Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2000

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 86, NWS Lake Charles, LA

April 3, 2000Lafayette Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 3, 2000, 6:38 AM CDT for Lafayette 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: Apr 3, 2000, 6:38 AM CDT (11:38 UTC)
Expired: Apr 3, 2000, 7:45 AM CDT
In force: 67 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Whole counties

County Lafayette Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 111 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:21 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
Apr 3, 6:45 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Scott, 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
Apr 3, 4:45 AM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 110 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: 656 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -45 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 541 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 95 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 251 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.0
Supercell composite: 9.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KLCH 031139
SVRLCH
LAC055-031245-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
638 AM CDT MON APR 3 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  LAFAYETTE PARISH IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 745 AM CDT

* AT 626 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 2 MILES NORTHWEST OF RAYNE...MOVING EAST AT 30
  MPH.

* THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  SCOTT BY 645 AM CDT
  CARENCRO BY 650 AM CDT
  LAFAYETTE...MILTON BY 655 AM CDT
  BROUSSARD...YOUNGSVILLE BY 700 AM CDT

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

CALL 337-477-5285 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 Apr 3, 2:43 AM CDT, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 3, 2:43 AM CDT, 3 hours 55 minutes before

SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
243 AM CDT MON APR 3 2000

AT 07Z...QUASI-STATIONARY FRONT WAS LOCATED NEAR A KSHV-KIAH-KVCT
LINE. THE CANADIAN COLD FRONT EXTENDED FROM NEAR A KIRK-KTUL-KLBB
LINE. THE CANADIAN COLD FRONT WILL CATCH UP WITH THE STATIONARY
FRONT THIS AFTERNOON AND PUSH THROUGH THE ENTIRE FA BY 00Z.
UNTIL THEN WE WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH SEVERAL MORE ROUNDS OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS AS SEVERAL 500MB SHORTWAVES EMBEDDED IN THE
SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT MOVE ACROSS THE AREA WITH THE MAIN 500 MB TROF
MOVING THROUGH OVERNIGHT. THE MAIN CONCERN TODAY WILL BE THE HEAVY
RAIN WITH AN ADDITIONAL 2 TO 4 INCHES POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA.
HOWEVER...WILL NOT ISSUE A FFA AT THIS TIME. ANY FLOODING PROBLEMS
THAT OCCUR TODAY CAN BE HANDLED BY URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD
ADVISORIES. THERE WILL ALSO BE ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS
THE AREA TODAY AS AIRMASS ACROSS THE AREA REMAINS RATHER UNSTABLE.
THE MAIN THREAT FROM THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS.

SKIES WILL CLEAR OUT TONIGHT AS THE 500 MB TROF MOVES EAST OF THE
AREA AND HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT.

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

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
LCH 76/46/65/43 +000
BPT 74/46/67/43 +000
LFT 77/47/64/42 +200
AEX 71/45/64/39 +000

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 3, 5:04 AM CDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
504 AM CDT MON APR 3 2000

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

0430 AM    PORT ACRES                TX   WIND DAMAGE
04/03/00   JEFFERSON                      60 MPH WINDS AND NICKLE
                                          SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
                                          VINTON POLICE DEPT

Local storm report, Apr 3, 5:07 AM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
507 AM CDT MON APR 3 2000

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

0452 AM    VINTON                    LA   WIND DAMAGE
04/03/00   CALCASIEU                      60 MPH WINDS AND NICKLE
                                          SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
                                          VINTON POLICE DEPT)

0430 AM    PORT ACRES                LA   WIND DAMAGE
04/03/00   JEFFERSON                      ROOF BLOWN OFF HOUSE

FN

Local storm report, Apr 3, 5:23 AM CDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
523 AM CDT MON APR 3 2000

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

0430 AM    HAMSHIRE                  TX   TORNADO
04/03/00   JEFFERSON                      MOBILE HOME DESTROYED
                                          POSSIBLE TORNADO

FN

Local storm report, Apr 3, 5:30 AM CDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
530 AM CDT MON APR 3 2000

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

0513 AM    WESTLAKE                  LA   .75 INCH HAIL
04/03/00   CALCASIEU

0515 AM    LAKE CHARLES              LA   WIND DAMAGE
04/03/00   CALCASIEU                      49 MPH WINDS AND DRIVING
                                          RAIN AT NWS LAKE CHARLES

0537 AM    GRAND LAKE                LA   WIND DAMAGE
04/03/00   CAMERON                        CARPORT
                                          DESTROYED...REPORTED BY
                                          SHERIFFS DEPT

FN

Local storm report, Apr 3, 5:52 AM CDT, 46 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
552 AM CDT MON APR 3 2000

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

0530 AM    ECHO                      LA   WIND DAMAGE
04/03/00   AVOYELLES                      PULL FRONT PORCH OFF
                                          HOME...TRAMPOLINE THROWN

0530 AM    LAKE CHARLES              LA   WIND DAMAGE
04/03/00   CALCASIEU                      50 MPH WINDS...2 INCH RAIN
                                          IN 30 MINUTES/WIDESPREAD POWER
                                          OUTAGE

FN

Local storm report, Apr 3, 6:32 AM CDT, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
632 AM CDT MON APR 3 2000

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

0435 AM    ORANGE                    TX   .88 INCH HAIL
04/03/00   ORANGE                         REPORTED BY CHEVRON
                                          MINI-MART

0540 AM    ROANOKE                   LA   TORNADO
04/03/00   JEFFERSON DAVIS                POWERLINES DOWN /
                                          BUILDINGS DAMAGED / TREES
                                          DOWN. POSSIBLE TORNADO

0635 AM    HATHAWAY                  LA   TORNADO
04/03/00   JEFFERSON DAVIS                POWERLINES DOWN...TREES
                                          DOWN...BUILDINGS
                                          DOWN...BUILDINGS DAMAGED

0613 AM    3 N IOTA                  LA   TORNADO
04/03/00   ACADIA                         HOUSE DAMAGED...TREES
                                          DOWN...POSSIBLE
                                          TORNADO

FN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 2, 7:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Avoyelles	68 min
Apr 2, 7:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Jefferson Davis	57 min
Apr 2, 7:25 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Saint Landry	65 min
Apr 2, 7:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Acadia, Evangeline	61 min
Apr 2, 8:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Saint Landry	61 min
Apr 2, 10:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Beauregard	61 min
Apr 2, 11:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Vernon	60 min
Apr 2, 11:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Allen, Rapides	64 min
Apr 3, 12:01 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Beauregard	59 min
Apr 3, 3:37 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Beauregard, Vernon	68 min
Apr 3, 4:45 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Calcasieu	60 min
Apr 3, 5:00 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Calcasieu	60 min
Apr 3, 5:22 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Jefferson Davis	53 min
Apr 3, 5:32 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Cameron	58 min
Apr 3, 5:51 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Acadia, Allen, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis	54 min
Apr 3, 5:51 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Saint Landry	54 min
Apr 3, 6:09 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Acadia	66 min
Apr 3, 6:34 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Lafayette	56 min
Apr 3, 6:49 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Saint Landry	56 min
Apr 3, 6:57 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Vermilion	63 min
Apr 3, 7:07 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Saint Martin	68 min
Apr 3, 7:27 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Iberia, St. Mary	63 min
Apr 3, 10:26 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Beauregard, Calcasieu	64 min
Apr 3, 10:26 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Allen	64 min
Apr 3, 11:00 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Evangeline, Rapides	60 min
Apr 3, 11:00 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Beauregard	60 min
Apr 3, 11:37 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Avoyelles	68 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Louisiana, 2000 Every 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.