Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 46, NWS Lake Charles, LA

May 21, 1990Rapides Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 21, 1990, 7:00 PM CDT for Rapides Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 60 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 21, 1990, 7:00 PM CDT (00:00 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 1990, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Rapides 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, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 136 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 1990-05-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3677 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 1990-05-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 35 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
3677 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-13 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
832 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
35 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
37 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KESF 220003
SVRESF
LAC079-220100-           

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALEXANDRIA LA
0700 PM CDT MON MAY 21 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALEXANDRIA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  800 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING PARISHES...

IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA
          ...RAPIDES

AT 700 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS SHOWED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR POLLOCK LA MOVING SOUTHEAST WHICH
WILL MOVE IT THROUGH THE ESSLER AIRPORT...HOLLOWAY AND
DEVILLE AREAS...THIS THUNDERSTORM HAS PRODUCED STRONG
WIND AND ONE INCH HAIL EARLIER.


IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDIgNG.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

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 21, 1:35 PM CDT, 5 hours 25 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-211940-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
130 PM CDT MON MAY 21 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL LOUISIANA
PARISHES OF GRANT...LA SALLE...RAPIDES...AND SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA
PARISHES OF EVANGELINE...ACADIA...UNTIL 500 PM...

AT 125 PM...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED IN EXTREME SOUTHWEST
MISSISSIPPI JUST SOUTH OF NATCHEZ MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

A BAND OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WAS INCREASING IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA
FROM THE EAST PART OF GRANT PARISH ACROSS LA SALLE PARISH TO ABOUT
30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ALEXANDRIA.

AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPED 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF AbLEXANDRIA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS NOW JUST NORTHWEST THROUGH SOUTHEAST OF ALEXANDRIA
WILL PRODUCE BRIEF VERY GUSTY WINDS AS THEY MOVE SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 21, 2:32 PM CDT, 4 hours 28 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-212035-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
228 PM CDT MON MAY 21 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL LOUISIANA
PARISHES OF GRANT...LA SALLE...RAPIDES...AND SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA
PARISHES OF EVANGELINE...ACADIA...UNTIL 500 PM...

AT 225 PM...A BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS SHOWN IN EXTREME SOUTH
WEST MISSISSIPPI MIDWAY BETWEEN NATCHEZ AND BATON ROUGE...OR 30 TO 40
MILES NORTHWEST THROUGH NORTHEAST OF THE CAPITOL CITY.

THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHSOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

A FEW THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS WERE LOCATED NEAR AND SOUTHEAST OF
ALEXANDRIA MOVING SOUTHEAST.
Special weather statement, May 21, 3:35 PM CDT, 3 hours 25 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-212135-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
332 PM CDT MON MAY 21 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL LOUISIANA
PARISHES OF GRANT...LA SALLE...RAPIDES...AND SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA
PARISHES OF EVANGELINE...ACADIA...UNTIL 500 PM...

AT 325 PM...THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY DECREASED IN CENTRAL AND EAST
LOUISIANA.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS WECRE LOCATED SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST
OF ALEXANDRIA...15 TO 30 MILES...AND JUST NORTHWEST THROUGH NORTHEAST
OF BATON ROUGE.

MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH SOUTH OF ALEXANDRIA...SOUTH AT 25 MPH
NORTH OF BATON ROUGE.
Special weather statement, May 21, 4:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-212235-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
429 PM CDT MON MAY 21 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF NORTH
AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA UNTIL 900 PM...

AT 425 PM...NO THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WAS INDICATED BY RADAR WITHIN
125 MILES OF LAKE CHARLES.
Special weather statement, May 21, 5:39 PM CDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-212335-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
535 PM CDT MON MAY 21 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF NORTH
AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA UNTIL 900 PM...

AT 525 PM...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS SHOWN
FROM 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF WINNFIELD TO 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF WINNFIELD.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND WILL BE MOVING
INTO GRANT AND LA SALLE PARISHES WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR.

AN ISOLATED SHOWER HAD DEVELOPED 10 MILES NORTH OF OAKDALE.
Special weather statement, May 21, 5:43 PM CDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-212335-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
535 PM CDT MON MAY 21 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF NORTH
AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA UNTIL 900 PM...

AT 525 PM...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE SHOWN
FROM 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF WINNFIELD TO 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF WINNFIELD.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND WILL BE MOVING
INTO GRANT AND LA SALLE PARISHES WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR.

AN ISOLATED SHOWER HAD DEVELOPED 10 MILES NORTH OF OAKDALE.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 7:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHGrant, LaSalle20 min
May 21, 7:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHGrant30 min

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.