Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1987

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Lake Charles, LA

May 15, 1987Jefferson County, Texas

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at May 15, 1987, 7:40 PM CDT for Jefferson County, Texas. It was in force for 20 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
May 15, 1987, 7:40 PM CDT (00:40 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 1987, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
20 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Jefferson County, TX

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
May 15, 7:40 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Jefferson, TX

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, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 96 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 1987-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 430 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 1987-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -30 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
430 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-72 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1354 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
3 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBPT 160041
TORBPT
TXC245-160100-

BULLETIN-EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED

TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX
740PM CDT FRI MAY 15 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING FOR PERSONS
IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

TEXAS...  JEFFERSON

UNTIL 800PM CDT TONIGHT.

THE NEDERLAND POLICE JUST REPORTED A TORNADO TOOK THE ROOF OFF A
HOUSE AT 1519 CANAL.

PERSONS IN NEDERLAND AND NORTH PORT ACRTHUR...TAKE COVER NOW...

THE STORM WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTH AT 5 MILES AN HOUR.

DCG

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, May 15, 3:00 PM CDT, 4 hours 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
250 PM CDT FRI MAY 15 1987

AT 230 PM...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS AND GUSTY WINDS WERE
MOVING INTO THE LAKE CHARLES AREA FROM THE WEST.

THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO PRODUCE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
AROUND THE LAKE CHARLES AREA.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED FROM LEESVILLE TO NORTHWEST
OF CROWLEY AND IN VERMILION PARISH...SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...MOVING
OVER VERMILION BAY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

SHOWERS WERE INDICATED AROUND ALEXANDRIA.
Special weather statement, May 15, 3:44 PM CDT, 3 hours 56 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
340 PM CDT FRI MAY 15 1987

AT 325 PM...A BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS AND GUSTY
WINDS WAS LOCATED IN VERMILION PARISH...SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH INTO THE COASTAL WATERS JUST SOUTH OF
VERMILION BAY.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS INCREASED IN INTENSITY IN NORTH LOUISIANA BETWEEN
MANSFIELD AND WINNFIELD MOVING SOUTH AT 15 MPH.

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED AROUND LAKE CHARLES MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

THIS WILL BE THE LAST SPECIAL STATEMENT UNLESS THUNDERSTORMS
REINTENSIFY.
Special weather statement, May 15, 5:05 PM CDT, 2 hours 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX
500PM CDT FRI MAY 15 1987

    ...VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM IN NORTHWEST HARDIN COUNTY...

THE TOWNS OF VOTAW, THICKET, AND SARATOGA CAN EXPECT VERY HEAVY RAINS
FOR THE NEXT ONE TO POSSIBLY TWO HOURS.  RAINFALL TOTALS COULD RANGE
FROM TWO TO FOUR INCHES.

A VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM IS DRIFTING SOUTH OUT OF POLK COUNTY AT
500 PM.  WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATES ONLY HEAVY RAIN IN THIS
THUNDERSTORM.

MOTORISTS SHOULD BE VERY CAUTIOUS AS THE HEAVY RAINS WILL GREATLY
REDUCE THE VISIBILITY...AND CAUSE SOME TEMPORARY FLOODING OF LOW
SPOTS ALONG THE ROADS, ESPECIALLY UNDERPASSES.
Special weather statement, May 15, 5:40 PM CDT, 2 hours before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
525 PM CDT FRI MAY 15 1987

AT 525 PM...A COUPLE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN HAD DEVELOPED
OVER THE NORTHERN PART OF VERNON PARISH DURING THE PAST HOUR.  OTHER
THUNDERSTORMS WERE SHOWN IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA 10 MILES EAST OF PORT
ARTHUR AND ALONG THE COAST SOUTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST OF WHITE LAKE.

OTHERWISE OVER LOUISIANA PATCHES OF RAIN WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE
SHOWN FROM NEAR MANY TO EAST OF ALEXANDRIA TO SOUTH OF ATCHAFALAYA BAY
TO NEAR SABINE.

OVER EAST TEXAS..STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AND PATCHES OF RAIN WERE SHOWN
FROM PORT ARTHUR TO TOLEDO BEND RESERVOIR AND WESTWARD TO WEST OF
LUFKIN AND CONROEJ.

LITTLE MOVEMENT WAS SHOWN.
Special weather statement, May 15, 6:45 PM CDT, 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
645 PM CDT FRI MAY 15 1987

AT 625 PM...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE SOME
GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL WERE SHOWN FROM NORTHEAST OF DE RIDDER TO WEST OF
LEESVILLE AND WERE MOVING SOUTH AT 7 MPH

PATCHES OF RAIN AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE SHOWN FROM SOUTHERN
TOLEDO BEND RESERVOIR TO NATCHITOCHES AND SOUTHEAST TO THE MORGAN CITY
AREA.

OVER EAST TEXqAS..STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED FROM PORT ARTHUR TO
LUFKIN TO SAN AUGUSTINE.  PATCHES OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SHOWN
FROM SABINE TO WEL NORTH OF SAN AUGUSTINE AND WEST TO WELL WEST OF
LAKE LIVINGSTON.  MOVEMENT WAS SOUTH AT 7 MPH.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 15, 7:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJefferson55 min
May 15, 8:00 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHJefferson30 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.