Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 33, NWS Lake Charles, LA

January 21, 1998Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jan 21, 1998, 11:01 PM CST for Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 64 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 21, 1998, 11:01 PM CST (05:01 UTC)
Expired: Jan 22, 1998, 12:05 AM CST
In force: 64 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Whole counties

Counties Calcasieu Parish, LA, Cameron Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 11 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:01 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jan 22, 12:00 AM CST	Hail 0.75	Hackberry, 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jan 21, 8:00 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 12 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1567 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 528 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 120 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 168 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.3
Supercell composite: 6.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

046 
WUUS1 KLCH 220500 RRA
SVRLCH
LAC019-023-220605-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1101 PM CST WED JAN 21 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES LA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1205 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA

   ...CALCASIEU PARISH
   ...CAMERON PARISH

AT 1100 PM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ENTERING
WESTERN CALCASIEU AND CAMERON PARISHES. THIS STORM WAS MOVING EAST
AT 25 MPH.

RESIDENTS FROM CAMERON TO LAKE CHARLES SHOULD PREPARE FOR DAMAGING
WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.

SEEK SHELTER FROM THE STORM IN A STRONG BUILDING IF POSSIBLE. IF
YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...STAY AWAY FROM TREES AND OTHER TALL
OBJECTS. REMEMBER...LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE SEVERAL MILES AWAY FROM
THE MAIN THUNDERSTORM. BOATERS ON AREA LAKES AND RIVERS SHOULD
MOVE OFF THE WATER AND GET TO SHORE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

ERICKSON

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 21, 7:45 PM CST, 3 hours 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 21, 7:45 PM CST, 3 hours 16 minutes before

SOUTHEAST TEXAS..SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
745 PM CST WED JAN 21 1998

SEVERE TSRA CONTINUES OVER EAST TEXAS...GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED
EARLIER IN TYLER COUNTY.

00Z LCH SOUNDING SHOWING 2000 CAPES WITH -7 LIS.  WITH CURRENT LOW
LEVEL WIND PROFILE...NE-E MOVING CELLS SHOULD HAVE 0-3KM HELICITIES
RUNNING 180-200 RANGE. PRECIPITATION FILLING IN OVER EAST-CENTRAL TX.
FLASHFLOODING WILL BE A POSSIBILITY...ESPECIALLY OVER NORTHERN ZONES.
MORE OF A SEVERE THREAT WILL CONTINUE OVER COASTAL SECTIONS WITH THE
BETTER LOW LEVEL INFLOW.

FORECAST LOOKS GOOD AT THIS POINT...KEEP FAA TONIGHT FOR ENTIRE AREA.
MAY WANT TO BUMP UP LOWS FOR TONIGHT GIVEN CURRENT TEMPS AND
FRONTAL POSITION.

12

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 21, 9:28 PM CST, 1 hour 33 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
928 PM CST WED JAN 21 1998

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

900 PM     DEQUINCY                  LA   0.75 INCH HAIL
01/21/98   CALCASIEU                      REPORTED BY POLICE DEPT

ERICKSON

Local storm report, Jan 21, 9:28 PM CST, 1 hour 33 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
928 PM CST WED JAN 21 1998

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

900 PM     DEQUINCY                  LA   0.75 INCH HAIL
01/21/98   CALCASIEU                      REPORTED BY POLICE DEPT

ERICKSON

Local storm report, Jan 21, 10:00 PM CST, 1 hour 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1000 PM CST WED JAN 21 1998

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

953 PM     FANNETT                   TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
01/21/98   JEFFERSON                      QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                          IN FANNETT BY KFDM-TV.

956 PM     KIRBYVILLE                TX   1.75 INCH HAIL
01/21/98   JASPER                         GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                          IN KIRBYVILLE BY KFDM-TV.

Local storm report, Jan 21, 10:11 PM CST, 50 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1011 PM CST WED JAN 21 1998

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

940 PM     KIRBYVILLE                TX   1.75 INCH HAIL
01/21/98   JASPER                         GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                          IN KIRBYVILLE BY SHERIFFS.

928 PM     2N OF MOSSBLUFF            LA  1.00 INCH HAIL
01/21/98   CALCASIEU                      PING PONG BALL SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED NEAR TOPSY BY
                                          KPLC-TV.

Local storm report, Jan 21, 10:20 PM CST, 41 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1020 PM CST WED JAN 21 1998

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

930 PM     RAGLEY                    LA   0.75 INCH HAIL
01/21/98   BEAUREGARD

1000 PM    BLEAKWOOD                 TX   0.75 INCH HAIL
01/21/98   NEWTON                         ALSO REPORTS OF TREES
                                          BLOWN DOWN AND ROADS
                                          CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER.

940 PM     HAMPSHIRE                 TX   0.75 INCH HAIL
01/21/98   JEFFERSON

ERICKSON

Local storm report, Jan 21, 10:20 PM CST, 41 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1020 PM CST WED JAN 21 1998

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

930 PM     RAGLEY                    LA   0.75 INCH HAIL
01/21/98   BEAUREGARD

1000 PM    BLEAKWOOD                 TX   0.75 INCH HAIL
01/21/98   NEWTON                         ALSO REPORTS OF TREES
                                          BLOWN DOWN AND ROADS
                                          CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER.

940 PM     HAMPSHIRE                 TX   0.75 INCH HAIL
01/21/98   JEFFERSON

ERICKSON

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jan 21, 6:08 PM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Beauregard, Vernon	57 min
Jan 21, 8:55 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Calcasieu	35 min
Jan 21, 9:23 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Beauregard	62 min
Jan 21, 9:38 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Allen	62 min
Jan 21, 9:47 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Jefferson Davis	63 min
Jan 21, 10:24 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Avoyelles	46 min
Jan 21, 10:25 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Beauregard	65 min
Jan 21, 11:14 PM CST	Flash Flood Warning	LCH	Beauregard	2 hr
Jan 21, 11:31 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Allen, Jefferson Davis	64 min
Jan 21, 11:50 PM CST	Flash Flood Warning	LCH	Calcasieu	2 hr
Jan 22, 12:06 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Calcasieu, Cameron	64 min
Jan 22, 1:08 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Jefferson Davis	47 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Louisiana, 1998 Every 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.