Alert archive / Louisiana / Flash Flood Warnings in 1987

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS New Orleans, LA

November 16, 1987Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

NWS New Orleans, LA issued this flash flood warning at Nov 16, 1987, 8:15 AM CST for Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Nov 16, 1987, 8:15 AM CST (14:15 UTC)
Expired
Nov 16, 1987, 12:15 PM CST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS New Orleans, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Catahoula 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

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 182 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, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 1987-11-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 166 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, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 1987-11-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 412 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
166 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-109 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
707 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
412 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
733 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBTR 161420
FFWBTR
LAC025-161815-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BATON ROUGE LA
815 AM CST MON NOV 16 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1215 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING PARISH...

IN EAST CENTRAL LOUISIANA
          ...CATAHOULA

THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS ARE MOVING THROUGH CATAHOULA
PARISH. MORE THAN 8 INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED DURING THE NIGHT
AT THE CATAHOULA WILDLIFE REFUGE. HEAVY RAINS WILL CONTINUE DURING
THE DAY.

FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOT*S IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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, Nov 16, 5:30 AM CST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
530 AM CST MON NOV 16 1987

...VIOLENT WEATHER EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS LOUISIANA TODAY...

AN UNUSUALLY TURBULENT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING EASTWARD FROM TEXAS
IS EXPECTED TO TOUCH OFF A VARIETY OF VIOLENT WEATHER ACROSS LOUISIANA
TODAY.

LAST NIGHT AND EARLY THIS MORNING SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DUMPED HEAVY
RAINFALL AND SPAWNED A NUMBER OF TORNADOES IN EAST TEXAS AND OVER
NORTH AND WEST LOUISIANA. SOME FLASH FLOODING IS OCCURRING IN NORTHWEST
LOUISIANA WHERE OVERNIGHT RAINS RANGED UP TO 5 INCHES.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS POSTED FOR ALL EXCEPT THE SOUTHEASTERN PARISHES
FOR TODAY. AN ADDITIONAL 3 TO 5 INCHES OF RAIN ARE POSSIBLE AS
THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER ALREADY SATURATED GROUND.

LOCALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST OVER WEST AND
NORTH LOUISIANA AND SPREAD EASTWARD ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE STATE
TODAY ENDING IN THE SOUTHEAST THIS EVENING.

RESIDENTS OF LOUISIANA ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN ON THE ALERT TODAY AND BE
PREPARED TO TAKE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IN THE EVENT THAT SEVERE WEATHER
THREATENS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR MONITOR LOCAL RADIO
AND TELEVISION STATIONS DURINGE THE COURSE OF THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS
WEATHER SITUATION.
Special weather statement, Nov 16, 7:14 AM CST, 1 hour 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BATON ROUGE LA
710 AM CST MON NOV 16 1987

RADAR SHOWED A 25 MILE WIDE SOLID LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH
VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM CONCORDIA PARISH ACROSS AVOYELLES INTO ST LANDRY.
THE LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT
10 MPH.

THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS AND STRONG GUSTY
WINDS ACROSS EAST CENTRAL LOUISIANA INCLUDING THE METROPOLITAN BATON
ROUGE DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.  PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE AREA SHOULD
BE PREPARED FOR SEVERE WEATHER UNTIL THE THUNDERSTORMS PASS YOUR AREA.

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR AVOYELLES...CATAHOULA...
AND CONCORDIA PARISHES IN EAST CENTRAL.
Special weather statement, Nov 16, 7:57 AM CST, 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BATON ROUGE LA
800 AM CST MON NOV 16 1987

....A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PEOPLE IN AVOYELLES...CATAHOULA...
CONCORDIA...IBERVILLE...POINTE COUPEE...ST LANDRY...AND WEST FELICIANA
UNTIL 2 PM CST...

RADAR SHOWED A 25 MILE WIDE SOLID LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH
VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM CONCORDIA PARISH ACROSS AVOYELLES INTO ST LANDRY.
THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 5 MPH.

THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS AND STRONG GUSTY
WINDS ACROSS EAST CENTRAL LOUISIANA INCLUDING THE METROPOLITAN BATON
ROUGE DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.  THE CATAHOULA PARISH SHERIFFS
OFFICE REPORTED MINOE FLOODING IN HARRISONBURG DURING THE PAST FEW
HOURS.  PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE AREA SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR SEVERE
WEATHER UNTIL THE THUNDERSTORMS PASS YOUR AREA.

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR PARTS OF LOUISIANA
INCLUDING AVOYELLES...CATAHOULA...AND CONCORDIA PARISHES.

The office that day

Everything else NWS New Orleans, LA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 15, 10:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAvoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia60 min
Nov 16, 12:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXCatahoula, Concordia60 min
Nov 16, 12:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAvoyelles, Saint Landry70 min
Nov 16, 12:40 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLIXCatahoula, Concordia4 hr
Nov 16, 12:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXConcordia, Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana65 min
Nov 16, 12:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXIberville65 min
Nov 16, 2:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXEast Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, West Baton Rouge60 min
Nov 16, 2:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXLivingston, Saint Helena53 min
Nov 16, 2:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAscension53 min
Nov 16, 3:02 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAssumption, Iberia, Saint Martin, St. Mary58 min
Nov 16, 3:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAscension, Livingston40 min
Nov 16, 4:37 PM CSTTornado WarningLIXWashington68 min
Nov 16, 5:52 PM CSTTornado WarningLIXLafourche, Saint Charles68 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Louisiana, 1987Every flash flood 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.