Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 5, NWS New Orleans, LA
NWS New Orleans, LA issued this tornado warning at May 18, 1989, 1:14 PM CDT for Iberville Parish, West Baton Rouge 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, 1:14 PM CDT (18:14 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 1989, 2:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 46 min
- Issued by
- NWS New Orleans, LA
- Area
- Whole counties
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, 2:10 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Iberville, 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
Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 6.2 hours before the alert went out and 157 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
- 1217 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 537 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 107 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 144 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.7
- Supercell composite
- 3.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KBTR 181814
TORBTR
LAC047-121-181900-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BATON ROUGE LA
114 PM CDT THU MAY 18 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BATON ROUGE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 200 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING PARISHES...
IN EAST CENTRAL LOUISIANA
...NORTHERN IBERVILLE...WEST BATON ROUGE
RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO NEAR ROSEDALE LOUISIANA MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 30 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...P/ILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.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 49 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, 1 hour 33 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.Local storm report, May 18, 1:10 PM CDT, 4 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BATON ROUGE LA
112 PM CDT THU MAY 18 1989
MAY 18 1989...
1234 PM CDT...TREES DOWN ON HIGHWAY 182 AT SUNSET LOUISIANA.
TREES FELL ON TWO MOBILE HOMES...M,AJOR DAMAGE TO MOBILE HOMES
...BY 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 Martin | 46 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, 1:57 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.