Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 45, NWS New Orleans, LA

February 13, 1997Saint Bernard Parish, Louisiana

NWS New Orleans, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 13, 1997, 1:29 AM CST for Saint Bernard Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 31 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Feb 13, 1997, 1:29 AM CST (07:29 UTC)
Expired
Feb 13, 1997, 2:00 AM CST
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS New Orleans, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Saint Bernard Parish, LA

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, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 43 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

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

000 
TTAA00 KNEW 130732 RRA
SVRNEW
LAC087-130800-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
129 AM CST THU FEB 13 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW ORLEANS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  200 AM CST
FOR RESIDENTS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
 
   ...ST. BERNARD PARISH
 
AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS
 
AT 130 AM CST...RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE
VICINITY OF CHALMETTE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 40 TO 50 MPH. THESE STORMS
HAVE A HISTORY OF DOWNING POWER LINES AND TREES DURING THE PAST COUPLE
OF HOURS IN OTHER PARISHES TO THE WEST.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
 
 
&

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, 1 hour 19 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, 1 hour 13 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, 1:04 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXOrleans, Plaquemines26 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.