Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 5, NWS New Orleans, LA

March 6, 1998Jefferson Parish, Orleans Parish, Saint Bernard Parish, Louisiana

NWS New Orleans, LA issued this tornado warning at Mar 6, 1998, 2:16 PM CST for Jefferson Parish, Orleans Parish, Saint Bernard Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 34 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 6, 1998, 2:16 PM CST (20:16 UTC)
Expired
Mar 6, 1998, 2:50 PM CST
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS New Orleans, LA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Jefferson Parish, LA, Orleans Parish, LA, Saint Bernard Parish, LA

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 6, 1:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 48 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 1998-03-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 451 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 1998-03-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 105 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
451 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-50 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
501 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
105 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
82 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

242 
WFUS1 KNEW 062012 RRA
TORNEW
LAC051-071-087-062050-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
216 PM CST FRI MAR 6 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW ORLEANS LA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 250 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA

   ...NORTHERN JEFFERSON PARISH
   ...SOUTHERN ORLEANS PARISH
   ...ST BERNARD PARISH

AT 214 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED A DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORM POSSIBLY
CONTAINING A TORNADO SOUTH OF MARRERO. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE
NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

COMMUNITIES IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE
HARVEY...GRETNA...TERRYTOWN...ALGIERS...ARABI AND CHALMETTE.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 6, 11:00 AM CST, 3 hours 16 minutes before
LAZ034>040-046>050-056>070-MSZ068>071-077-080>082-070100-

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1100 AM CST FRI MAR 6 1998

THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL BECOME QUITE ACTIVE OVER NEXT FEW DAYS.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALREADY FORMING IN THE COASTAL WATERS. THIS
ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE INLAND THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS.
SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD APPROACH SEVERE LIMITS. STRONG SOUTHERLY
WINDS WILL KEEP OUR ATMOSPHERE VERY MOIST THUS BRIEF HEAVY RAIN CAN
BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

THE BIG THREAT WILL COME SATURDAY WHEN THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE
WEATHER INVADES SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA.  THE HIGH POTENTIAL FOR VERY
HEAVY RAIN DOES EXIST FOR SATURDAY.  RESIDENTS OF SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA ARE URGED TO KEEP TUNED TO THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS
BOTH TODAY AND SATURDAY.

FOR INFORMATION REGARDING THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION...KEEP
TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL AND CABLE TELEVISION
STATIONS...LOCAL RADIO STATIONS...OR SURF TO OUR WEBSITE AT:
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/FTPROOT/LIX

12
Special weather statement, Mar 6, 11:00 AM CST, 3 hours 16 minutes before
LAZ034>040-046>050-056>070-MSZ068>071-077-080>082-070100-

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1100 AM CST FRI MAR 6 1998

THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL BECOME QUITE ACTIVE OVER NEXT FEW DAYS.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALREADY FORMING IN THE COASTAL WATERS. THIS
ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE INLAND THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS.
SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD APPROACH SEVERE LIMITS. STRONG SOUTHERLY
WINDS WILL KEEP OUR ATMOSPHERE VERY MOIST THUS BRIEF HEAVY RAIN CAN
BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

THE BIG THREAT WILL COME SATURDAY WHEN THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE
WEATHER INVADES SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA.  THE HIGH POTENTIAL FOR VERY
HEAVY RAIN DOES EXIST FOR SATURDAY.  RESIDENTS OF SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA ARE URGED TO KEEP TUNED TO THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS
BOTH TODAY AND SATURDAY.

FOR INFORMATION REGARDING THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION...KEEP
TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL AND CABLE TELEVISION
STATIONS...LOCAL RADIO STATIONS...OR SURF TO OUR WEBSITE AT:
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/FTPROOT/LIX

12

The office that day

Everything else NWS New Orleans, LA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 6, 12:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXPlaquemines65 min
Mar 6, 12:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXTerrebonne60 min
Mar 6, 12:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAssumption64 min
Mar 6, 1:12 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXSaint Charles33 min
Mar 6, 1:23 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXJefferson32 min
Mar 6, 1:46 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXLafourche64 min
Mar 6, 1:59 PM CSTTornado WarningLIXJefferson16 min
Mar 6, 2:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXSaint Tammany64 min
Mar 6, 2:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXPlaquemines60 min
Mar 6, 3:46 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXLafourche, Terrebonne34 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.