Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 1987
Tornado Warning 3, NWS Lake Charles, LA
NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Mar 17, 1987, 10:22 AM CST for Cameron Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 38 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Mar 17, 1987, 10:22 AM CST (16:22 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 17, 1987, 11:00 AM CST
- In force
- 38 min
- Issued by
- NWS Lake Charles, LA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Cameron Parish, LA
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
The nearest sounding before it
Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 4.4 hours before the alert went out and 30 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 133 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -270 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 658 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 52 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 544 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 810 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KLCH 171628 COR
TORLCH
LAC023-171700-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1022 AM CST TUE MAR 17 1987
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 AM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING PARISH
...
IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA
...CAMERON
AT 1020AM CST A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC WEST OF
CAMERON NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 367 AND LA 2782. THE
FUNNEL CLOUD WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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, Mar 17, 7:25 AM CST, 2 hours 57 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX 720 AM CST TUE MAR 17 1987 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR EAST AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND ADJOINING WATERS OF JEFFERSON COUNTY... A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM 715 AM CST THIS TUESDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON. TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS EAST TEXAS ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.
Special weather statement, Mar 17, 7:38 AM CST, 2 hours 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX 720 AM CST TUE MAR 17 1987 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR EAST AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND ADJOINING WATERS OF JEFFERSON COUNTY... A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM 715 AM CST THIS TUESDAY MORNING TO 100 PM THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...ANGELINA, SABINE, NACOGDOCHES, SAN AUGUSTINE, TYLER, HARDIN, NEWTON, JASPER, ORANGE, JEFFERSON AND ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS OF JEFFERSON. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENI NG WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS EAST TEXAS ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.
Special weather statement, Mar 17, 7:56 AM CST, 2 hours 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 755 AM CST TUE MAR 17 1987 ...A TORNADO WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM THIS AFTERNOON FOR SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA... ...THE TORNADO WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING PARISHES IN SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA...ACADIA..ALLEN..BEAUREGARD..CALCASIEU..CAMERON.. EVANGELINE..JEFF DAVIS..VERMILION..VERNON..LAFAYETTE..GRANT..RAPIDES.. AND ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS OF CAMERON AND VERMILION PARISHES... AT 725 AM...LAKE CHARLES RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS FROM LIBERTY TO WEST OF JASPER. THE LINE WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS PART OF A LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WHICH COVERED MOST OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND WEST LOUISIANA...NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM SABINE PASS TEXAS TO NATCHEZ MISSISSIPPI. < CLUSTERS OF THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO SHOWN NEAR RAYBURN LAKE TEXAS AND ALONG THE SABINE RIVER ON THE TEXAS LOUISIANA BORDER.
Special weather statement, Mar 17, 7:59 AM CST, 2 hours 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY... C O R R E C T E D... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 755 AM CST TUE MAR 17 1987 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM THIS AFTERNOON FOR SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA... ...THE TORNADO WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING PARISHES IN SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA...ACADIA..ALLEN..BEAUREGARD..CALCASIEU..CAMERON.. EVANGELINE..JEFF DAVIS..VERMILION..VERNON..LAFAYETTE..GRANT..RAPIDES.. AND ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS OF CAMERON AND VERMILION PARISHES... AT 725 AM...LAKE CHARLES RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS FROM LIBERTY TO WEST OF JASPER. THE LINE WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS PART OF A LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WHICH COVERED MOST OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND WEST LOUISIANA...NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM SABINE PASS TEXAS TO NATCHEZ MISSISSIPPI. < CLUSTERS OF THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO SHOWN NEAR RAYBURN LAKE TEXAS AND ALONG THE SABINE RIVER ON THE TEXAS LOUISIANA BORDER.
Special weather statement, Mar 17, 9:59 AM CST, 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX 1000AM CST TUE MAR 17 1987 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CANCELLED THE TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTHhEAST TEXAS. THE WATCH CONTINUES IN LOUISIANA. DJK
Special weather statement, Mar 17, 10:06 AM CST, 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 1000 AM CST TUE MAR 17 1987 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM THIS AFTERNOON FOR SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA... ...STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS CONTINUE OVER SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA... AT 935 AM...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM NEAR OAKDALE TO LAKE CHARLES TO CAMERON...AND EXTENDED INTO THE GULF TO 70 MILES SOUTH OF SABINE PASS. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 35 MPH. ANOTHER LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN HAD DEVELOPED FROM JUST NORTH OF LEESVILLE TO NEAR DEQUINCY TO BEAUMONT TEXAS... AND EXTENDED INTO THE TEXAS COASTAL WATERS SOUTH OF HIGH ISLAND. STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAD PRODUCED WIND GUSTS OF 60 MPH IN LAFAYETTE. THUNDERSTORM WINDS HAD ALSO PRODUCED GUSTS OF 45 MPH IN LAKE CHARLES. AS THESE LINES OF STRONG STORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE EASTWARD...VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH FREQUENT WIND GUSTS OF 50 MPH OR GREATER CAN BE EXPECTED IN SECTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA. ELSEWHERE...RAIN COVERED MOST OF CENTRAL AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...EXTREME EAST TEXAS...AND THE UPPER TEXAS COASTAL WATERS. LIGHT RAIN WAS SHOWN FROM MORGAN CITY TO BATON ROUGE TO ALEXANDRIA.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Lake Charles, LA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 17, 8:42 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Vernon | 63 min |
| Mar 17, 1:14 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Acadia, Evangeline, Vermilion | 76 min |
| Mar 17, 2:25 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Lafayette, Vermilion | 65 min |
| Mar 17, 2:49 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Acadia | 41 min |
| Mar 17, 3:30 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Lafayette, Vermilion | 45 min |
| Mar 17, 4:07 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Lafayette, Vermilion | 53 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 1987Every tornado warning in 1987Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.