Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Lake Charles, LA

January 2, 1999Iberia Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Jan 2, 1999, 4:53 AM CST for Iberia Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 67 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 2, 1999, 4:53 AM CST (10:53 UTC)
Expired: Jan 2, 1999, 6:00 AM CST
In force: 67 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Whole counties

County Iberia Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 149 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:52 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 2, 4:57 AM CST	Tornado F1	New Iberia, 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 2, 3:00 AM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 147 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: 437 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 704 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 202 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 238 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.4
Supercell composite: 2.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

999 
WFUS1 KLCH 021054 RRA
TORLCH
LAC045-021200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
453 AM CST SAT JAN 2 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  IBERIA PARISH IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 600 AM CST

* AT 453 AM CST... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 9 MILES WEST
  OF NEW IBERIA OR 3 MILES SOUTH OF LOZES MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40
  MPH.

* TORNADO WILL BE NEAR
  LOZES BY 457 AM CST
  BRANNON BY 500 AM CST
  NEW IBERIA BY 505 AM CST


THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. GO TO A
SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. AVOID WINDOWS AND
DOORS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A STURDIER BUILDING
OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

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.

NWS Lake Charles, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Jan 2, 2:29 AM CST, 2 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 2, 2:29 AM CST, 2 hours 24 minutes before

SOUTHWEST...CENTRAL LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
229 AM CST SAT JAN 2 1999

A MAJOR WINTER STORM CREATING HAVOC ACROSS THE LCH CWA THIS MORNING...
WITH NUMEROUS REPORTS OF DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE TORNADIC DAMAGE. THE LINE
OF STRONG-SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAS PUSHED ACROSS THE SABINE RIVER WITH
LEWP/BOW FEATURES INDICATED ON THE LCH 88D. MOVEMENT OF THE LINE IS TO
THE EAST AT 35 KNOTS...WITH INDIVIDUAL CELLS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 4O
KTS. OVER THE LAST HOUR...LCH VWP PROFILE HAS BECOME MORE
UNIDIRECTIONAL WITH STRONG STORM INFLOW OF 30 KTS..SUGGESTIVE OF THE
SYSTEM EVOLVING INTO A LINEAR MCS.

MODELS IN GENERAL AGREEMENT WITH SWINGING THIS MAJOR STORM NORTHEAST
INTO THE TENNESSEE AND OHIO VALLEYS IN 24H...AND NORTHEAST INTO THE
EASTERN GREAT LAKES IN 48H. THE LONG WAVE TROUGH RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS
SYSTEM WILL POSITION ITSELF OVER THE CENTRAL U.S. THROUGH THE FORECAST
PERIOD...SENDING AN ARCTIC AIRMASS SOUTHWARD TO THE GULF COAST.
MASSIVE COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL TAKE PLACE THE NEXT 48H WITH 1000
TO 500 THICKNESSES DOWN TO 546 DM AT THE COAST BY 00Z SUN AND 534 DM
BY 00Z MON...AS INDICATED BY THE PREFERRED ETA SOLUTION. ALL MODELS
INDICATE CONDITIONS DRYING OUT TODAY...WITH NO LOW-LEVEL STRATOCUMULUS
FIELD FORECAST. STRONG SUBSIDENCE COUPLED WITH THE RAPID NORTHWARD
MOVEMENT OF THE LOW SUPPORTS THIS ARGUMENT. FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL BE
COMPROMISED BETWEEN THE ETA AND NGM SOLUTIONS BASED ON ONGOING
TRENDS...11Z BPT/LCH...12Z AEX...AND 13Z FOR LFT. PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH
AHEAD OF THE FRONT HAS ALREADY SHIFTED WINDS TO THE SOUTHWEST AT
BPT...LIKEWISE EXPECTED AT LCH IN THE NEXT HOUR. DECREASING
CLOUDINESS...WINDY AND TURNING COLDER WILL WORK FOR THE ZONES TODAY.
LOW POPS WILL NEED TO BE CARRIED ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST
LA THROUGH THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS...WITH HIGHER POPS ACROSS THE
EASTERN ZONES...BUT ALSO FOR THE MORNING. WIND ADVISORY RECOMMENDED
FOR THE ENTIRE CWA WITH THE A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE
DEPARTING LOW AND HIGH PRESSURE MOVING SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE PLAINS.
MOSTLY CLEAR/SUNNY SKIES WILL PREVAIL THROUGH MUCH OF THE FORECAST
PERIOD...WITH SOME HIGH CLOUDINESS MOVING IN LATE SUNDAY AS A
DISTURBANCE IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW APPROACHES.

A BLEND OF THE NGM AND FAN GUIDANCES LOOKS TO BE THE BEST APPROACH
FOR THE TEMPERATURE FORECAST.

5

LCH EB V 58/28/40 2(EARLY)00
LFT EB V 62/28/40 5(EARLY)00
AEX EB V 59/25/38 4(EARLY)00
BPT EB V 57/29/41 2(EALRY)00

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 2, 2:18 AM CST, 2 hours 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
218 AM CST SAT JAN 2 1999

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

0146 AM    3 N SULPHUR               LA   WIND DAMAGE
01/02/99   CALCASIEU                      NUMEROUS TREES DOWN ON
                                          HOUSTON RIVER ROAD.

0203 AM    2 N WESTLAKE              LA   0P.25 INCH HAIL
01/02/99   CALCASIEU

Local storm report, Jan 2, 2:42 AM CST, 2 hours 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
242 AM CST SAT JAN 2 1999

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

0130 AM    SINGER                    LA   WIND DAMAGE
01/02/99   BEAUREGARD                     SEVERAL TREES DOWN.

0235 AM    KINDER                    LA   WIND DAMAGE
01/02/99   ALLEN                          SEVERAL TREES DOWN
                                          ACROSS ROADS.

Local storm report, Jan 2, 3:15 AM CST, 1 hour 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
315 AM CST SAT JAN 2 1999

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

0235 AM    HAYES                     LA   WIND DAMAGE
01/02/99   CALCASIEU                      HOUSE DESTROYED.

Local storm report, Jan 2, 3:15 AM CST, 1 hour 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
315 AM CST SAT JAN 2 1999

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

0235 AM    HAYES                     LA   WIND DAMAGE
01/02/99   CALCASIEU                      HOUSE DESTROYED.

Special weather statement, Jan 2, 3:17 AM CST, 1 hour 36 minutes before

TXZ180>182-201-215-216-021000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
317 AM CST SAT JAN 2 1999

...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

THE TORNADO WATCH ISSUED LATE FRIDAY NIGHT FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS HAS
BEEN CLEARED BY THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER. THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN
SOUTHEAST TEXAS ARE NO LONGER IN THE TORNADO WATCH...TYLER...JASPER...
NEWTON...HARDIN...ORANGE AND JEFFERSON. THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS THAT
PRODUCED THE SEVERE WEATHER HAS MOVED EAST OF THE AREA INTO LOUISIANA.

Local storm report, Jan 2, 3:24 AM CST, 1 hour 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
324 AM CST SAT JAN 2 1999

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

0235 AM    SWEETLAKE                 LA   1.75 INCH HAIL
01/02/99   CAMERON

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jan 2, 12:51 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Calcasieu	64 min
Jan 2, 1:16 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Beauregard	64 min
Jan 2, 1:53 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Cameron	62 min
Jan 2, 1:55 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Calcasieu	65 min
Jan 2, 2:06 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Allen	64 min
Jan 2, 2:38 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Jefferson Davis	62 min
Jan 2, 3:04 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Acadia	66 min
Jan 2, 3:32 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Avoyelles	63 min
Jan 2, 3:45 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Saint Landry	65 min
Jan 2, 4:18 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Lafayette	47 min
Jan 2, 4:29 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Vermilion	66 min
Jan 2, 5:20 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	St. Mary	65 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 1999 Every tornado warning in 1999 Tornadoes in 1999

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.