Severe Thunderstorm Warning 299, NWS New Orleans, LA

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS/BATON ROUGE LA
628 AM CST SAT DEC 16 2000

UPDATED ZONES TO REMOVE DENSE FOG ADVISORY AND ASSOCIATED WORDING.

SPC REQUESTED AN 18Z FLIGHT. WILL HAVE A SPECIAL RELEASE TO ANALYZE
SEVERE WEATHER THREAT. ALSO 12Z FIRST FLIGHT FAILED AFTER ABOUT 20
MINUTES. SECOND FLIGHT UNDERWAY.

ALSO CLEANED UP WARNING CODING BELOW.

.NEW...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY TODAY AND TONIGHT PQL-ATCHAFALAYA RIVER.
LA...HARD FREEZE WARNING TONIGHT LAZ034>040-046>050-056>059-065
     FREEZE WARNING TONIGHT LAZ060>064-066>070
MS...HARD FREEZE WARNING TONIGHT MSZ068>071-077-080>082
24

GMZ530-LAZ034>040-046>050-056>070-MSZ068>071-077-080>082-162000-

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
800 AM CST SAT DEC 16 2000

...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS MORNING AND
   THIS AFTERNOON...

A STRONG ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL MOVE RAPIDLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA AND SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI LATER THIS MORNING AND INTO THE
EARLY AFTERNOON. VERY WARM AND MOIST UNSTABLE AIR HAD MOVED INTO
THE AREA OVERNIGHT. THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT WILL HELP FOCUS
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WITH SOME OF THE STORMS POSSIBLY BECOMING
SEVERE IN SQUALL LINES.

THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS THAT MAY APPROACH
70 MPH. LARGE HAIL UP TO GOLF BALL DIAMETER IS POSSIBLE. ISOLATED
TORNADOES CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. THE TIME OF THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE
AROUND NOON IN THE GREATER BATON ROUGE AREA...MCCOMB...TYLERTOWN...
HAMMOND AND SLIDELL AREA DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON...THE GREATER
NEW ORLEANS AREA AROUND 3 PM AND THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST BEFORE
SUNSET. THE EXPECTED STORM MOTION IS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 50
MPH.

EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD STAFF
ACCORDINGLY FOR SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS. SPOTTER NETWORKS SHOULD
BE ACTIVATED ALONG WITH AMATEUR RADIO NETWORKS. A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM OR TORNADO WATCH MAY BE ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF THE
SERVICE AREA LATER THIS MORNING.

IN ADDITION...TEMPERATURES WILL BE FALLING RAPIDLY AFTER THE FRONTAL
PASSAGE LATER THIS AFTERNOON. REFER TO STATEMENTS REGARDING THE
APPROACHING COLD AIR.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR HOME PAGE ON THE INTERNET
AT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS...

HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/LIX (ALL LETTERS SHOULD BE LOWER CASE).

GMZ530-LAZ034>040-046>050-056>070-MSZ068>071-077-080>082-170401-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1210 PM CST SAT DEC 16 2000

...A HARD FREEZE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH MISSISSIPPI
   AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA TONIGHT...

A STRONG ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL MOVE RAPIDLY SOUTHEAST ACROSS
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT. THIS FRONT WILL BE PRECEDED BY A PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH
WHICH WILL TRIGGER SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW
POSSIBLY BECOMING SEVERE MAINLY EAST OF A MCCOMB TO MORGAN CITY
LINE.

THE STRONG ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY NORTHWESTERLY
WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS TONIGHT. TEMPERATURES THIS
AFTERNOON WILL BE MOSTLY IN THE 70S AS THE MUCH COLDER AIR SWEEPS
SOUTHEAST LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT TEMPERATURES WILL FALL RAPIDLY INTO
THE 30S MOST SECTIONS BY LATE TONIGHT AND INTO THE 20S MOST
INLAND SECTIONS BY EARLY SUNDAY. COMBINATION OF THE STRONG WIND AND
RAPIDLY FALLING TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES IN
THE TEENS LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY.

PERSONS ARE ADVISED TO TAKE IMMEDIATE PRECAUTIONS AGAINST A HARD
FREEZE MOST INLAND AREAS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI
FOR TEMPERATURES FALLING INTO THE LOW TO MID 20S. SUB-FREEZING
TEMPERATURES LIKELY ABOUT 6 TO 9 HOURS INLAND SECTIONS AND OVER
COASTAL SECTIONS SOUTH OF THE TIDAL LAKES ABOUT 2 TO 4 HOURS OF
FREEZING TEMPERATURES AROUND 30 DEGREES. TENDER VEGETATION SUCH AS
TROPICAL PLANTS...AND PETS SHOULD BE PROTECTED AS WELL AS EXPOSED
PIPES AND VEHICLE RADIATORS IN AREAS OF THE EXPECTED HARD FREEZE.
THESE MEASURES ARE VERY IMPORTANT ESPECIALLY FOR HUNTERS AND
FISHERMEAN WHO MIGHT BE OUTDOORS FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.
PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN TO ENSURE LIVESTOCK AND OTHER DOMESTIC
ANIMALS HAVE PROPER SHELTER AND WATER.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR HOME PAGE ON THE INTERNET AT
THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS...

HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/LIX (ALL LETTERS SHOULD BE LOWER CASE).