Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 44, NWS New Orleans, LA

February 13, 1997Orleans Parish, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana

NWS New Orleans, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 13, 1997, 1:04 AM CST for Orleans Parish, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 26 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
Feb 13, 1997, 1:04 AM CST (07:04 UTC)
Expired
Feb 13, 1997, 1:30 AM CST
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS New Orleans, LA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Orleans Parish, LA, Plaquemines Parish, LA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Feb 13, 1:10 AM CSTThunderstorm WindNew Orleans, LA

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Feb 12, 9:15 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 52 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 1997-02-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 1997-02-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 690 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
536 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
74 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
690 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
1324 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 13, 12:10 AM CST, 54 minutes before
LAZ061-062-064-060-058-040-038-130915-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1210 AM CST THU FEB 13 1997

...HIGH WIND GUSTS CAN BE EXPECTED ON THE ELEVATED HIGHWAYS IN AND
AROUND THE NEW ORLEANS METRO AREA...

STRONG WIND GUSTS NEAR 50 MPH WERE AFFECTING THE NEW ORLEANS METRO AREA
JUST ABOVE THE GROUND LEVEL. AS A RESULT...DRIVING WILL BE HAZARDOUS
WHILE CROSSING THE ELEVATED PORTIONS OF I-10...THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
BRIDGES AND THE LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN SPANS.

AT MIDNIGHT...ORLEANS PARISH OFFICIALS REPORTED A COUPLE OF VEHICLES MAY
HAVE BEEN BLOWN OFF I-10.  RADAR INDICATED WINDS NEAR 50 MPH OCCURRING
JUST A FEW HUNDRED FEET ABOVE THE GROUND.

MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO USE EXTREME CAUTION WHILE TRAVELLING ACROSS THE
REGION TONIGHT. HOLD THE STEERING WHEEL WITH BOTH HANDS AND MAINTAIN A
SAFE SPEED AND DISTANCE FROM OTHER VEHICLES.  THE HIGH WINDS SHOULD
DIMINISH AROUND SUNRISE.

&
Special weather statement, Feb 13, 12:16 AM CST, 48 minutes before
LAZ061-062-064-060-058-040-038-130915-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1210 AM CST THU FEB 13 1997

...HIGH WIND GUSTS CAN BE EXPECTED ON THE ELEVATED HIGHWAYS IN AND
AROUND THE NEW ORLEANS METRO AREA...

STRONG WIND GUSTS NEAR 50 MPH WERE AFFECTING THE NEW ORLEANS METRO AREA
JUST ABOVE THE GROUND LEVEL. AS A RESULT...DRIVING WILL BE HAZARDOUS
WHILE CROSSING THE ELEVATED PORTIONS OF I-10...THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
BRIDGES AND THE LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN SPANS.

AT MIDNIGHT...ORLEANS PARISH OFFICIALS REPORTED A COUPLE OF VEHICLES MAY
HAVE BEEN BLOWN OFF I-10.  RADAR INDICATED WINDS NEAR 50 MPH OCCURRING
JUST A FEW HUNDRED FEET ABOVE THE GROUND.

MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO USE EXTREME CAUTION WHILE TRAVELLING ACROSS THE
REGION TONIGHT. HOLD THE STEERING WHEEL WITH BOTH HANDS AND MAINTAIN A
SAFE SPEED AND DISTANCE FROM OTHER VEHICLES.  THE HIGH WINDS SHOULD
DIMINISH AROUND SUNRISE.

&

The office that day

Everything else NWS New Orleans, LA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 12, 11:43 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXLafourche, Terrebonne32 min
Feb 13, 12:22 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLIXLafourche, Terrebonne2 hr
Feb 13, 12:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXJefferson, Saint Charles51 min
Feb 13, 1:29 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXSaint Bernard31 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Louisiana, 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.