Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 147, NWS Lake Charles, LA

August 29, 1998Hardin County, Jefferson County, Texas

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 29, 1998, 8:33 PM CDT for Hardin County, Jefferson County, Texas. It was in force for 32 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 29, 1998, 8:33 PM CDT (01:33 UTC)
Expired
Aug 29, 1998, 9:05 PM CDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Hardin County, TX, Jefferson County, TX

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 102 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:34 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 29, 9:00 PM CDTThunderstorm WindBeaumont, TX

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, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 103 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 1998-08-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2429 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 1998-08-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -36 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
2429 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-43 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1527 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-36 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-21 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.

318 
WUUS1 KLCH 300135 RRA
SVRLCH
TXC199-245-300205-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
833 PM CDT SAT AUG 29 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  HARDIN COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS
  JEFFERSON COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS

* UNTIL 905 PM CDT

* AT 828 PM CDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 11 MILES NORTH OF BEAUMONT OR 6 MILES EAST
  OF LUMBERTON MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 10 MPH.

* THIS STORM IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE LUMBERTON AND NORTHERN
  BEAUMONT AREAS.


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 29, 3:04 PM CDT, 5 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 29, 3:04 PM CDT, 5 hours 29 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS..SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
304 PM CDT SAT AUG 29 1998

ALL EYES POINTED TO THE EXTENDED FORECAST AS MODELS TRY TO GENERATE
A TROPICAL SYSTEM IN THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO IN 60H. CONDITIONS
APPEAR FAVORABLE AND WILL HAVE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION CLOSELY.

IN THE SHORT-TERM THOUGH...HOT...HOT...HOT...WITH LCH NEAR THE
RECORD HIGH OF 100 DEGREES SET BACK IN 1909. SLIGHTLY COOLER TO THE
NORTH WHERE HIGH CLOUDS ARE BEING ENHANCED BY THE SHEAR AXIS AROUND
50H. THE TROPICAL WAVE OVER THE CENTRAL GULF...EXTENDING NORTHWARD
FROM THE YUCATAN...WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST AND INTO THE SOUTH TEXAS
COAST BY MIDDAY SUNDAY. EXPECT THIS SYSTEM TO REMAIN FAR ENOUGH SOUTH
THOUGH...WITH ONLY WIDELY SCT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE COASTAL
WATERS TNITE AND EARLY SUN.

MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE UPPER AIR PATTERN...WITH THE RIDGE
OVER THE WESTERN STATES AND THE TROUGH OVER THE GREAT LAKES. THE
SURFACE TROUGH ACROSS NORTHERN LA AND NORTHEAST TEXAS WILL WASH OUT IN
THE NEXT 24H. THE NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL TRACK SOUTHEAST ACROSS
THE UPPER MIDWEST AND INTO THE MID MSP VALLEY IN 48H. THE ETA MODEL
APPEARS TO BE TOO FAR SOUTH WITH THIS FEATURE WITH THE UPPER SUPPORT
LAGGING BACK OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS.

BEST RAIN CHANCES WILL CONTINUE TO BE ACROSS THE CENTRAL LA AND
UPPER SOUTHEAST TX ON SUN...NEAR THE 50H SHEAR AXIS AND DISSIPATING
TROUGH. MOISTURE WILL BEGIN INCREASING OVER THE AREA ON MONDAY WITH
THE EXPECTED DEVELOPMENT OF A TROPICAL SYSTEM IN THE GULF AND
STRENGTHENING EASTERLY FLOW. IN ADDITION...AS THE MID LEVEL RIDGE
CONTINUES TO WEAKEN ALONG THE GULF COAST AND TEMPERATURES COOL AT
85H...CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WILL BE EASIER TO TRIGGER.

5
BPT 77/96/77/93 0112
LCH 77/96/77/93 0112
LFT 77/96/77/93 0112
AEX 71/96/71/95 1212

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 29, 7:35 PM CDT, 58 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
735 PM CDT SAT AUG 29 1998

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

0550 PM    ALEXANDRIA                LA   WIND DAMAGE
08/29/98   RAPIDES                        POWER POLES DOWN OVER
                                          SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL
                                          PORTIONS OF ALEXANDRIA

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 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.