Alert archive / Louisiana / Flash Flood Warnings in 1998

Flash Flood Warning 46, NWS Lake Charles, LA

March 7, 1998Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this flash flood warning at Mar 7, 1998, 6:45 AM CST for Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 2 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 7, 1998, 6:45 AM CST (12:45 UTC)
Expired
Mar 7, 1998, 8:45 AM CST
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Calcasieu Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 18 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:45 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 19 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 1998-03-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 666 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 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 1998-03-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 201 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 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
666 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-108 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
549 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
201 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
285 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KLCH 071246
FFWLCH
LAC019-071445-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
645 AM CST SAT MAR 7 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES LA HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 845 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA

   ...CALCASIEU PARISH

AT 640 AM...A LARGE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING INTO WESTERN
CALCASIEU PARISH AT 20 MPH.

DUE TO THE SIZE AND SLOW MOVEMENT OF THIS STORM...FLASH FLOODING IS
EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF LAKE CHARLES.

EXPECT TWO TO THREE INCHES OF RAIN TO FALL BY 800 AM...WITH
ISOLATED SPOTS OF FOUR INCHES.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY. REMEMBER...MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS OCCUR IN
AUTOMOBILES.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 flash flood warning went out at Mar 7, 1:55 AM CST, 4 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 7, 1:55 AM CST, 4 hours 50 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS..SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
155 AM CST SAT MAR 7 1998

STRONGEST ACTIVITY NOW PUSHING NORTHEAST OF FA WITH ACTIVITY
REDEVELOPING ALONG COASTAL SECTIONS WHERE JET SUPPORT CONTINUES. NEXT
BOUT OF SEVERE WEATHER STILL ON TAP BEGINNING LATE THIS MORNING...
CONTINUING INTO THIS EVENING WHEN SURFACE COLD FRONT SWEEPS EAST
ACROSS FA. MODELS STILL SHOWING IMPRESSIVE DIRECTIONAL DIVERGENCE
UPSTREAM DEVELOPING/DEEPENING UPPER LEVEL LOW. FLASH FLOOD WATCH
THROUGH THIS EVENING STILL LOOKS GOOD DUE TO RECENT RAINS...00Z LCH
SOUNDING SHOWED PW VALUES AROUND 1.7 INCHES. PATCHY FOG REDEVELOPING
ALONG COASTAL SECTIONS THIS MORNING...HOWEVER NOT EXPECTING WIDESPREAD
DENSE FOG. LITTLE CHANGE IN TEMPERTURES EXPECTED TODAY AS THICKNESSES
CHANGE LITTLE.
09

BPT 76/57/65 850
LCH 75/59/65 850  LFT 74/60/66 860  AEX 70/56/64 870

TX ZONES...

LA ZONES...

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 7, 6:03 AM CST, 42 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
603 AM CST SAT MAR 7 1998

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

545 AM     5 W NEW IBERIA         LA      0.75 INCH HAIL
03/07/98   IBERIA

ERICKSON
Local storm report, Mar 7, 6:03 AM CST, 42 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
603 AM CST SAT MAR 7 1998

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

545 AM     5 W NEW IBERIA         LA      0.75 INCH HAIL
03/07/98   IBERIA

ERICKSON
Local storm report, Mar 7, 6:19 AM CST, 26 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
619 AM CST SAT MAR 7 1998

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

555 AM     LUMBERTON              TX      0.75 INCH HAIL
03/07/98   HARDIN

605 AM     PORT ARTHUR            TX      58 MPH WIND GUST
03/07/98   JEFFERSON                      REPORT BY TUGBOAT OPERATOR

605 AM     BRIDGE CITY            TX     0.75 INCH HAIL
03/07/98   ORANGE                        ALSO REPORTS OF SEVERAL STREETS
                                         UNDER WATER DUE TO STREET
                                         FLOODING

ERICKSON
Local storm report, Mar 7, 6:19 AM CST, 26 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
619 AM CST SAT MAR 7 1998

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

555 AM     LUMBERTON              TX      0.75 INCH HAIL
03/07/98   HARDIN

605 AM     PORT ARTHUR            TX      58 MPH WIND GUST
03/07/98   JEFFERSON                      REPORT BY TUGBOAT OPERATOR

605 AM     BRIDGE CITY            TX     0.75 INCH HAIL
03/07/98   ORANGE                        ALSO REPORTS OF SEVERAL STREETS
                                         UNDER WATER DUE TO STREET
                                         FLOODING

ERICKSON
Local storm report, Mar 7, 6:41 AM CST, 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
641 AM CST SAT MAR 7 1998

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

500 AM     MERMENTAU              LA      0.75 INCH HAIL
03/07/98   ACADIA

ERICKSON
Local storm report, Mar 7, 6:41 AM CST, 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
641 AM CST SAT MAR 7 1998

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

500 AM     MERMENTAU              LA      0.75 INCH HAIL
03/07/98   ACADIA

ERICKSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 6, 11:48 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJefferson Davis
Mar 7, 2:42 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCameron63 min
Mar 7, 3:41 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAllen59 min
Mar 7, 3:51 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCameron34 min
Mar 7, 3:57 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHVermilion58 min
Mar 7, 4:36 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHRapides59 min
Mar 7, 4:40 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHVermilion65 min
Mar 7, 4:55 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAcadia45 min
Mar 7, 5:11 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard44 min
Mar 7, 5:17 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHIberia63 min
Mar 7, 5:57 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCalcasieu43 min
Mar 7, 6:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCameron61 min
Mar 7, 6:36 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCalcasieu49 min
Mar 7, 7:50 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJefferson Davis40 min
Mar 7, 1:26 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard44 min
Mar 7, 1:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAllen45 min
Mar 7, 2:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHRapides56 min
Mar 7, 2:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHSaint Landry60 min
Mar 7, 2:51 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard34 min
Mar 7, 2:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHVernon47 min
Mar 7, 3:49 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHVernon46 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Louisiana, 1998Every flash flood warning in 1998

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.