Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 115, NWS Lake Charles, LA

September 20, 2001Acadia Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 20, 2001, 6:58 PM CDT for Acadia Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 62 min. 2 reports 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: Sep 20, 2001, 6:58 PM CDT (23:58 UTC)
Expired: Sep 20, 2001, 8:00 PM CDT
In force: 62 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Acadia Parish, LA, Jefferson Davis Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 63 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:05 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
Sep 20, 7:10 PM CDT	Hail 1	Jennings, LA
Sep 20, 7:35 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Mermentau, 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 12:00Z, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 61 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: 3591 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 615 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 20 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

370 
WUUS54 KLCH 210001
SVRLCH
LAC001-053-210100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
658 PM CDT THU SEP 20 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  JEFFERSON DAVIS PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA
  ACADIA PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT

* AT 658 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 5 MILES WEST OF HATHAWAY TO 10   
  MILES WEST OF MERMENTAU...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  MERMENTAU BY 705 PM CDT
  IOTA BY 715 PM CDT
  ESTHERWOOD BY 720 PM CDT
  BASILE BY 735 PM CDT
  CROWLEY BY 740 PM CDT

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 TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE WEATHER SERVICE.

LAT...LON 3009 9287 3014 9254 3009 9242 3014 9231
          3048 9225 3048 9275

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 Sep 20, 6:45 PM CDT, 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 20, 6:45 PM CDT, 13 minutes before

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
645 PM CDT THU SEP 20 2001

WILL UPDATE THE ZONE FORECAST PACKAGE TO INCREASE RAINFALL AND WINDS
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN ZONES FROM LAKE CHARLES TO THE ATCHAFALAYA BAY
TONIGHT. THE HEAVIEST SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY CURRENTLY
LOCATED ACROSS CALCASIEU AND JEFFERSON DAVIS PARISHES CONTINUES TO
MOVE SOUTHEAST. A STRONG OUTFLOW BOUNDARY ASSOCIATED WITH THIS
COMPLEX OF STORMS MAY BRING WINDS TO NEAR 25 MPH IN SOME LOCATIONS.

.UPDATED NUMBERS...
AEX 72/92/71/89/70/87/66 3114232
BPT 74/91/73/88/72/88/68 2014232
LCH 73/92/73/88/72/88/68 3014232
LFT 72/92/72/90/72/90/68 5012224

.LCH...NONE.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 20, 4:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Vernon	67 min
Sep 20, 4:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Rapides, Vernon	64 min
Sep 20, 6:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Beauregard, Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis	60 min
Sep 20, 6:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Allen	60 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Louisiana, 2001 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2001

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.