Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2000

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 16, NWS Lake Charles, LA

March 11, 2000Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 11, 2000, 1:45 AM CST for Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 60 min. 2 reports 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
Mar 11, 2000, 1:45 AM CST (07:45 UTC)
Expired
Mar 11, 2000, 2:45 AM CST
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Calcasieu Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 18 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:04 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
Mar 11, 1:50 AM CSTHail 0.88Sulphur, LA
Mar 11, 2:10 AM CSTHail 0.75Moss Bluff, 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, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 19 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 2000-03-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1545 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 2000-03-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 118 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
1545 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
716 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
118 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
163 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
5.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KLCH 110748
SVRLCH
LAC019-110845-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
145 AM CST SAT MAR 11 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 245 AM CST

* AT 144 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF SULPHUR...MOVING EAST  
  AT 20 MPH.

* THE STORM WILL BE NEAR:

  MOSS BLUFF BY 215 AM
  GILLIS BY 220 AM

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

CALL 337-4:77-5285 TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE WEATHER SERVICE.

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 Mar 11, 12:15 AM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 11, 12:15 AM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1215 AM CST SAT MAR 11 2000

THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY QUICKLY LOOSING ITS PUNCH THIS MORNING ACROSS
FORECAST AREA WITH REMNANTS OF SQUALL LINE NOW PUSHING INTO SOUTH-
CENTRAL LOUISIANA. PER 07Z SURFACE ANALYSIS...SURFACE FRONT LOCATED
NEAR A KSHV...KLFK...KCLL LINE WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS LOCATED ALONG AND AHEAD OF THIS FRONT.

TODAY...PRECIPITATION WILL EXIT FORECAST AREA BY 14Z WITH COLD FRONT
USHERING IN A COLDER AND MUCH DRIER AIR MASS. TIGHTENING PRESSURE
GRADIENT ACROSS REGION WILL RESULT IN GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS OF 15 TO
20 MPH. MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES WILL GIVE WAY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES BY
AFTERNOON AS DRIER AIR SPREADS SOUTHEAST ACROSS FORECAST AREA.

TONIGHT...WINDS WILL RELAX IN RESPONSE TO APPROACH OF SURFACE
HIGH PRESSURE IN CONJUNCTION WITH RELAXATION OF PRESSURE GRADIENT.
MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL BE COLDEST IN QUITE SOME TIME WITH
TEMPERATURES LOWERING INTO THE UPPER 30S NORTHERN SECTIONS TO MID 40S
ALONG THE COAST.

SUNDAY...HIGH PRESSURE WILL RESULT IN MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES WITH
TEMPERATURES ONLY CLIMBING INTO THE 60S.

EXTENDED...TEMPERATURES WILL MODERATE EACH DAY WITH POSSIBLE
OVERRUNNING PRECIPITATION EVENT DEVELOPING TUE INTO WED IN RESPONSE
TO WARM FRONT RETREATING NORTH.

.LCH...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ATCHAFALAYA RIVER LOUISIANA TO HIGH
ISLAND TEXAS
 LA...SCA GMZ450-455-470-475
 TX...SCA GMZ450-470

9

.PRELIM NUMBERS...
BPT 65/43/66/44 0000
LCH 63/40/66/42 0000
LFT 61/40/64/42 2000
AEX 59/38/62/40 0000

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 10, 8:30 PM CST, 5 hours 15 minutes before
LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-TXZ180>182-201-215-216-110430-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
830 PM CST FRI MAR 10 2000

...MORE THAN 21000 LIGHTNING STRIKES HAVE OCCURRED ACROSS EAST TEXAS...
LOUISIANA AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI OVER THE PAST SEVEN HOURS...

THUNDERSTORMS WHICH ARE CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH THE THREE STATES HAVE
PRODUCED A VERY HIGH NUMBER OF LIGHTNING STRIKES ESPECIALLY WITH SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS. LIGHTNING WILL CONTINUE TO OCCUR OVER THESE SAME AREAS
THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT WITH SOME SEVERE STORMS PRODUCING SMALL AREAS OF
NUMEROUS AND INTENSE STRIKES.

THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS IN RESPONSE TO A STRONG UPPER LEVEL
DISTURBANCE AND AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT THAT IS MOVING ACROSS THE
REGION TONIGHT.

LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE AS MUCH AS 15 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM.
IF A THUNDERSTORM IS APPROACHING AND YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK
SHELTER INSIDE A STURDY HOME. IF SHELTER CAN NOT BE FOUND...CROUCH DOWN
WITH THE LEAST AMOUNT OF YOUR BODY TOUCHING THE GROUND. DO NOT USE
PHONES WITH CORDS AS LIGHTNING WILL MOVE THROUGH THE PHONE CORD AND
CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE USER. CORDLESS PHONES MAY BE USED
IF CALLS ARE NECESSARY. DO NOT BATHE UNTIL THE STORM HAS WELL PASSED.

T.ERICKSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 10, 6:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHSaint Landry60 min
Mar 10, 6:42 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHVernon63 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.