Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Lake Charles, LA

January 15, 1991Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Jan 15, 1991, 3:02 AM CST for Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 28 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jan 15, 1991, 3:02 AM CST (09:02 UTC)
Expired
Jan 15, 1991, 3:30 AM CST
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Calcasieu Parish, LA

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 19 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 00:00Z on 1991-01-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 1991-01-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 121 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1243 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
121 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
258 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KLCH 150903
TORLCH
LAC019-150930-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
302 AM CST TUE JAN 15 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  330 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA
 
   ...CALCASIEU PARISH
 
AT 300 AM CST...THE PUBLIC REPORTED A TORNADO IN THE MOSS BLUFF AREA.
 
THE LAKE CHARLES WEATHER RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW THUNDERSTORMS IN THE
LAKE CHARLES AND MOSS BLUFF AREAS.
 
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
 
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS.  IF YOU ARE CATUGHT 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, Jan 14, 11:26 PM CST, 3 hours 36 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-150635-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1130 PM CST MON JAN 14 1991

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM TUESDAY MORNING
FOR CALCASIEU...CAMERON...ALLEN...BEAUREGARD...JEFFERSON DAVIS...AND
ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS OF CAMERON.

AT 1125 PM...RAIN MIXED WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY
HEAVY RAIN...CONTINUED OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS FROM GALVESTON
NORTHWARD TO NEAR SILSBEE.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

RAIN AND SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED FROM SOUTH OF
PALACIOS EXTENDING NORTH ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS TO NEAR LUFKIN AND yTHEN
INTO THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF CENTRAL LOUISIANA NEAR THE TOLEDO BEND
RESERVOIR AND TO JUST WEST OF ALEXANDRIA.
.
THIS LARGE AREA CONTINUES TO MOVE TOWARD THE EAST AT 25 MPH.
Special weather statement, Jan 15, 12:17 AM CST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
TXZ046-48-150715-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX
1217 AM CST TUE JAN 15 1991

A SPECIAL MARINE WARNING AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 1230AM CST.

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM JASPER TO BEAUMONT TO
50 MILES OFFSHORE.  THE INDIVIDUAL STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30
MPH.  THIS STORM SYSTEM HAS A HISTORY OF LARGE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO
60 MPH.  WINDS HAVE GUSTED TO 39 MPH AT THE JEFFERSON COUNTY AIRPORT.

VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL BLANKET MOST OF JEFFERSON COUNTY CAUSING URBAN
FLOODING.  AT THE JEFFERSON COUNTY AIRPORT OVER A HALF OF AN INCH OF
RAIN FELL IN 12 MINUTES WITH RAIN STILL FALLING.

HEAVY RAINS WILL MOVEt EASTWARD INTO ORANGE COUNTY AND WILL CAUSE SOME
PONDING PROBLEMS THERE ALSO.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES UNTIL 4AM CST BUT MAY BE
CANCELLED WHEN THESE STORMS MOVE OUT OF THE AREA.

NNNN
Special weather statement, Jan 15, 12:45 AM CST, 2 hours 17 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-150740-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1244 AM CST TUE JAN 15 1991

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM TUESDAY MORNING
FOR CALCASIEU...CAMERON...ALLEN...BEAUREGARD...JEFFERSON DAVIS...AND
ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS OF CAMERON.

AT 1229 AM...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS SHOWN FROM THE KIRBYVILLE
TEXAS AREA...ACROSS SABINE PASS...TO 70 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CAMERON LOUISIANA.
THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

WITH THIS PRESENT SPEED AND DIRECTION THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE
ACROSS AND INTO CENTRAL BEAUREGARD...CALCASIEU...AND WEST CAMERON PARISHES
DURING THE NEXT HOUR.  STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND SMALL HAIL CAN BE ANTICIPATED WITH
THE THUNDERSTORMS.

OTHERWISE...THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS PART OF A LARGE AREA OF RAIN
MIXED WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTENDED WEST OF A WHITE LAKE...
VILLE PLATTE...JENA LINE...OVER TEXAS TO THE GALVESTON...
LAKE LIVINGSTON...AND SAN AUGUSTINE AREAS.

RAIN AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...WERE DETECTED
OVER THE COASTAL WATERS FROM WHITE LAKE LOUISIANA TO FREEPORT
TEXAS.
Special weather statement, Jan 15, 1:01 AM CST, 2 hours 1 minute before
TXZ046-048-150800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX
101 AM CST TUE JAN 15 1991

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CANCELLED THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

A SPECIAL MARINE WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 130AM CST.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED EASTWARD INTO LOUISIANA AND NO
LONGER POSE A THREAT OVERLAND.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED FROM NEAR BON WEIR TO
CAMERON..LOUISIANA TO 40 SOUTH OF SEA RIM STATE PARK.  STORMS WERE
MOVING NORTHEAST AT AROUND 30 MPH.

SOME WIND DAMAGE AND MARBLE SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN JEFFERSON COUNTY
TEXAS AS THE STORMS MOVED THROUGH.  SMALL HAIL WAS ALSO REPORTED IN
BRIDGE CITY.
DJK

NNNN
Local storm report, Jan 15, 1:12 AM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes before
ATTN SELS BPT

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX
115AM CST TUE JAN 15 1991

MIDNIGHT CST BIG HILL PETROLEUM RESERVE APPROX 240/16 FROM BPT...
             TWO MOBILE HOMES DAMAGED...OTHER SMALL BUILDINGS DAMAGED
             ALSO.

1215-30AM   REPORTS FROM PUBLIC OF 1/4 INCH TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL AT
            BRIDGE CITY, PORT ARTHUR AND PORT ACRES.

DJK
Special weather statement, Jan 15, 2:51 AM CST, 11 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-150930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
248 AM CST TUE JAN 15 1991

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR CALCASIEU...CAMERON...ALLEN..
BEAUREGARD...JEFFERSON DAVIS...AND THE ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS OF
CAMERON HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

AT 245 AM...THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY OVER THE NAMED PARISHES HAD DECREASED
IN INTENSITY. RAIN AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER THE AREAD BUT THE
THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAD DIMINISHED.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 15, 12:42 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCalcasieu, Cameron63 min
Jan 15, 1:40 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHCameron, Vermilion60 min
Jan 15, 1:43 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAcadia, Jefferson Davis62 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991

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.