Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 35, NWS Shreveport, LA

December 21, 1990Madison Parish, Tensas Parish, Louisiana

NWS Shreveport, LA issued this tornado warning at Dec 21, 1990, 2:02 PM CST for Madison Parish, Tensas Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 58 min. 5 reports 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
Dec 21, 1990, 2:02 PM CST (20:02 UTC)
Expired
Dec 21, 1990, 3:00 PM CST
In force
58 min
Issued by
NWS Shreveport, LA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Madison Parish, LA, Tensas 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
Dec 21, 2:14 PM CSTTornado F1Tensas, LA
Dec 21, 2:30 PM CSTTornado F1Madison, LA
Dec 21, 2:30 PM CSTTornado F1Madison, LA
Dec 21, 2:37 PM CSTTornado F2Madison, LA
Dec 21, 2:40 PM CSTTornado F1Madison, 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

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 115 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, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 1990-12-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 572 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, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 1990-12-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 248 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
572 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-34 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
685 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
248 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
274 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
4.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSHV 212003
TORSHV
LAC065-107-212100-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
202 PM CST FRI DEC 21 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  300 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS..
 
IN NORTHEAST LOUISIANA
 
   ...MADISON PARISH...TENSAS PARISH
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
SOUTH OF TALLULAH. ALSO THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF A TORNADO 20 MILES
SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF TALLULAH. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35
MPH.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE".  OTHERWISE...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, 8:20 AM CST, 5 hours 42 minutes before
OKZ026-TXZ022-023-027-028-032-033-ARZ009-010-011-016-LAZ001-002-
003-004-005-006-041430-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
815 AM CST FRI DEC 21 1990

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS REDEVELOPING OVER NORTHEAST TEXAS

AT 810 AM THE SHREVEPORT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING FROM WEST OF LONGVIEW TO BETWEEN
PALESTINE AND CORSICANA.  MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST NORTHEAST NEAR
25 MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE INCREASING IN AREAL COVERAGE AND INTENSITY AND
WILL BE MOVING INTO EXTREME NORTHEASTERN TEXAS..THEN INTO SOUTHWEST
ARKANSAS AND NORTHWEST LOUISIANA.  SOME OF THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS
WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS ALONG WITH FREQUENT
LIGHTNING AND HAIL.

ELSEWHERE...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER NORTHERN
LOUISIANA FROM SOUTH OF ELDORADO THROUGH NATCHITOCHES TO THE
TOLEDO BEND COUNTRY.

THE THREAT OF MORE SEVERE WEATHER EXISTS OVER MUCH OF THE ARKLATEX
FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE MORNING INTO THIS AFTERNOON.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 21, 12:07 AM CSTTornado WarningSHVBossier, Caddo68 min
Dec 21, 12:40 AM CSTTornado WarningSHVWebster65 min
Dec 21, 12:55 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVEast Carroll50 min
Dec 21, 10:48 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVBienville57 min
Dec 21, 11:05 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVJackson, Lincoln55 min
Dec 21, 1:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVRichland, West Carroll67 min
Dec 21, 1:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVCaldwell, Jackson, Ouachita, Winn67 min
Dec 21, 1:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVDe Soto72 min
Dec 21, 1:46 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVEast Carroll, Madison89 min
Dec 21, 1:46 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVTensas89 min
Dec 21, 2:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVWebster65 min
Dec 21, 3:17 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVBienville, Red River88 min
Dec 21, 3:17 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVFranklin, Madison, Tensas88 min
Dec 21, 4:03 PM CSTTornado WarningSHVTensas57 min
Dec 21, 5:16 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVMadison, Tensas59 min
Dec 21, 5:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVNatchitoches, Sabine60 min
Dec 21, 5:30 PM CSTTornado WarningSHVMadison60 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.