Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 113, NWS Lake Charles, LA

April 18, 1998Saint Martin Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 18, 1998, 9:31 AM CDT for Saint Martin Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 19 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
Apr 18, 1998, 9:31 AM CDT (14:31 UTC)
Expired
Apr 18, 1998, 9:50 AM CDT
In force
19 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Saint Martin Parish, LA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 18, 9:40 AM CDTHail 1.25Parks, 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 nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 153 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 1998-04-18Temperature 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 1998-04-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -139 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
542 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
74 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-139 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
56 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.

954 
WUUS1 KLCH 181433 RRA
SVRLCH
LAC099-181450-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
931 AM CDT SAT APR 18 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  UPPER ST. MARTIN PARISH IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 950 AM CDT

* AT 928 AM CDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF ST. MARTINVILLE OR 4
  MILES SOUTH OF BREAUX BRIDGE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* THIS STORM CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR...
  PARKS     BY 932 AM CDT
  CECILIA   BY 935 AM CDT
  HENDERSON BY 935 AM CDT
  CATAHOULA BY 940 AM CDT

THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 1 INCH HAIL. THIS THUNDERSTORM
IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING EXTREMELY LARGE HAIL WHICH MAY CAUSE SEVERE
DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AND SERIOUS INJURY TO PEOPLE AND LIVESTOCK.
DAMAGING WINDS AND TORRENTIAL RAIN ARE ALSO LIKELY WITH THIS STORM.
MOVE TO A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS

DSW

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.

NWS Lake Charles, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Apr 18, 2:10 AM CDT, 7 hours 21 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 18, 2:10 AM CDT, 7 hours 21 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS..SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
210 AM CDT SAT APR 18 1998

WIDESPREAD RAIN EVENT SETTING UP FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS / LOUISIANA.
CONVECTION STARTING TO INTENSIFY OVER CENTRAL LA IN RESPONSE TO
INCREASING UPPER LEVEL JET.  LATEST 06Z LCH SOUNDING COURTESY OF
TRMM PROJECT SHOWING UNSTABLE LAYER FROM 850 UP...WITH ELEVATED
CAPE VALUES AROUND 1000 J/KG AND LI AT -4.

UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EASTWARD TODAY...SETTING
UP GOOD RIGHT REAR QUAD / COUPLED JET ACROSS REGION WITH GOOD
DIVERGENCE AT 18Z.  BOUNDRY WILL MOVE A LITTLE FURTHER NW BEFORE
SFC WAVE DEVELOPS...INTENSIFYING OVER NORTHERN AL. THIS WILL
SWEEP COLD FRONT EAST ALONG GULF COAST STATES. SHOULD SEE WIDESPREAD
ONE TO TWO INCH TOTALS WITH LOCALLY THREE INCHES POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY
OVER CENTRAL LA. SHOULDNT BE A FLOODING THREAT...GIVEN HIGH FFG
NUMBERS AND SPEED OF SYSTEM.

BY 00Z TONIGHT UPPER LEVEL TROUGH BEGINS TO PUSH EAST OF THE AREA
WITH DRYING / GOOD SUBSIDENCE IN THE MID LAYERS.  SHOULD HAVE
DECREASING CLOUDS SAT NIGHT...BECOMING MOSTLY SUNNY OVER SOUTHEAST
TEXAS / SW LA ON SUN. STAYED CLOSE TO MOS TEMPS.

12

BPT 66/53/77 +00
LCH 66/53/75 +10  LFT 67/58/74 +50  AEX 57/50/70 +20

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 18, 9:09 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHLafayette31 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Louisiana, 1998Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.