Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989

Flash Flood Warning 12, NWS Lake Charles, LA

May 18, 1989Tyler County, Texas

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this flash flood warning at May 18, 1989, 6:20 AM CDT for Tyler County, Texas. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 18, 1989, 6:20 AM CDT (11:20 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 1989, 11:00 AM CDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Tyler County, TX

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 00:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 134 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 1989-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1462 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 1989-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 206 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1462 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-21 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
740 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
206 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
249 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.3
Supercell composite
15.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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, May 18, 2:46 AM CDT, 3 hours 34 minutes before
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Special weather statement, May 18, 3:50 AM CDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before
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Special weather statement, May 18, 3:55 AM CDT, 2 hours 25 minutes before
TTAAOO KESF 180855
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALEXANDRIA LA
355 PM CDT THU MAY 18 1989

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR RAPIDES...GRANT AND LASALLE
PARISHES OF CENTRAL LOUISIANA UNTIL 400AM THIS THURSDAY
MORNING...

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF NORTHERN AND WEST CENTRAL
LOUISIANA INCLUDING RAPIDES...GRANT AND LASALLE PARISHES
FOR THE REMAINDER OF TONIGHT...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR RAPIDES PARISH...

AT 355 AM CDT A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS JUST NORTHWEST OF
THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA MOVING NORTHEAST ...THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS
PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN ...MARBLE SIZE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS...
SOME STREET FLOODING HAS OCCURRED IN ALEXANDRIA.

PERSONS DRIVING TO WORK SHOULD BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOODING OF
ROADWAYS AND STREETS. 2.20 INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED AT
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN 45 MINUTES.

POWER WAS OUT IN SOME SECTIONS OF ALEXANDRIA.
Local storm report, May 18, 4:18 AM CDT, 2 hours 2 minutes before
ATTN SELS BPT

LOCAL STORM REPORT...DELAYED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX
415 AM CDT THU MAY 18 1989

TIME      EVENT

MAY 17
615 PM    GARRISON TX...NACOGDOCHES CNTY...6 CHICKEN BARNS UNROOFED
          REPORT VIA SHV TV STORM SPOTTER...BARNS WERE UNOCCUPIED.

DCG
Special weather statement, May 18, 4:49 AM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
448 AM CDT THU MAY 18 1989

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH TODAY INCLUDING PARTS OF
CENTRAL...SOUTHWEST...AND SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA.

AT 430 AM...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE SHOWN FROM JUST
NORTHEAST AND EAST OF ALEXANDRIA TO THE BUNKIE...OAKDALE...AND KINDER
AREAS. OTHERS WERE SHOWN FROM WESTERN BEAUREGARD...CALCASIEU...AND
CAMERON PARISHES INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS BETWEEN GALVESTON AND PORT ARTHUR
EXTENDING NORTH TO NEAR KIRBYVILLE...WOODVILLE...AND LAKE LIVINGSTON.

RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO COVER A LARGE PART OF SOUTHWEST AND
CENTRAL LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FROM THE GALVESTON AND HOUSTON
AREAS TO SABINE PASS...BEAUMONT...AND JASPER TEXAS INTO LOUISIANA AS
FAR EAST AS JENNINGS...EUNICE...BUNKIE AND NATCHEZ MISSISSIPPI.

THIS MASS OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS DRIFTING SLOWLY EAST.

PERSONS IN CALCASIEU...BEAUREGARD...JEFF DAVIS...ACADIA...AND
EVANGELINE PARISHES SHOULD BE ALERT FOR FLOODING OF STREETS AND SMALL
STREAMS DURING THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE
OVER THESE AREAS.
Special weather statement, May 18, 5:42 AM CDT, 38 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
542 AM CDT THU MAY 18 1989

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH TODAY INCLUDING PARTS OF
CENTRAL...SOUTHWEST...AND SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA.

AT 530 AM...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN CONTINUED OVER CALCASIEU
AND BEAUREGARD PARISHES EXTENDING EAST TO JEFF DAVIS...ACADIA...AND
EVANGELINE PARISHES.

THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINS THAT WERE LIKELY CAUSING
FLOODING OF STREETS AND SMALL STREAMS AS WELL AS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL.

THESE WERE PART OF A LARGE MASS OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT COVERED
MOST OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THIS WAS
SHOWN EAST AS FAR AS NATCHEZ MISSISSIPPI...AND NEAR OPELOUSAS...CROWLEY
...AND CAMERON LOUISIANA AND EXTENDED INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS FROM
GALVESTON TO NORTHWEST OF HOUSTON.

THE ENTIRE MASS OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS DRIFTING VERY SLOWLY
EAfST.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 10:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHVernon63 min
May 17, 11:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard55 min
May 17, 11:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHGrant, LaSalle, Rapides2 hr
May 18, 2:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHRapides60 min
May 18, 7:51 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHBeauregard, Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis3 hr
May 18, 7:51 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAllen3 hr
May 18, 8:28 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHVernon3 hr
May 18, 11:04 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAllen, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis116 min
May 18, 11:04 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHBeauregard, Calcasieu, Vernon116 min
May 18, 11:25 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHAcadia35 min
May 18, 11:39 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHLafayette51 min
May 18, 12:22 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHLafayette38 min
May 18, 12:28 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHCalcasieu62 min
May 18, 12:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard56 min
May 18, 12:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCameron49 min
May 18, 1:03 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHBeauregard, Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis4 hr
May 18, 1:03 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAllen4 hr
May 18, 1:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAcadia, Allen, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Vermilion119 min
May 18, 1:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCameron119 min
May 17, 8:07 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAngelina, Nacogdoches, San Augustine2 hr
May 17, 10:12 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHHardin, Jasper, Tyler3 hr
May 17, 10:12 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHNacogdoches3 hr
May 17, 10:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHHardin66 min
May 17, 10:43 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHNewton3 hr
May 18, 1:29 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHNewton2 hr
May 18, 1:29 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHHardin, Jasper2 hr
May 18, 6:20 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHHardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newton, Orange5 hr
May 18, 11:09 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHHardin2 hr
May 18, 12:07 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHJasper, Newton2 hr
May 18, 12:22 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHOrange2 hr
May 18, 1:23 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHHardin2 hr
May 18, 2:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJasper, Newton57 min
May 18, 2:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHTyler57 min
May 18, 2:09 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHJasper, Newton2 hr
May 18, 3:30 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHHardin3 hr
May 18, 4:21 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHNewton3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 1989Every flash flood warning in 1989

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.