Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1987
Tornado Warning 7, NWS Lake Charles, LA
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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 7:40 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Jefferson, 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.
- 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
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 7:35 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Jefferson | 55 min |
| May 15, 8:00 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LCH | Jefferson | 30 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.