Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 142, NWS Lake Charles, LA

August 18, 1998Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 18, 1998, 7:16 PM CDT for Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 59 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
Aug 18, 1998, 7:16 PM CDT (00:16 UTC)
Expired
Aug 18, 1998, 8:15 PM CDT
In force
59 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 00:15 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
Aug 18, 7:50 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 50Fenton, 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 00:00Z, 0.3 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 00:00Z on 1998-08-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1176 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 1998-08-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -19 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1176 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-48 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1192 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-19 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-8 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.

162 
WUUS1 KLCH 190017 RRA
SVRLCH
LAC053-190115-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
716 PM CDT TUE AUG 18 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  JEFFERSON DAVIS PARISH IN SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 815 PM CDT

* AT 715 PM CDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF JENNINGS MOVING WEST
  AT 25 MPH.

* THIS STORM CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR...
  HATHAWAY BY 725 PM CDT
  JENNINGS BY 725 PM CDT
  WELSH BY 750 PM CDT


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.

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 Aug 18, 2:20 PM CDT, 4 hours 56 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 18, 2:20 PM CDT, 4 hours 56 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS..SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
220 PM CDT TUE AUG 18 1998

ACTIVITY TODAY HAS BEEN CONCENTRATED OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS AS EASTERLY
FLOW HAS HELPED ENHANCE SEA BREEZE. BELIEVE THIS TREND WILL CONTINUE
FOR TOMORROW WITH EASTERLY FLOW HELPING CONVECTION IN SE TX.
MEANWHILE...THIS FLOW WILL PREVENT SEA BREEZE FROM MAKING MUCH
PROGRESS INLAND CONFINING CONVECTION TO ALONG THE COAST. THINGS GET
INTERESTING ON THU. LOW LEVEL CIRCULATION IN CENTRAL GULF IS FORECAST
TO MOVE WEST BY THE MODELS AND STAYS WELL TO THE SOUTH OF LCH AREA.
HOWEVER...INVERTED TROF MOVING WEST AROUND THE EDGE OF THE RIDGE SHOULD
ENHANCE CONVECTION ALONG THE COASTAL AREAS OF LA FOR THE FOURTH PERIOD.

  7

BPT 75/92/76/92 1303
LCH 75/93/74/91 0204  LFT 75/93/74/90 0204  AEX 73/93/72/93 0102

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 18, 8:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCalcasieu53 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.