Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 1990
Tornado Warning 35, NWS Lake Charles, LA
NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Dec 21, 1990, 12:34 PM CST for Allen Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 41 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Dec 21, 1990, 12:34 PM CST (18:34 UTC)
- Expired
- Dec 21, 1990, 1:15 PM CST
- In force
- 41 min
- Issued by
- NWS Lake Charles, LA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Allen Parish, LA, Jefferson Davis 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 12:00Z, 6.6 hours before the alert went out and 53 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
- 1489 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -4 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 546 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 53 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 247 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 250 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.4
- Supercell composite
- 9.7
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KLCH 211836 RRA TORLCH LAC003-053-211915- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 1234 PM CST FRI DEC 21 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 115 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA ...ALLEN PARISH...NORTHERN JEFFERSON DAVIS PARISH AT 1235 RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO ABOUT 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF LAKE CHARLES MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED BUILDING. GET UNDER A PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE PREFERABLY IN AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. 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, Dec 21, 10:42 AM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-211635- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 1025 AM CST FRI DEC 21 1990 AT 1025 AM CST THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINS STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WERE LOCATED JUST SOUTHEAST OF SABINE PASS AND 5 MILES SOUTH OF VINTON. THE HEAVY RAINS IN THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES THUS MOTORIST SHOULD TAKE EXTRA CAUTION. ELSEWHERE NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER A PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA AND SOUTH EAST TEXAS. THIS AREA OF PRECIPITATION WAS FROM BLACK LAKE TO LAFAYETTE TO CAMERON TO JASPER TEXAS. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTH AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Dec 21, 11:41 AM CST, 53 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-211735- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 1135 AM CST FRI DEC 21 1990 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM TODAY FOR NORTHERN AND WESTERN LOUISIANA... AT 1125 AM CST STRONG THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL EXTENDED FROM JOHNSONS BAYOU NORTHWARD TO NEAR VINTON AND FROM 15 MILES EAST OF DE QUINCEY TO NEAR JENNINGS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. PERSONS NEAR THESE STORMS SHOULD TAKE CAUTION. ELSEWHERE NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS CONTINUED OVER A LARGE PORTION OF SOUTH AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA AND ADJACENT SECTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THIS AREA OF PRECIPITATION WAS FROM JONESBORO TO BATON ROUGE TO HOUSTON. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTH AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Dec 21, 12:03 PM CST, 31 minutes before
TXZ033-046-048-212300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX 1203 PM CST FRI DEC 21 1990 ...WINTER ARRIVES IN SOUTH TEXAS TONIGHT... A FRIGID COLD FRONT IS STEADILY MOVING SOUTHWARD TOWARD SOUTH TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON. AT 1200 PM CDT...THE FRONT WAS LOCATED FROM SAN ANTONIO TO COLLEGE STATION TO LONGVEIW. THE FRONT IS FORECASTED TO REACH THE EAST TEXAS LAKE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE LATE TONIGHT DROPPING TEMPERATURES INTO THE 30S. THE THREAT OF FREEZING TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH TUESDAY. THE EXTENDED COLD PERIOD WILL BE A THREAT TO PLANTS AND PETS. PLANTS SHOULD BE BROUGHT INSIDE IF POSSIBLE OR PROVIDED WITH SOME EXTRA PROTECTION IF NOT POSSIBLE. PETS SHOULD ALSO BE PROVIDED WITH ADDITIONAL SHELTER AND FOOD. PIPES MAY ALSO NEED TO BE PROTECTED FROM THE COLD TEMPERATURES. PERSONS PLANNING ON TRAVELING DURING THE HOLIDAYS SHOULD OBTAIN WEATHER REPORTS BEFORE LEAVING. A COMBINATION OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET AND SNOW WAS OCCURING ACROSS NORTH TEXAS AND IS EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF WEST AND CENTRAL TEXAS TONIGHT...POSSIBLIY BECOMING A HAZARD TO HOLIDAY TRAVELERS. NNNN
The office that day
Everything else NWS Lake Charles, LA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 21, 12:08 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Calcasieu, Cameron | 67 min |
| Dec 21, 12:29 PM CST | Tornado Warning | LCH | Calcasieu | 31 min |
| Dec 21, 1:15 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Allen, Rapides | 60 min |
| Dec 21, 2:22 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Rapides | 53 min |
| Dec 21, 2:56 PM CST | Tornado Warning | LCH | Rapides | 34 min |
| Dec 21, 5:57 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Vernon | 63 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes 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.