Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Shreveport, LA

May 12, 1990Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana

NWS Shreveport, LA issued this tornado warning at May 12, 1990, 9:42 AM CDT for Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 48 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 12, 1990, 9:42 AM CDT (14:42 UTC)
Expired
May 12, 1990, 10:30 AM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Shreveport, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Natchitoches 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 12, 10:00 AM CDTTornado F1Natchitoches, 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, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 179 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 1990-05-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1655 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 12:00Z on 1990-05-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 280 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1655 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
555 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
280 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
430 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.6
Supercell composite
16.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSHV 121442
TORSHV
LAC069-121530-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
942 AM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS..
 
IN NORTHWEST LOUISIANA
 
   ...SOUTHERN NATCHITOCHES PARISH
 
AT 935 AM CDT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN SHREVEPORT
SHOWED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 3 MILES EAST OF FLORIEN LOUISIANA.
MOVEMENT WAS EAST NEAR 40 MPH.
 
WIND DAMAGE AND HAIL HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THIS STORM.
 
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS.  IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING.  IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.

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, May 12, 7:19 AM CDT, 2 hours 23 minutes before
OKZ026-TXZ022-023-027-028-032-033-ARZ009-010-011-016-LAZ001-002-
003-004-005-006-121400-

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
710 AM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED EARLIER FOR SOUTHERN
WINN PARISH HAS EXPIRED...

AT 705 AM CDT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN SHREVEPORT
SHOWED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTENDED IN A 65
MILE WIDE AREA OVER NORTHWEST LOUISIANA..NORTHEAST TEXAS AND EXTREME
SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS. THIS AREA EXTENDED FROM HOPE ARKANSAS TO LONGVIEW
TEXAS TO JUST WEST OF LUFKIN TEXAS. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT ABOUT 50
MPH.

ALSO ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE NOTED ACROSS CENTRAL
LOUISIANA NEAR GEORGETOWN..MONTGOMERY AND MANY. MOVEMENT WAS TO
THE EAST AT 25 MPH.
.
GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE
EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS THIS MORNING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINED IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE
AREA U]NTIL 9 PM THIS MORNING.
Special weather statement, May 12, 7:20 AM CDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before
OKZ026-TXZ022-023-027-028-032-033-ARZ009-010-011-016-LAZ001-002-
003-004-005-006-121400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
710 AM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED EARLIER FOR SOUTHERN
WINN PARISH HAS EXPIRED...

AT 705 AM CDT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN SHREVEPORT
SHOWED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTENDED IN A 65
MILE WIDE AREA OVER NORTHWEST LOUISIANA..NORTHEAST TEXAS AND EXTREME
SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS. THIS AREA EXTENDED FROM HOPE ARKANSAS TO LONGVIEW
TEXAS TO JUST WEST OF LUFKIN TEXAS. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT ABOUT 50
MPH.

ALSO ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE NOTED ACROSS CENTRAL
LOUISIANA NEAR GEORGETOWN..MONTGOMERY AND MANY. MOVEMENT WAS TO
THE EAST AT 25 MPH.
.
GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE
EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS THIS MORNING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINED IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE
AREA `UNTIL 9 PM THIS MORNING.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 12, 1:57 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVBossier, Caddo48 min
May 12, 2:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVClaiborne, Webster61 min
May 12, 2:48 AM CDTTornado WarningSHVDe Soto57 min
May 12, 5:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVNatchitoches62 min
May 12, 5:57 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVWinn63 min
May 12, 8:09 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVDe Soto66 min
May 12, 8:49 AM CDTTornado WarningSHVSabine56 min
May 12, 9:23 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningSHVBossier, Caddo, Red River, Webster4 hr
May 12, 9:23 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningSHVDe Soto, Natchitoches, Sabine4 hr
May 12, 10:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVCaldwell, Winn60 min
May 12, 10:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVOuachita60 min
May 12, 11:46 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVCaddo, De Soto59 min
May 12, 11:46 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVFranklin59 min
May 12, 12:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVMadison, Tensas65 min
May 12, 12:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVBienville, De Soto, Red River94 min
May 12, 1:30 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningSHVBienville, Bossier, Webster4 hr
May 12, 1:30 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningSHVDe Soto, Sabine4 hr
May 12, 1:30 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningSHVCaddo4 hr
May 12, 1:30 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningSHVNatchitoches, Red River4 hr
May 12, 1:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVNatchitoches, Winn55 min
May 12, 2:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVCaldwell, Winn61 min
May 12, 3:08 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningSHVWinn2 hr
May 12, 3:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVFranklin, Tensas69 min
May 12, 6:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVCaddo, De Soto57 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.