Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 35, NWS Lake Charles, LA

December 21, 1990Allen Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana

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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 1990-12-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1489 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 1990-12-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 247 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 21, 12:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCalcasieu, Cameron67 min
Dec 21, 12:29 PM CSTTornado WarningLCHCalcasieu31 min
Dec 21, 1:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAllen, Rapides60 min
Dec 21, 2:22 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHRapides53 min
Dec 21, 2:56 PM CSTTornado WarningLCHRapides34 min
Dec 21, 5:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHVernon63 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.