Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 96, NWS Lake Charles, LA

September 9, 1997Jefferson County, Texas

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 9, 1997, 4:55 PM CDT for Jefferson County, Texas. It was in force for 65 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
Sep 9, 1997, 4:55 PM CDT (21:55 UTC)
Expired
Sep 9, 1997, 6:00 PM CDT
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Jefferson County, TX

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:58 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Sep 9, 5:00 PM CDTHail 0.75Beaumont, 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 nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 96 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 1997-09-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 936 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 1997-09-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -32 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
936 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-62 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1132 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-32 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-5 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KLCH 092155 RRA
SVRLCH
TXC245-092300-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
455 PM CDT TUE SEP 9 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  600 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
 
   ...JEFFERSON COUNTY
 
AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS
 
AT 450 PM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER FANNETT.
REPORTS OF MARBLE SIZED HAIL HAVE ALREADY BEEN REPORTED WITH THIS STORM.
 
AS THIS STORM MOVES SOUTH AT 10 MPH...THE TOWNS OF HAMPSHIRE AND FANNETT
WILL BE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS. THE PRMARY THREAT WILL BE HAIL
LARGER THAN 0.75 INCHES...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR @HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
 
ERICKSON

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 Sep 9, 3:30 PM CDT, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 9, 3:30 PM CDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS..SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
329 PM CDT TUE SEP 9 1997

NEW TSTM ACTIVITY FIRING UP IN EAST TEXAS. AFTER CONFERRING WITH
SIL...SUGGEST WE RAISE POPS TNITE TO 30% EARLY...20% LATE.
11

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 9, 1:23 PM CDT, 3 hours 32 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
123 PM CDT TUE SEP 9 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1250 PM    PICKERING                 LA   0.75 INCH HAIL
09/09/97   VERNON                         REPORT AT HIGH SCHOOL

ERICKSON
Local storm report, Sep 9, 1:24 PM CDT, 3 hours 31 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
123 PM CDT TUE SEP 9 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1250 PM    PICKERING                 LA   0.75 INCH HAIL
09/09/97   VERNON                         REPORT AT HIGH SCHOOL

ERICKSON
Special weather statement, Sep 9, 1:35 PM CDT, 3 hours 20 minutes before
LAZ030-027-091915-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
136 PM CDT TUE SEP 9 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING CANCELLED FOR VERNON PARISH...

AT 130 PM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM BETWEEN
LEESVILLE AND DERIDDER IN VERNON PARISH HAD WEAKENED.

0.75 INCH HAIL WAS REPORTED AT THE JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN
PICKERING AT 1250 PM.

THIS STORM IS NOW LOCATED NEAR DERIDDER IN BEAUREGARD PARISH. WHILE THE
STORM IS NOT SEVERE AT THIS TIME...SMALL HAIL...WIND GUSTS TO 30
MPH...AND AS MUCH AS ONE-HALF INCH OF RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE AS THE STORM
MOVES SOUTH AT 20 MPH.

ERICKSON

&
Special weather statement, Sep 9, 1:36 PM CDT, 3 hours 19 minutes before
LAZ030-027-091915-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
136 PM CDT TUE SEP 9 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING CANCELLED FOR VERNON PARISH...

AT 130 PM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM BETWEEN
LEESVILLE AND DERIDDER IN VERNON PARISH HAD WEAKENED.

0.75 INCH HAIL WAS REPORTED AT THE JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN
PICKERING AT 1250 PM.

THIS STORM IS NOW LOCATED NEAR DERIDDER IN BEAUREGARD PARISH. WHILE THE
STORM IS NOT SEVERE AT THIS TIME...SMALL HAIL...WIND GUSTS TO 30
MPH...AND AS MUCH AS ONE-HALF INCH OF RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE AS THE STORM
MOVES SOUTH AT 20 MPH.

ERICKSON

&

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 9, 4:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHHardin61 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.