Alert archive / Louisiana / Flash Flood Warnings in 1995

Flash Flood Warning 31, NWS Lake Charles, LA

December 18, 1995Lafayette Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this flash flood warning at Dec 18, 1995, 3:30 PM CST for Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 18, 1995, 3:30 PM CST (21:30 UTC)
Expired
Dec 18, 1995, 8:00 PM CST
In force
5 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, 9.5 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 1995-12-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 454 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 1995-12-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 336 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
454 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-51 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
538 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
60 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
336 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
394 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
5.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KLCH 182128
FFWLCH
LAC055-190200-

BULLETIN
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
330 PM CST MON DEC 18 1995

...FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE VERMILION RIVER...

THE VERMILION RIVER AT SURREY STREET BRIDGE IN LAFAYETTE WAS
AT 14.51 FEET AT 315 PM DOWN FROM 14.71 FEET AT NOON.
THE RIVER HAS CRESTED. HOWEVER...WE WILL MONITOR DUE TO RUNOFF
THIS EVENING.

FLOOD STAGE IS 10 FEET. AT 13 FEET...SOME MINOR FLOODING OF PROPERTY
OCCURS...WITH SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OF HOMES ABOVE 14 FEET.

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, Dec 18, 12:19 PM CST, 3 hours 11 minutes before
LAZ030-182115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1219 PM CST MON DEC 18 1995

...HIGH WATER AT BUNDICKS LAKE IN BEAUREGARD PARISH...

THE 10 AM READING AT BUNDICKS LAKE WAS AT 97 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL.
MODERATE FLOODING BEGINS AT 98 FEET. DUE TO RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINS
NORTH OF THE LAKE...A LEVEL OF 98 FEET CAN BE EXPECTED DURING THE
NEXT THREE HOURS.

THOSE WITH LAKEFRONT PROPERTY SHOULD TAKE PROTECTIVE MEASURES.
Special weather statement, Dec 18, 2:32 PM CST, 58 minutes before
LAZ028-029-031>033-042>045-051>055-182215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
232 PM CST MON DEC 18 1995

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 1080 CANCELLED FOR SOUTHWESTERN...CENTRAL
...AND MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 1080 CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING PARISHES IN
SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

...UPPER ST MARTIN...LOWER ST MARTIN...AND ST MARY...

AND IS CANCELLED FOR VERMILION...LAFAYETTE...ST LANDRY AND ALL OTHER
PARISHES NORTH AND WEST.

DOPPLER RADAR INDICATES SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS  MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH
INTO THE ATCHAFALAYA BASIN. THE CITIES OF LAFAYETTE AND ALEXANDRIA
ARE NO LONGER IN THE WATCH AREA.

...AND
COMBINE FORCES ACROSS THE AREA TODAY TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN
AND SOME SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT
POSSIBLY CAUSING SOME FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND SOME SMALL
STREAMS.

THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND STRONG
WINDS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION
ON THIS RAPIDLY DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
Special weather statement, Dec 18, 2:33 PM CST, 57 minutes before
LAZ028-029-031>033-042>045-051>055-182215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
232 PM CST MON DEC 18 1995

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 1080 CANCELLED FOR SOUTHWESTERN...CENTRAL
...AND MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 1080 CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING PARISHES IN
SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

...UPPER ST MARTIN...LOWER ST MARTIN...AND ST MARY...

AND IS CANCELLED FOR VERMILION...LAFAYETTE...ST LANDRY AND ALL OTHER
PARISHES NORTH AND WEST.

DOPPLER RADAR INDICATES SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS  MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH
INTO THE ATCHAFALAYA BASIN. THE CITIES OF LAFAYETTE AND ALEXANDRIA
ARE NO LONGER IN THE WATCH AREA.

...AND
COMBINE FORCES ACROSS THE AREA TODAY TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN
AND SOME SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT
POSSIBLY CAUSING SOME FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND SOME SMALL
STREAMS.

THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREADT WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND STRONG
WINDS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION
ON THIS RAPIDLY DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
Local storm report, Dec 18, 3:11 PM CST, 19 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
312 PM CST MON DEC 18 1995

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
DATE       ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0630 AM    5 S WARREN              TX     WIND DAMAGE
12/17/95   TYLER                          SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN
                                          ON HWY 69.

0745 AM    JASPER                  TX     WIND  DAMAGE
12/18/95   JASPER
                     SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN.
Local storm report, Dec 18, 3:12 PM CST, 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
312 PM CST MON DEC 18 1995

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
DATE       ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0630 AM    5 S WARREN              TX     WIND DAMAGE
12/17/95   TYLER                          SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN
                                          ON HWY 69.

0745 AM    JASPER                  TX     WIND  DAMAGE
12/18/95   JASPER                         SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 17, 7:22 PM CSTTornado WarningLCHAcadia53 min
Dec 17, 10:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCameron37 min
Dec 18, 12:18 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHLafayette3 hr
Dec 18, 1:35 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHLafayette2 hr
Dec 18, 3:28 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHLafayette4 hr
Dec 18, 3:48 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard, Vernon42 min
Dec 18, 5:46 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHVernon59 min
Dec 18, 7:31 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHLafayette4 hr
Dec 18, 10:43 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHBeauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis3 hr
Dec 18, 10:43 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHRapides3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Louisiana, 1995Every flash flood warning in 1995

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.