Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 3, NWS New Orleans, LA
NWS New Orleans, LA issued this tornado warning at May 21, 1988, 11:16 AM CDT for Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 44 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 21, 1988, 11:16 AM CDT (16:16 UTC)
- Expired
- May 21, 1988, 12:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 44 min
- Issued by
- NWS New Orleans, LA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Saint Tammany 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
Boothville, LA (KBVE), launched 12:00Z, 4.3 hours before the alert went out and 131 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
- 385 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -208 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 964 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 34 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 28 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 112 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.7
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KNEW 211618 RRA
TORNEW
LAC103-211700-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1116 AM CDT SAT MAY 21 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW ORLEANS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL NOON CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING PARISH...
IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
...ST.TAMMANY
AT 1115 AM CDT RADAR AT SLIDELL INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO EAST OF
HAMMAND MOVING NORTHEAST ABOUT 45 MPH.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
LOR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.
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, May 21, 8:23 AM CDT, 2 hours 53 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BATON ROUGE LA 825 AM CDT SAT MAY 21 1988 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM FOR ST. LANDRY PARISH IN EAST CENTRAL LOUISIANA... RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM THE SOUTH PART OF IBERVILLE PARISH NORTHWEST TO NORTH OF OPELOUSAS IN ST. LANDRY PARISH. ANOTHER BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM NEAR LAFAYETTE SOUTHWEST TO THE COASTAL WATERS SOUTH OF CROWLEY. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO POINTE COUPEE AND IBERVILLE AND CONTINUING IN ST. LANDRY PARISH DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS sCONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PEOPLE IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 21, 9:48 AM CDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA 945 AM CDT SAT MAY 21 1988 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA UNTIL 2 PM CDT... CLUSTERS OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING BETWEEN ALEXANDRIA AND HAMMOND EXTENDING SOUTH TO BETWEEN OPELOUSAS AND MORGAN CITY AND CONTINUING SOUTH INTO THE COASTAL WATERS. THE HEAVIEST ACTIVITY EXTENDED FROM SIMMESPORTS TO NEW IBERIA...AND JUST SOUTH OF BATON ROUGE. MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.
The office that day
Everything else NWS New Orleans, LA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 9:31 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | East Baton Rouge | 44 min |
| May 21, 10:29 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Tangipahoa | 46 min |
| May 21, 11:10 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | LIX | Tangipahoa | 50 min |
| May 21, 11:30 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Lafourche, Saint Charles, Terrebonne | 60 min |
| May 21, 11:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Orleans, Plaquemines, Saint Bernard | 2 hr |
| May 21, 11:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Saint Tammany, Washington | 2 hr |
| May 21, 11:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Jefferson | 2 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes in 1988
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.