Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Lake Charles, LA

January 14, 1998Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jan 14, 1998, 5:39 PM CST for Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 46 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
Jan 14, 1998, 5:39 PM CST (23:39 UTC)
Expired
Jan 14, 1998, 6:25 PM CST
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Jefferson Davis Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 42 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:39 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jan 14, 6:10 PM CSTHail 1.75Jennings, 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, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 41 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 1998-01-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 9 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 1998-01-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 182 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
9 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-181 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
475 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
69 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
182 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
106 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.

897 
WUUS1 KLCH 142341 RRA
SVRLCH
LAC053-150025-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
539 PM CST WED JAN 14 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES LA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 625 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA

   ...JEFFERSON DAVIS PARISH

AT 535 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH INTO JEFFERSON DAVIS
PARISH. TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THE STORM ARE JENNINGS AND ROANOKE.
THE STORMS WILL REACH THESE TOWNS ABOUT 605 PM BRINGING PRIMARILY
LARGE HAIL.



SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...
DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND TORRENTIAL RAIN. FOR
YOUR PROTECTION...SEEK SHELTER IN A STRONG BUILDING. STAY AWAY
FROM WINDOWS AND AVOID USING TELEPHONES...COMPUTERS...OR OTHER
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.


MOGGED

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 Jan 14, 2:25 PM CST, 3 hours 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 14, 2:25 PM CST, 3 hours 14 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS..SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
225 PM CST WED JAN 14 1998

LOW CLOUDS AND FOG HANGING IN THIS AFTERNOON WITH ONLY A FEW SHOWERS
DEVELOPING ACROSS THE AREA.  THIS SHOULD REMAIN THE CASE FOR TONIGHT
AS THE STRONGER ACTIVITY SHOULD REMAIN OFFSHORE.  SFC LOW WILL TRACK
EAST ALONG STATIONARY BOUNDRY LOCATED ALONG THE LA COAST.

UPPER LEVEL TROF LAGGING BEHIND WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA ON THUR
AND WILL KEEP IN THE LOW CLOUDS.  AS LOW TRACKS EASTWARD WINDS WILL
PICK UP FROM THE NORTH WITH DECENT COLD AIR ADVECTION...GIVING
COOLER CONDITIONS.

SUGGEST DROPING FFA FOR ENTIRE AREA. PRECIP AMOUNTS SHOULD AVERAGE
LESS THAN ONE INCH ACROSS FA. STRATUS AND PATCHY FOG WILL CONTINUE
TONIGHT.  WILL HOLD ON TO POPS ON THU FOR AEX AND LFT WITH WRAP
AROUND MOISTURE.

12

BPT 51/60/40/68 3000
LCH 52/60/40/66 6000  LFT 53/57/40/65 8200  AEX 46/50/36/66 4200

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.