Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2000

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 122, NWS Lake Charles, LA

May 2, 2000Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 2, 2000, 6:54 AM CDT for Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 66 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 2, 2000, 6:54 AM CDT (11:54 UTC)
Expired
May 2, 2000, 8:00 AM CDT
In force
66 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Calcasieu Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 31 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:55 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
May 2, 7:46 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52 MLake Charles, 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, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 32 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 2000-05-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 813 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 2000-05-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -30 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
813 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-138 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1335 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
3 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KLCH 021155
SVRLCH
LAC019-021300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
654 AM CDT TUE MAY 2 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CALCASIEU PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 800 AM CDT

* AT 654 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES SOUTH OF VINTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
  25 MPH.

* THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  CARLYSS BY 715 AM CDT
  SULPHUR BY 720 AM CDT
  WESTLAKE BY 735 AM CDT
  MOSS BLUFF BY 745 AM CDT
  GILLIS BY 755 AM CDT

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...DESTRUCTIVE
HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND TORRENTIAL RAIN.

HAIL TO THE SIZE OF ONE INCH CAN BE EXPECTED.

DESTRUCTIVE WINDS UP TO 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED - TAKE COVER NOW! 
VEHICLES AND MOBILE HOMES ARE NOT SAFE.

CALL 337-477-5285 wTO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE WEATHER SERVICE.

LAT...LON 3034 9371 3008 9368 3007 9321 3041 9320

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 May 2, 2:30 AM CDT, 4 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 2, 2:30 AM CDT, 4 hours 24 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
230 AM CDT TUE MAY 2 2000

AN MCS HAS FLARED UP ALONG SFC BOUNDARY THAT EXTENDS FROM NEAR KPOE-
KIAH-KLRD. ALSO ENHANCING THIS MCS IS A STRONG 500 MB SHORTWAVE
MOVING ACROSS THE AREA. THIS AREA WILL SLOWLY DRIFT TO THE SOUTH
AND EAST INTO THE MORE UNSTABLE AIRMASS SOUTH OF THE BOUNDARY. SPC
HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR OUR SOUTHEAST TEXAS
COUNTIES UNTIL 700 AM THIS MORNING.

THE CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FAIRLY DECENT
DURING THIS FORECAST PERIOD AS THE 500MB LOW CURRENTLY OVER THE TX
PANHANDLE MOVES TO THE EAST-SOUTHEAST. LOOKS LIKE OUR BEST CHANCES OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY WITH
EXCELLENT UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE PROJECTED TO BE RIGHT OVER THE
AREA AS THE UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVES OVER NORTHEAST TEXAS. HOWEVER...
THERE WILL NOT BE ANY REAL SFC BOUNDARY TO FOCUS THE ACTIVITY EXCEPT
FOR OLD OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD BE SIGNIFICANT DURING THE FORECAST PERIOD WITH
2 TO 4 INCH AMOUNTS POSSIBLE...MAINLY DUE TO THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE
THUNDERSTORMS. WILL MENTION HEAVY RAIN IN THE FORECAST.

I AM BASING MY FORECAST ON A BLEND OF THE ETA AND AVN MODELS.

10

LCH...
LA...NONE.
TX...NONE.

PRELIM NUMBERS...
LCH 80/64/79/67 7776
LFT 83/64/79/66 5577
AEX 83/62/78/63 7576
BPT 80/65/79/67 8776

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 2, 3:57 AM CDT, 2 hours 57 minutes before
LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-TXZ180>182-201-215-216-021500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
357 AM CDT TUE MAY 2 2000

...HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA
THROUGH WEDNESDAY...

AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL AID IN THE POSSIBILITY OF
HEAVY RAIN ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA TODAY...TONIGHT...AND
WEDNESDAY. THE SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE DUE TO THE SLOW
MOTION OF THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF TWO TO FOUR INCHES ARE A
POSSIBILITY...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS
AND LOW LYING AREAS RAPIDLY...SO DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE WHERE
WATER OF AN UNKNOWN DEPTH COVER THE ROAD.

ALL INTERESTS IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA SHOULD
MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL MEDIA FOR UPDATES ON THIS
WEATHER SITUATION. MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES WEB SITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/LCH.

22
Local storm report, May 2, 6:46 AM CDT, 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
646 AM CDT TUE MAY 2 2000

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

0505 AM    2 W SILSBEE               TX   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/02/00   HARDIN

0530 AM    KOUNTZE                   TX   WIND DAMAGE
05/02/00   HARDIN                         NUMEROUS TREES REPORTED
                                          DOWN. FLOODING OF FM
                                          ROAD 1003.

22

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 2, 7:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCameron67 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Louisiana, 2000Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2000

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.