Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 28, NWS Lake Charles, LA

March 12, 2001Evangeline Parish, Saint Landry Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 12, 2001, 7:45 AM CST for Evangeline Parish, Saint Landry Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 60 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
Mar 12, 2001, 7:45 AM CST (13:45 UTC)
Expired
Mar 12, 2001, 8:45 AM CST
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Evangeline Parish, LA, Saint Landry Parish, LA

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:45 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 12, 7:59 AM CSTHail 0.75Chataignier, LA
Mar 12, 8:06 AM CSTThunderstorm WindInnis, LASeveral trees were blown down.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 12, 5:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 118 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 12:00Z on 2001-03-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1938 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 12:00Z on 2001-03-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 154 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1938 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-47 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
574 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
154 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
141 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.7
Supercell composite
6.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KLCH 121345
SVRLCH
LAC039-097-121445-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
745 AM CST MON MAR 12 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EVANGELINE PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA
  ST. LANDRY PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 845 AM CST

* AT 737 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 16 MILES SOUTH OF MAMOU...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
  40 MPH.

* THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  CHATAIGNIER BY 755 AM CST
  LAWTELL BY 805 AM CST
  OPELOUSAS BY 810 AM CST
  WASHINGTON BY 815 AM CST
  PALMETTO BY 830 AM CST

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.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 AM CST
MONDAY MORNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS. A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 AM CST
MONDAY MORNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA.

LAT...LON 3057 9259 3048 9221 3065 9156 3090 9169

)

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 12, 2:36 AM CST, 5 hours 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 12, 2:36 AM CST, 5 hours 9 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
236 AM CST MON MAR 12 2001

AREA ON THE FRINGE OF SEVERE WEATHER THIS MORNING WITH A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCHES IN EFFECT UNTIL 12Z FOR PORTIONS OF
SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND ANOTHER SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT
UNTIL 12Z FOR EXTREME SOUTH-CENTRAL LOUISIANA. SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
MAINLY DUE TO SOME LOW LEVEL SPEED AND DIRECTIONAL CONVERGENCE AND A
DIFFLUENT PATTERN ALOFT. HOWEVER...THE AREA I AM MOST CONCERNED
ABOUT IS THE WATCH TO THE WEST. CURRENTLY THERE IS A LINE OF STRONG
TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTENDS FROM DALLAS TO SAN ANTONIO. THIS
LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE MOVING INTO EXTREME SOUTHEAST TEXAS
BY 12Z. COULD ALSO SEE SOME THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP OUT AHEAD OF THIS
LINE SINCE THE AIRMASS IS ALREADY FAIRLY UNSTABLE WITH LI VALUES OF
-4 TO -7 AND SBCAPE OF 1000 TO 1500 J/KG. THE AIRMASS WILL BECOME
EVEN MORE UNSTABLE AS THE DAY WEARS ON AS STEEPER MID LEVEL LAPSE
RATE AIR MOVES INTO THE AREA. WOULD EXPECT SEVERE WEATHER TO BE
POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE MID AFTERNOON HOURS.

THE COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE 500 MB LOW THAT IS MOVING ACROSS
THE PLAINS WILL PUSH THROUGH THE AREA THIS EVENING AND ESSENTIALLY
PUTTING AND END TO THE PRECIPITATION.

THE NEXT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY
NIGHT AND THURSDAY AS THE NEXT SYSTEM APPROACHES THE AREA.

WILL ONCE AGAIN GO WITH A BLEND OF AVN AND NGM MOS TEMPS.

10

.LCH...NONE.

PRELIM NUMBERS...
AEX 75/51/72/47 8200
BPT 77/54/74/53 8200
LCH 76/54/74/52 8200
LFT 78/57/73/52 >8200

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 12, 4:18 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHRapides42 min
Mar 12, 8:04 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAllen, Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis56 min
Mar 12, 9:28 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJefferson Davis32 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Louisiana, 2001Every 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.