Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 42, NWS Lake Charles, LA

May 12, 1990Beauregard Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 12, 1990, 10:40 PM CDT for Beauregard Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 65 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 12, 1990, 10:40 PM CDT (03:40 UTC)
Expired
May 12, 1990, 11:45 PM CDT
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Beauregard 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

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 60 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 1990-05-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2652 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 1990-05-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 203 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2652 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
558 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
203 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
201 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.2
Supercell composite
12.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KLCH 130349 RRA
SVRLCH
LAC011-130445-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1040 PM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1145 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA
 
   ...BEAUREGARD PARISH
 
AT 1045 PM CDT THE LAKE CHARLES WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM ALONG THE TEXAS/LOUISIANA BORDER WEST OF DE RIDDER.
 
THE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
 
AT THE CURRENT SPEED AND MOVEMENT THE THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE ACROSS
THE CITY OF MERRYVILLE IN WESTERN BEAUREGARD PARISH BY 1055 PM CDT.
 
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 12, 6:47 PM CDT, 3 hours 53 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-130040-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
645 PM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM FOR CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
AND VERNON PARISH IN WEST LOUISIANA...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR VERNON PARISH TONIGHT...

AT 635 PM...APPARENT STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN EXTREME
SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI NEAR AND JUST NORTHEAST THROUGH SOUTH OF NATCHEZ
MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE SHOWN NORTH
EAST OF LAFAYETTE AND WEST...NORTHWEST...AND NORTHEAST OF BATON ROUGE...
NEAR AND WEST...NORTH...AND EAST OF LAKE CHARLES...AND JUST NORTH OF
ALEXANDRIA.

MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 40 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 12, 7:43 PM CDT, 2 hours 57 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-130140-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
742 PM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM FOR CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
AND VERNON PARISH IN WEST LOUISIANA...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR VERNON PARISH TONIGHT...

AT 730 PM...A BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS INCREASING IN NORTHWEST
LOUISIANA AND EAST TEXAS FROM JUST NORTHWEST OF MANSFIELD...NORTH OF
SAN AUGUSTINE TEXAS...TO NORTH AND NORTHWEST OF LUFKIN.

MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

BANDS OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED NORTH OF ALEXANDRIA ACROSS
AND NORTHEAST OF LASALLE PARISH...JUST NORTH AND NORTHEAST OF BATON
ROUGE WHILE SCATTERED SHOWERS WERE SHOWN FROM JUST SOUTH OF BATON ROUGE TO
SOUTHEAST OF LAFAYETTE TO EAST OF OAKDALE.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 12, 8:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 55 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-130240-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
842 PM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM FOR CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
AND VERNON PARISH IN WEST LOUISIANA...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR VERNON PARISH TONIGHT...

AT 835 PM...A BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS SHOWN FROM NEAR AND SOUTH
OF MANSFIELD LOUISIANA ACROSS SAN AUGUSTINE TEXAS TO NEAR LUFKIN THEN
SOUTHWEST ACROSS THE NORTH PART OF LAKE LIVINGSTON TO NEAR AND SOUTHWEST
OF HUNTSVILLE.

THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH AT 25 MPH.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS REDEVELOPED NEAR AND SOUTHWEST
TxHROUGH SOUTHEAST OF ALEXANDRIA TO NATCHEZ MISSISSIPPI.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 12, 9:39 PM CDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-130340-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
940 PM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM FOR CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR VERNON PARISH TONIGHT...

AT 928 PM...A BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS SHOWN FROM NEAR
NATCHITOCHES LOUISIANA ACROSS THE SOUTH PART OF TOLEDO BEND RESERVOIR
TO JUST SOUTHEAST OF LUFKIN TEXAS.

THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

AS THE STORMS MOVE INTO VERNON PARISH FROM THE NORTHWEST...VERY GUSTY
WINDS...HEAVY RAINS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLE HAIL COULD
OCCUR.
A BAND OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED FROM EXTREME SOUTHWEST
MISSISSIPPI...NEAR AND SOUTH OF NATCHEZ...TO JUST NORTHWEST OF VILLE
PLATTE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 12, 9:49 PM CDT, 51 minutes before
TXZ033-046-048-130345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX
949 PM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1030 PM THIS
SATURDAY EVENING FOR NORTHERN JASPER AND EASTERN TYLER COUNTIES.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER STEINHAGAN LAKE AT 940 PM
MOVING DOWN THE NECHES RIVER AT 35 MILES AN HOUR THAT SHOULD PRODUCE
DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL.

THIS STORM IS PART OF A LINE OF THUNDERSTORM THAT MOVED THROUGH
NACOGDOCHES AND SAN AUGUSTINE COUNTIES EARLIER THIS EVENING PRODUCING
DAMAGING WINDS AND GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL WEST AND SOUTHEAST OF
NACOGDOCHES AND A FUNNEL CLOUD IN NORTHERN NACOGDOCHES COUNTY.

IF THE THUNDERSTORMS HUOLD TOGATHER THEY WILL MOVE INTO THE GOLDEN
TRIANGLE AROUND 1 AM SUNDAY MORNING.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL EAST AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS
COUNTIES UNTIL 2 AM SUNDAY MORNING.

DCG

NNNN
Special weather statement, May 12, 10:40 PM CDT, 0 minutes before
TXZ033-046-048-130445-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX
1040 PM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED EARLIER THIS EVENING FOR PARTS
OF JASPER AND TYLER COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED AND IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.
THE TORNADO WATCH ISSUED EARLIER THIS EVENING FOR THE EAST TEXAS LAKE
AREA HAS BEEN CANCELLED AND IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEAST TEXAS COUNTIES OF
TYLER...HARDIN...JASPER...NEWTON...ORANGE AND JEFFERSON UNTIL 2 AM
SUNDAY MORNING.

AT 1035 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS
PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL EXTENDED FROM WOODVILLE TO JASPER TO
BURKVILLE AND INTO LOUSIANA.  THE BAND WAS DRIFTING SLOWLY SOUTHWARD
WHILE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND
DECREASING IN INTENSITY.

IT APPEARS THAT THE BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL NOT MOVE AS FAR SOUTH
AS THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE BEFORE DISSIPATING LATER TONIGHT BUT CONDITIONS
DO FAVOR ADDITIONAL SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPEMENT ALONG THE
COASTAL PLAINS TONIGHT.

STAY TUNED TO PORT ARTHURS WEATHER RADAR FOR LATER DEVELOPEMENTS ON
TONIGHTS WEATHER SITUATION.

DCG

NNNN

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Louisiana, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990

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.