Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 3, NWS New Orleans, LA
NWS New Orleans, LA issued this tornado warning at May 18, 1989, 12:29 PM CDT for Saint Martin Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 46 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 18, 1989, 12:29 PM CDT (17:29 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 1989, 1:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 46 min
- Issued by
- NWS New Orleans, LA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Saint Martin Parish, LA
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 18, 12:55 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | St. Martin, LA |
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 12:00Z, 5.5 hours before the alert went out and 153 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 619 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 68 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 61 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 353 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KNEW 181732
TORNEW
LAC099-181815-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1229 PM CDT THU MAY 18 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW ORLEANS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 115 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING PARISH...
IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
...ST.MARTIN
AT 1225 PM A THE PUBLIC REPORTED A TORNADO OVER LAFAYETTE ASSOCIATED
WITH A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. THE THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH
AND WILL MOVE ACROSS UPPER ST MARTIN PARISH IN THE NEXT HALF HOUR.
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 115 PM FOR
IBERIA PARISH.
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.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 18, 7:25 AM CDT, 5 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BATON ROUGE LA 725 AM CDT THU MAY 18 1989 ..A FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR AVOYELLES...CATAHOULA... CONCORDIA AND ST LANDRY PARISHES THROUGH TODAY. RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF RAIN SPREAD ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST AND INTO PARTS OF EAST CENTRAL LOUISIANA. WITHIN THE AREA OF RAIN WERE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN. THE LEADING EDGE OF THE AREA OF RAIN EXTENDED SOUTH FROM JACKSON MISSISSIPPI TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF MISSISSIPPI TO NEAR LAFAYETTE. THE AREA OF RAIN WAS SPREADING EAST ABOUT 15 MPH. HEAVY RAINS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS. THE GROUND IS SATURATED AND THE HEAVY RAINS WILL LIKELY CAUSE FLOODING OF ROADS AND LOW LYING AREAS. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE WITHIN THE AREA OF RAIN BY AFTERNOON.
Local storm report, May 18, 11:41 AM CDT, 48 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BATON ROUGE LA
1142 AM CDT THU MAY 18 1989
MAY 18 1989...
1134 AM CDT...TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN...HIGH WINDS AND STREET
FLOODING IN WASHINGTON LA ABOUT 7 MILES NORTH OF OPELOUSAS...BY
THE ST LANDRY PARISH SHERIFF OFFICE. NO INJURIES.The office that day
Everything else NWS New Orleans, LA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 11:22 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Saint Landry | 68 min |
| May 18, 11:51 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Pointe Coupee, Saint Landry | 69 min |
| May 18, 12:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Iberia, Saint Martin | 62 min |
| May 18, 12:29 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LIX | Saint Landry | 61 min |
| May 18, 12:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Iberville, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge | 63 min |
| May 18, 12:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | West Feliciana | 63 min |
| May 18, 1:14 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LIX | Iberville, West Baton Rouge | 46 min |
| May 18, 1:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | East Baton Rouge | 48 min |
| May 18, 2:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Iberia, Saint Martin | 60 min |
| May 18, 3:38 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Iberville, West Baton Rouge | 52 min |
| May 18, 4:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Ascension, East Baton Rouge | 44 min |
| May 18, 4:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Assumption, Saint Martin, St. Mary | 55 min |
| May 18, 5:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Lafourche, Terrebonne | 66 min |
| May 18, 5:27 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Tangipahoa | 63 min |
| May 18, 5:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Livingston | 42 min |
| May 18, 6:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Tangipahoa, Washington | 42 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.