Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 203

April 26, 199736 parishes in Louisiana

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 26, 1997, 11:00 PM CDT for 36 parishes in Louisiana. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 26, 1997, 11:00 PM CDT (04:00 UTC)
Expired
Apr 27, 1997, 5:00 AM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 36 counties

Acadia Parish, LA, Allen Parish, LA, Ascension Parish, LA, Assumption Parish, LA, Avoyelles Parish, LA, Beauregard Parish, LA, Calcasieu Parish, LA, Cameron Parish, LA, East Baton Rouge Parish, LA, East Feliciana Parish, LA, Evangeline Parish, LA, Iberia Parish, LA, Iberville Parish, LA, Jefferson Davis Parish, LA, Jefferson Parish, LA, Lafayette Parish, LA, Lafourche Parish, LA, Livingston Parish, LA, Orleans Parish, LA, Pointe Coupee Parish, LA, Rapides Parish, LA, Saint Charles Parish, LA, Saint Helena Parish, LA, Saint James Parish, LA, Saint John the Baptist Parish, LA, Saint Landry Parish, LA, Saint Martin Parish, LA, Saint Tammany Parish, LA, St. Mary Parish, LA, Tangipahoa Parish, LA, Terrebonne Parish, LA, Vermilion Parish, LA, Vernon Parish, LA, Washington Parish, LA, West Baton Rouge Parish, LA, West Feliciana Parish, LA

Warnings issued inside it

10 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 26, 11:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXWest Feliciana30 min
Apr 26, 11:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHLafayette54 min
Apr 27, 12:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXPointe Coupee46 min
Apr 27, 1:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXWest Feliciana30 min
Apr 27, 1:33 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXWest Feliciana27 min
Apr 27, 1:40 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXPointe Coupee, West Feliciana20 min
Apr 27, 1:53 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXEast Feliciana, West Feliciana37 min
Apr 27, 2:33 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXEast Baton Rouge, East Feliciana42 min
Apr 27, 3:24 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLIXEast Feliciana, Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana3 hr
Apr 27, 3:50 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLIXEast Feliciana, Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana3 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 121 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 00:00Z on 1997-04-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 73 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 00:00Z on 1997-04-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 139 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
73 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-281 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
600 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
139 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
180 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

011 
WWUS9 KMKC 270327
SEL3  
MKC WW 270327
LAZ000-271000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 203
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1027 PM CDT SAT APR 26 1997

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR ALL OR PORTIONS OF

   SOUTHERN LOUISIANA                          
   AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING FROM 1100 PM UNTIL
500 AM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 60 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FORT POLK LOUISIANA TO
30 MILES EAST OF NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

DISCUSSION...STORMS RAPIDLY INTENSIFYING ALONG LA COAST NORTH OF
WARM FRONT.  VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS BEING LIFTED WITH FAVORABLE
SHEAR PROFILES FOR SUPERCELLS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES MOVING INLAND.


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 22035.


...HALES

313,0933 305,0894 290,0894 294,0933

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 27, 12:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne and 20 more6 hr
Apr 27, 4:15 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAscension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Concordia, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana and 24 more6 hr
Apr 27, 10:00 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAscension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Jefferson and 15 more6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 1997Every tornado watch 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.