OF NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY
RAIN...WAS SHOWN IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS FROM 15 MILES EAST OF LUFKIN TO
20 MILES WEST OF BEAUMONT TO JUST NORTH OF GALVESTON.  THE LINE WAS
MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

RADAR ALSO SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF RAIN MIXED WITH THUNDERSTORMS
FROM THE COAST BETWEEN FREEPORT TEXAS AND SABINE PASS TO NORTH OF
LUFKIN TEXAS...AND TOLEDO BEND RESERVOIR.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE SHOWN IN EAST TEXAS
BETWEEN BEAUMONT AND JASPER.

SCATTERED PATCHES OF RAIN CONTINUED IN LOUISIANA FROM THE COASTAL
WATERS SOUTH OF CAMERON NORTH ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN LOUISIANA TO NEAR
MANSFIELD AND WINNFIELD.

MOVEMENT OF THE RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Lake Charles, LA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 15, 5:30 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard, Vernon60 min
Feb 15, 7:10 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHCalcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis50 min
Feb 15, 7:40 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAcadia, Vermilion50 min
Feb 15, 7:40 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHEvangeline50 min
Feb 15, 8:42 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAcadia, Evangeline, Vermilion33 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Louisiana, 1987Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1987

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.