Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 1995
Tornado Warning 52, NWS Lake Charles, LA
NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Dec 17, 1995, 1:36 PM CST for Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 54 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
- Dec 17, 1995, 1:36 PM CST (19:36 UTC)
- Expired
- Dec 17, 1995, 2:30 PM CST
- In force
- 54 min
- Issued by
- NWS Lake Charles, LA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Avoyelles Parish, LA
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 17, 1:40 PM CST | Tornado F0 | Effie, LA | One roof blown off residence and one barn destroyed. Several trees and power lines blown down. |
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, 7.6 hours before the alert went out and 156 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 675 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -31 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 573 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 239 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 246 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.5
- Supercell composite
- 4.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KLCH 171936 TORLCH LAC009-172030- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 136 PM CST SUN DEC 17 1995 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 230 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN EAST CENTRAL LOUISIANA ...AVOYELLES PARISH AT 130 PM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO IN NORTHWEST AVOYELLES PARISH OR ABOUT 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF MARKSVILLE. THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH AND WILL EXIT THE PARISH BY 200 PM. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS... OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS. &
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.
NWS Lake Charles, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Dec 16, 8:55 PM CST, 16 hours 41 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 16, 8:55 PM CST, 16 hours 41 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS..SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 850 PM CST SAT DEC 16 1995 NO BIG ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED TO CURRENT FCST. FOG IS AGAIN QUESTION OF THE NIGHT. APPEARS DENSE FOG ADVISORY MAY BE IN ORDER AGAIN...BUT WILL HOLD OFF. LOWS WILL NEED TO BE LOWERED IN CENTRAL LA. 8 TX ZONES... @1 TYLER JASPER NEWTON @2 HARDIN ORANGE JEFFERSON LA ZONES... @1 VERNON RAPIDES AVOYELLES BEAUREGARD ALLEN EVANGELINE ST LANDRY @2 CALCASIEU JEFFERSON DAVIS ACADIA LAFAYETTE UPPER ST MARTIN CAMERON VERMILION IBERIA LOWER ST MARTIN ST MARY
In the hours before
Local storm report, Dec 17, 11:35 AM CST, 2 hours 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1135 AM CST SUN DEC 17 1995
TIME(CST) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
DATE ....COUNTY LOCATION....
0930 AM BURKEVILLE TX WIND DAMAGE
12/17/95 NEWTON TREE BLOWN DOWN ON HWY 1415.
0930 AM 5 S KOUNTZE TX WIND DAMAGE
12/17/95 HARDIN TREE BLOWN DOWN ON HWY 326.
0935 AM KIRBYVILLE TX WIND DAMAGE
12/17/95 JASPER DAMAGE TO BANKING CENTER...
PART OF ROOF BLOWN OFF...
NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER
LINES BLOWN DOWN.Local storm report, Dec 17, 11:36 AM CST, 2 hours before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1135 AM CST SUN DEC 17 1995
TIME(CST) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
DATE ....COUNTY LOCATION....
0930 AM BURKEVILLE TX WIND DAMAGE
12/17/95 NEWTON TREE BLOWN DOWN ON HWY 1415.
0930 AM 5 S KOUNTZE TX WIND DAMAGE
12/17/95 HARDIN TREE BLOWN DOWN ON HWY 326.
0935 AM KIRBYVILLE TX WIND DAMAGE
12/17/95 JASPER DAMAGE TO BANKING CENTER...
PART OF ROOF BLOWN OFF...
NUMEROUS TREERS AND POWER
LINES BLOWN DOWN.The office that day
Everything else NWS Lake Charles, LA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 17, 10:21 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Beauregard, Vernon | 39 min |
| Dec 17, 12:41 PM CST | Tornado Warning | LCH | Evangeline | 49 min |
| Dec 17, 1:15 PM CST | Tornado Warning | LCH | Saint Landry | 60 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 1995Every tornado warning in 1995Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.