Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 65, NWS Lake Charles, LA
NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 17, 1997, 6:30 AM CDT for Tyler County, Texas. It was in force for 60 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
- Jun 17, 1997, 6:30 AM CDT (11:30 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 17, 1997, 7:30 AM CDT
- In force
- 60 min
- Issued by
- NWS Lake Charles, LA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Tyler County, TX
The radar
The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 132 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:29 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 6:46 AM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester, TX |
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.
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 6:30 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 134 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
- 3629 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -1 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 691 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 34 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 70 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.4
- Supercell composite
- 2.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KLCH 171130 RRA SVRLCH TXC457-171230- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 630 AM CDT TUE JUN 17 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 730 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS ...TYLER COUNTY AT 625 AM...LAKE CHARLES DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES WEST OF CHESTER MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. THE COMMUNITIES OF CHESTER AND COLMESNIEL ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THIS STORM IS WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD PREPARE FOR DAM&AGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER... PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jun 17, 2:00 AM CDT, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 17, 2:00 AM CDT, 4 hours 30 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS..SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 200 AM CDT TUE JUN 17 1997 FORECAST TODAY WILL FOCUS ON APPROACHING MID-UPPER LOW WHICH IS CURRENTLY SPINNING OVR TX PANHANDLE. PREFER NGM MOVEMENT WHICH IS SLIGHTLY SLOWER THAN AVN/ETA SOLNS. INGREDIENTS WILL BE PRESENT FOR HVY RAIN AND SVR TSTMS AS FA IS IN RR QUAD OF 70+ KNOT JET AT 18 HRS. WITH UNSTABLE ATMOS IN PLACE...-8 LI WITH SOME HEATING... AND PWS NEAR 2 IN...EXPECT ORGANIZED CONVECTION ACROSS WESTERN SECTIONS OF FA LATER THIS MORNING AND THIS WILL PROGRESS EASTWARD DURING THE DAY. AM CONCERNED THAT TRAINING WILL OCCUR ACROSS SE TX AS SFC FRNT BECOMES STATIONARY JUST NW OF FA. WILL THEREFORE SUGGEST A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR SE TX ZONES. ACTIVITY WILL PROGRESS EASTWARD DURING THE DAY. BEST CHC OF SVR TSTMS WILL OCCUR ACROSS CEN LA AND SE TX WHERE BEST INSTABILITY AND HIGHEST 850 THTE VALUES ARE PROGGED. MODELS SHOW POS TILT MID-UPPER LEVEL TROF TO REMAIN OVR FA WHICH SPELLS COOLER TEMPS ALOFT AND CONTINUED INSTABILITY. WILL THEREFORE INCLUDE CHC POPS ON WED WITH AFT HEATING. WOULD LIKE TO WORD ZONES WITH LOCALLY HVY RAINFALL AND POSSIBLY SVR TODAY...AREAWIDE. WILL ISSUE SVR TSTM AND HEAVY RAIN OUTLOOK THIS MORNING. IT WILL BE BREEZY TODAY AS PRES GRADIENT INCREASES. HIGHS SHUD GET CLOSE TO 90...NOT FAR TO GO WHEN YOU START FROM THE UPPER 70S. 1 BPT 89/76/90 624 LCH 89/77/90 634 LFT 90/76/91 634 AEX 90/76/90 634
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jun 17, 5:04 AM CDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
LAZ043-031-029-030-041-051-032-053-042-044-055-028-033-054-045- 052-027-TXZ201-181-215-182-216-180-171600- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 504 AM CDT TUE JUN 17 1997 ...HEAVY RAIN AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA... THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY ACROSS SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHCENTRAL LOUISIANA. A FLOOD AND FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. AN UNSEASONABLE...STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST TODAY ACROSS NORTHERN TEXAS. AS IT DOES...A COLD FRONT WILL ALSO PROGRESS EASTWARD AND STALL THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...STRONG AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND MOVE ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS IN A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. THEY ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE EAST ACROSS LOUISIANA DURING THE DAY. BECAUSE THE FRONT WILL STALL ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS...ADDITONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT MAY OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON CREATING THE POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FLOODING ALONG AND NEAR THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. LATEST SURFACE AND UPPER AIR OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT LARGE HAIL ...DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATIONS FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. BE READY TO SEEK SHELTER SHOULD A WARNING BE ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA.
Special weather statement, Jun 17, 5:07 AM CDT, 1 hour 23 minutes before
LAZ043-031-029-030-041-051-032-053-042-044-055-028-033-054-045- 052-027-TXZ201-181-215-182-216-180-171600- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 504 AM CDT TUE JUN 17 1997 ...HEAVY RAIN AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA... THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY ACROSS SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHCENTRAL LOUISIANA. A FLOOD AND FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. AN UNSEASONABLE...STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST TODAY ACROSS NORTHERN TEXAS. AS IT DOES...A COLD FRONT WILL ALSO PROGRESS EASTWARD AND STALL THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...STRONG AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND MOVE ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS IN A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. THEY ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE EAST ACROSS LOUISIANA DURING THE DAY. BECAUSE THE FRONT WILL STALL ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS...ADDITONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT MAY OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON CREATING THE POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FLOODING ALONG AND NEAR THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. LATEST SURFACE AND UPPER AIR OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT LARGE HAIL ...DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATIONS FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. BE READY TO SEEK SHELTER SHOULD A WARNING BE ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Lake Charles, LA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 7:10 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Jasper | 65 min |
| Jun 17, 9:37 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Hardin | 38 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997
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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.