Alert archive / Louisiana / Flash Flood Warnings in 1993

Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Lake Charles, LA

January 20, 1993Lafayette Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this flash flood warning at Jan 20, 1993, 1:03 PM CST for Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jan 20, 1993, 1:03 PM CST (19:03 UTC)
Expired
Jan 20, 1993, 5:00 PM CST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Lafayette Parish, LA

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 110 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 1993-01-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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 1993-01-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 146 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
530 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
146 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
212 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 201912 COR
FFWLCH
LAC055-202300-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED...CORRECTION
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
103 PM CST WED JAN 20 1993

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A
FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  500 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA

   ...LAFAYETTE PARISH

AT 100 PM CST THE LAFAYETTE PARISH SHERIFFS OFFICE REPORTED THAT PARTS
OF HIGHWAYS 167 AND 90 HEADING WEST WERE BEGINNING TO FLOOD.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS..WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL..CONTINUED IN THE
CITY OF LAFAYETTE WITH MOST MAJOR ROADS INTO THE CITY CLOSED.
INTERSTATES 49 AND 10 REMAIN OPEN THOUGH.

RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO FALL THROUGHOUT THE PARISH FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL
HOURS..FURTHER ADDING TO THE ALREADY SATURATED CONDITIONS.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

A FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 20, 7:35 AM CST, 5 hours 28 minutes before
LAZ005>009-011>014-MSZ010-TXZ028-032-033-045>049-201440-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
735 AM CST WED JAN 20 1993

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL
   LOUISIANA THIS MORNING...

AT 725 AM...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE LOCATED
NEAR WHITE LAKE..JUST SOUTH OF CROWLEY..JUST NORTHEAST OF DE RIDDER..
AND JUST NORTH OF KOUNTZ TEXAS.

LOCAL STREET FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS OVER
PORTIONS OF CAMERON..ACADIA..AND LAFAYETTE PARISHES DURING THE
NEXT HOUR AS THEY MOVE NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

OTHERWISE..RAIN AND SHOWERS..WITH WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS..
CONTTINUED OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS..SOUTHERN LOUISIANA..AND THE NORTHERN
GULF FROM FREEPORT TEXAS TO LAKE LIVINGSTON TO JENA TO EAST OF BATON
ROUGE TO 50 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GALVESTON.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jan 20, 8:42 AM CST, 4 hours 21 minutes before
LAZ005>009-011>014-MSZ010-TXZ028-032-033-045>049-201540-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
842 AM CST WED JAN 20 1993

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL
   LOUISIANA THIS MORNING...

AT 826 AM...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WERE LOCATED
NEAR WHITE LAKE...JUST SOUTH OF LAFAYETTE...AND JUST SOUTH OF BEAUMONT.

LOCAL STREET FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AS NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO PASS
OVERHEAD AT 35 MILES AN HOUR FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS.  LOCALIZE RAINFALL OF
2 TO 4 INCHES BEING REPORTED OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL
LOUISIANA.

OTHERWISE..RAIN AND SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL...COVERED MUCH OF THE AREA BETWEEN NATCHEZ MISSISSIPPI AND
HUNTSVILLE TEXAS AND EXTENDED TO ALONG THE COAST AND OUT TO 30 MILES
OFFSHORE FROM FREEPORlT TEXAS TO WHITE LAKE.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jan 20, 9:49 AM CST, 3 hours 14 minutes before
LAZ005>009-011>014-MSZ010-TXZ028-032-033-045>049-201640-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
948 AM CST WED JAN 20 1993

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR LAFAYETTE PARISH IN SOUTHWEST
   LOUISIANA UNTIL 130 PM THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...
...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL
   LOUISIANA THIS MORNING...

AT 925 AM...WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WERE
SHOWN FROM JUST EAST OF LAFAYETTE TO 35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LAFAYETTE...
AND BETWEEN OAKDALE AND JUST EAST OF KIRBYVILLE TEXAS.

PERSONS IN LAFAYETTE PARISH CAN EXPECT ADDITIONAL RAINFALL IN EXCESS OF
2 INCHES IN THE NEXT 2 HOURS.  THE LAFAYETTE SHERIFFS OFFICE REPORTED THAT
MAJOR FLOODING WAS OCCURRING IN THE LAFAYETTE AREA.  SOME ROADS AND STREETS
WERE CLOSED WHILE ADDITIONAL ROADS AND STREETS WERE IN THE PROCESS OF BEING
CLOSED.  PERSONS IN LAFAYETTE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT MOST DEATHS DURING FLASH
FLOODING OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES..DIPS OR
LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATERS..MOVE TO
HIGHER GROUNDS.

PERSONS IN THE REMAINDER OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA SHOULD REMAIN
ALERT TO POSSIBLE FLOODING AS HEAVY RAINS WILL CONTINUE FOR AT LEAST THE
NEXT FEW HOURS.  STREET FLOODING AND FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS IS POSSIBLE
FOR MOST OF THE AREA.

OTHERWISE..RAIN AND SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY
RAINFALL...COVERED MUCH OF THE AREA FROM ALONG AND SOUTH OF A NATCHEZ
MISSISSIPPI...NATCHITOCHES...HOUSTON LINE.  THE PRECIPITATION EXTENDED TO
JUST SOUTH OF BATON ROUGE AND THEN TO ALONG THE COAST AND OUT TO 25 MILES
OFFSHORE FROM WHITE LAKE TO FREEPORT TEXAS.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 20, 4:07 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCameron68 min
Jan 20, 9:21 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHLafayette4 hr
Jan 20, 11:08 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHAcadia4 hr
Jan 20, 2:00 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHVermilion3 hr
Jan 20, 5:11 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHLafayette, Vermilion2 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Louisiana, 1993Every flash flood warning in 1993

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.