Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 43, NWS Lake Charles, LA
NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 1990, 3:23 PM CDT for Grant Parish, LaSalle Parish, Rapides Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 67 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 20, 1990, 3:23 PM CDT (20:23 UTC)
- Expired
- May 20, 1990, 4:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 67 min
- Issued by
- NWS Lake Charles, LA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Grant Parish, LA, LaSalle Parish, LA, Rapides 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 20, 3:26 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Rapides, 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, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 170 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
- 2406 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -19 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 631 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 128 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 221 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.2
- Supercell composite
- 7.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KLCH 202030 COR SVRESF LAC043-059-079-202130- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALEXANDRIA LA ISSUED BY LAKE CHARLES LA 323 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 430 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA ...GRANT PARISH...LA SALLE PARISH...RAPIDES PARISH AT 320PM CDT A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM JUST NORTH OF JENA TO JUST WEST OF ALEXANDRIA. THE LINE WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH. A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR LA SALLE AND GRANT PARISHES IN THE WARNED AREA. REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND 2OCCASIONALLY 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 20, 12:38 PM CDT, 2 hours 45 minutes before
TXZ033-201845- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX 1238 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS LAKES AREA... AT 1230 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL EXTENDED ACROSS THE EAST TEXAS LAKES AREA. THE BAND WAS 25 MILES WIDE AND EXTENDED FROM SHREVEPORT TO LUFKIN TO LIVINGSTON AND WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ENTERING THE NORTHERN PARTS OF LAKE RAYBURN AND LAKE TOLEDO BEND. THEY WILL AFFECT THE ENTIRE LAKES AREA INCLUDING STEINHAGEN LAKE DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. BOATERS...FISHERMEN AND CAMPERS SHOULD MAKE FOR A PLACE OF SAFTY. THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE STRONG...GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL AS WELL AS VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND DEADLY LIGHTNING. BOATS MAY BE CAPSIZED AND CAMPSITES DAMAGED BY THE GUSTY WINDS AS WELL AS THE DANGER OF LIGHTNING STRIKES. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR CHEROKEE AND NACOGDOCHES COUNTIES UNTIL 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WATCH COVERS MOST OF NORTHCENTRAL AND NORTHEAST TEXAS. ANOTHER TORNADO WATCH COVERS A LARGPART OF NORTHERN LOUSIANA AND SOUTHERN ARKANSAS...SO SEVERE WEATHER MAY AFFECT THE EAST TEXAS LAKESW AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON. DCG NNNN
Special weather statement, May 20, 12:42 PM CDT, 2 hours 41 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-201840- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 1240 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL LOUISIANA PARISHES OF GRANT AND LA SALLE UNTIL 700 PM... AT 1230 PM...A BAND OF NUMEROUS STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED RAPIDLY IN NORTHWEST LOUISIANA AND EAST TEXAS FROM MANSFIELD TO SAN AUGUSTINE TEXAS TO LUFKIN AND HUNTSVILLE. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS AkND SHOWERS WERE ALSO INCREASING FROM THE NORTH PART OF TOLEDO BEND RESERVOIR ACROSS MOST OF RAYBURN LAKE TEXAS. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 20, 1:37 PM CDT, 1 hour 46 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-201940- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 135 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL LOUISIANA PARISHES OF GRANT AND LA SALLE UNTIL 700 PM... AT 130 PM...A LINE OF NUMEROUS STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED IN NORTHWEST LOUISIANA AND EAST TEXAS FROM NEAR AND JUST EAST AND SOUTH OF MANSFIELD ACROSS THE CENTRAL PART OF TOLEDO BEND RESERVOIR TO RAYBURN LAKE...LUFKIN...LAKE LIVINGSTON. MOVEMENT IN NORTHWEST LOUISIANA WAS EAST AT 40 MPH...EAST TEXAS MOVEMENT SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 20, 2:46 PM CDT, 37 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-202040- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 242 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL LOUISIANA PARISHES OF GRANT AND LA SALLE UNTIL 700 PM... AT 230 PM...SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN WEST LOUISIANA AND EAST TEXAS FROM NEAR LEESVILLE...SOUTH PART TOLEDO BEND RESERVOIR...RAYBURN LAKE TEXAS...TO CONROE. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING INTO VERNON PARISH AND WILL MOVE INTO THE WEST PART OF BEAUREGARD PARISH BY 300 PM... VERY GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAINS...POSSIBLE HAIL...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED IN THESE PARISHES. A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS ALSO LOCATED IN NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA NOARTHWEST OF GRANT AND LA SALLE PARISHES MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. THESE PARISHES CAN ALSO EXPECT VERY GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAINS...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING THIS AFTERNOON.
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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.