Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 20, NWS New Orleans, LA

December 18, 1990Saint Charles Parish, Louisiana

NWS New Orleans, LA issued this tornado warning at Dec 18, 1990, 10:58 AM CST for Saint Charles Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 62 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 18, 1990, 10:58 AM CST (16:58 UTC)
Expired
Dec 18, 1990, 12:00 PM CST
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS New Orleans, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Saint Charles 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

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 74 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 1990-12-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 97 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 1990-12-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 39 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
97 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-40 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
593 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
39 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
118 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KNEW 181659
TORNEW
LAC089-103-105-181800-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1058 AM CST TUE DEC 18 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW ORLEANS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL NOON CST
FOR RESIDENTS IN THE FOLLOWING PARISHES
 
IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
 
   ...ST.CHARLES PARISH...NORTHERN ST.TAMMANY PARISH
   ...SOUTHERN TANGIPAHOA PARISH
 
AND FOR LAKE PONTCHERTRAIN.
 
AT 1017 AM CST THE ST JAMES SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT REPORTED A TORNADO
TOUCHING DOWN BRIEFLY AT LUTCHER KNOKING DOWN POWER LINES AND A SHED.
THIS TORNADO IS ASSOCIATED WITH A LINE OF HEAVY SHOWERS MOVING INTO
THE WESTERN PROTION OF LAKE PONTCHETRAIN. THE LINE IS MOVING SOUTHEAST
AROUND 25 MPH. SHOWERS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AROUND 45 MPH.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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 18, 7:14 AM CST, 3 hours 44 minutes before
LAZ006-008-009-181600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BATON ROUGE LA
715 AM CST TUE DEC 18 1990

...SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS MOST OF EAST CENTRAL
LOUISIANA...

RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM
EUNICE AND OPELOUSAS NORTHEAST TO NATCHEZ MISSISSIPPI...LIVONIA TO
NORWOOD...AND DONALDSONVILLE TO KENTWOOD.  MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST AT
20 MPH.

AS THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ACROSS THE AREA...THEY WILL PRODUCE
GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.  THE HEAVY RAIN MAY
CAUSE FLOODING OF STREETS...UNDERPASSES AND OTHER LOW LYING AREAS.
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS EAST CENTRAL LOUISIANA FOR:
THE NEXT FEW HOURS.
Special weather statement, Dec 18, 8:22 AM CST, 2 hours 36 minutes before
LAZ009-181600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BATON ROUGE LA
820 AM CST TUE DEC 18 1990

...SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE APPROACHING BATON ROUGE...

RADAR SHOWED A 10 MILE WIDE SOLID LINE OF SHOWERS AND A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS FROM SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI EXTENDING SOUTHWEST NEAR
CLINTON...ACROSS THE NEW ROADS/ST. FRANCIVILLE AREAS TO NEAR NEW
IBERIA.  MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST ABOUT 25 MPH.

THIS LINE WILL MOVE TO BATON ROUGE WITHIN THE NEXT HALF HOUR.

AS THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ACROSS THE BATON ROUGE METRO
FOR THE NEXT TWO TO THREE HOURS...THEY WILL PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WIND
AND BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN.  THE HEAVY RAIN WILL CAUSE TEMPORARY
FLOODING OF STREETS...UNDERPASSES AND OTHER LOW LYING AREAS.
Special weather statement, Dec 18, 9:14 AM CST, 1 hour 44 minutes before
LAZ009-181700-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BATON ROUGE LA
915 AM CST TUE DEC 18 1990

...A COLD FRONT...ACCOMPANIED BY SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS...
MOVED THROUGH THE BATON ROUGE AREA...

RADAR SHOWED A 15 MILE WIDE SOLID LINE OF SHOWERS AND A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS FROM SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI EXTENDING SOUTHWEST ACROSS
WATSON AND DENHAM SPRINGS TO JUST EAST OF PLAQUEMINE...CONTINUING
SOUTHWEST TO THE COAST.  MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST ABOUT 25 MPH.

THIS LINE WILL MOVE OUT OF THE BATON ROUGE METRO AREA WITHIN THE NEXT
ONE TO TWO HOURS.

THE TEMPERATURE WAS 58 DEGREES...WHICH IS A 14 DEGREE DROP FROM THE
PREVIOUS HOUR...THE WIND GUSTED TO 35 MPH AND WE RECEIVED LESS THAN
A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF RAIN AS THE COLD FRONT MOVED THROUGH.
<
AS THIS LINE MOVES THROUGH...BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN AND WIND GUST 35 TO
40 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED.  SOME TEMPORARY FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW
LYING AREAS MAY ALSO OCCUR.

The office that day

Everything else NWS New Orleans, LA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 18, 10:58 AM CSTTornado WarningLIXSaint Tammany, Tangipahoa62 min
Dec 18, 11:31 AM CSTTornado WarningLIXWashington29 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.