Alert archive / Louisiana / Flash Flood Warnings in 1998

Flash Flood Warning 52, NWS Lake Charles, LA

September 11, 1998Lafayette Parish, Saint Landry Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this flash flood warning at Sep 11, 1998, 10:16 PM CDT for Lafayette Parish, Saint Landry Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 3 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
Sep 11, 1998, 10:16 PM CDT (03:16 UTC)
Expired
Sep 12, 1998, 1:15 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Lafayette Parish, LA, Saint Landry Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 118 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:17 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 00:00Z, 3.3 hours before the alert went out and 116 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 1998-09-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 994 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 1998-09-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 172 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
994 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
545 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
172 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
180 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
5.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KLCH 120315
FFWLCH
LAC055-097-120615-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1016 PM CDT FRI SEP 11 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  LAFAYETTE PARISH IN SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA
  ST. LANDRY PARISH IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 115 AM CDT

* AT 1010 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATED THAT
  2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN FROM VERMILION BAY TO
  OPELOUSAS DURING THE PAST 8 HOURS. 1 TO 3 INCHES OF ADDITIONAL
  RAINFALL IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA OVER THE NEXT 3 HOURS.

* FLOODING OF STREETS AND SMALL STREAMS CAN BE EXPECTED.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO
RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF FLASH FLOODS. IF FLASH FLOODING IS
OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING
WHEN WATER BEGINS TO RISE. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT AT NIGHT TO TELL
HOW MUCH WATER IS ON THE ROADS. MOTORISbTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE
THROUGH WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH.

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 Sep 11, 8:28 PM CDT, 1 hour 48 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 11, 8:28 PM CDT, 1 hour 48 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS..SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
828 PM CDT FRI SEP 11 1998

COORD WITH SIL AND SAT ON HOISTING COASTAL FLOOD WARNING WITH TS
FRANCES DOWNGRADED. TIDES RUNNING 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL WITH
CONTINUED SOUTHEAST FETCH. CAN CONTINUE FLASH FLOOD WATCH AS
WELL AS GROUND IS SATURATED AND 1 TO 3 INCHES MORE RAIN CAN BE
EXPECTED THRU SATURDAY AS ADDITIONAL RAIN BANDS FORM OUT OVER THE
GULF. TEMPS AND POPS LOOK OK FOR NOW. HAD TROPICAL INDUCED TORNADO
ACTIVITY LATE THIS AFTERNOON WITH A FEEDER BAND IN S CEN LA. 88-D
INDICATING THAT ACTIVITY HAS WEAKENED AS IT MOVED NORTH. MANY ROADS
WITH WATER ON THEM WITHIN 30 MILES OF THE COAST BUT STILL PASSABLE.
EXPECT COAST HIGHWAY TO CONTINUE TO HAVE PROBLEMS TONIGHT WITH SALT
WATER ON ROAD...BUT IS STILL OPEN. CAN DROP REFERENCE TO TROPICAL
STORM ON COASTAL FORECAST. 11

BPT 75/83/75/87 +853
LCH 75/83/75/90 +842  LFT 75/83/75/690 +842  AEX 73/85/73/90 8732

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 11, 5:27 PM CDT, 4 hours 49 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
527 PM CDT FRI SEP 11 1998

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

0518 PM    MIDLAND                   LA   TORNADO
09/11/98   ACADIA                         PUBLIC REPORTED A TORNADO
                                          TOUCHDOWN IN SOUTH MIDLAND.
                                          DAMAGE TO MOBILE HOME AND
                                          SCHOOL.  NO INJURES HAVE
                                          BEEN REPORTED AT THIS TIME.
Local storm report, Sep 11, 6:51 PM CDT, 3 hours 25 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
651 PM CDT FRI SEP 11 1998

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

0518 PM    MIDLAND                   LA   TORNADO
09/11/98   ACADIA                         TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN SOUTH
                                          MIDLAND. SIGNIFICANT
                                          STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO SCHOOL
                                          GYM AND CAFETERIA. SEVERAL
                                          INJURIES.

0556 PM    BASILE                    LA   TORNADO
09/11/98   EVANGELINE                     TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN THE
                                          CITY OF BASILE. STRUCTURAL
                                          DAMAGE TO SEVERAL BUILDINGS.
                                          SEVERAL INJURIES.

0619 PM    5 S OAKDALE               LA   TORNADO
09/11/98   ALLEN                          TORNADO TOUCHDOWN REPORTED
                                          BY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY
                                          PREPAREDNESS. SEVERAL TREES
                                          DOWN.
Local storm report, Sep 11, 6:51 PM CDT, 3 hours 25 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
651 PM CDT FRI SEP 11 1998

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

0518 PM    MIDLAND                   LA   TORNADO
09/11/98   ACADIA                         TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN SOUTH
                                          MIDLAND. SIGNIFICANT
                                          STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO SCHOOL
                                          GYM AND CAFETERIA. SEVERAL
                                          INJURIES.

0556 PM    BASILE                    LA   TORNADO
09/11/98   EVANGELINE                     TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN THE
                                          CITY OF BASILE. STRUCTURAL
                                          DAMAGE TO SEVERAL BUILDINGS.
                                          SEVERAL INJURIES.

0619 PM    5 S OAKDALE               LA   TORNADO
09/11/98   ALLEN                          TORNADO TOUCHDOWN REPORTED
                                          BY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY
                                          PREPAREDNESS. SEVERAL TREES
                                          DOWN.
Local storm report, Sep 11, 8:34 PM CDT, 1 hour 42 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
834 PM CDT FRI SEP 11 1998

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

1055 AM    4 W LAKE ARTHUR           LA   TORNADO
09/11/98   JEFFERSON DAVIS                POSSIBLE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN
                                          ON POM ROY ROAD...OFF OF HWY
                                          14.  EXTENSIVE STRUCTURAL
                                          DAMAGE TO NEW HOME AND
                                          NUMEROUS TREES DOWN. NO ONE
                                          HOME AT THE TIME. FIELD
                                          SURVEY WILL BE CONDUCTED ON
                                          SATURDAY THE 12TH.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 12, 8:47 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHAllen53 min
Sep 12, 9:17 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHLafayette48 min
Sep 12, 9:23 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHVermilion32 min
Sep 12, 11:00 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHCalcasieu2 hr
Sep 12, 1:04 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHRapides61 min
Sep 12, 2:27 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHEvangeline2 hr

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.