Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 9, NWS Lake Charles, LA

February 16, 2001Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 16, 2001, 11:33 AM CST for Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 27 min. No storm report in the archive falls 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.

The facts

Issued
Feb 16, 2001, 11:33 AM CST (17:33 UTC)
Expired
Feb 16, 2001, 12:00 PM CST
In force
27 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Avoyelles Parish, LA

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:34 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Feb 16, 10:00 AM CSTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 5.6 hours before the alert went out and 166 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 2001-02-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 15 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 2001-02-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 179 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
15 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-156 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
762 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
179 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
207 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KLCH 161733
SVRLCH
LAC009-161800-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1133 AM CST FRI FEB 16 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  AVOYELLES PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA

* UNTIL NOON CST

* AT 1128 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 2 MILES NORTHWEST OF MARKSVILLE...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  BORDELONVILLE BY 1140 AM CST

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

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM CST FRIDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA.

CALL 337-477-5285 TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE WEATHER SERVICE.

LAT...LON 3127 9218 3104 9210 3105 9178 3120 9172
          3127 9189

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 Feb 16, 10:07 AM CST, 1 hour 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 16, 10:07 AM CST, 1 hour 26 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1007 AM CST FRI FEB 16 200

WILL UPDATE ZONES SHORTLY FOR TORNADO WATCH 22 WHICH INCLUDES MOST
PARISHES OF SOUTHWEST...CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA. SQUALL
LINE INTENSIFYING ALONG COLD FRONT MOVING RAPIDLY EAST ACROSS REGION.

.LCH...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 3 PM...LAZ028>029-031>033-041>045-051>055
       SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...GMZ450-455-470-475.

PRELIM NUMBERS...
AEX 73/38/50/32 9200
BPT 72/40/53/36 8200
LCH 73/40/54/35 8200
LFT 77/42/55/34 8300

23...MARCOTTE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 16, 10:18 AM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
GMZ450-455-470-475-LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-TXZ180>182-201-215-216-
161930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1018 AM CST FRI FEB 16 2001

...DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS POSSIBLE TODAY...
...MUCH COOLER CONDITIONS FOR LATER TODAY INTO THE WEEKEND...

A STRONG COLD FRONT HAS MOVED INTO SOUTHWEST AND WESTERN LOUISIANA
AND WILL MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LOUISIANA BY EARLY
AFTERNOON. BEHIND THIS FRONT...COOLER AIR HAS BEGUN TO SETTLE OVER
EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

A SQUALL LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS DEVELOPED AS THIS COLD FRONT
PUSHES INTO THE WARM MOIST AIRMASS IN PLACE OVER THE AREA. AN UPPER
LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL LIFT NORTHEAST OUT OF WEST TEXAS. THIS WILL
CAUSE WINDS IN THE ATMOSPHERE TO INCREASE.

SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF DRAGGING THESE STRONG
WINDS ALOFT TO THE SURFACE. THESE WINDS...KNOWN AS A DOWNBURST...
COULD BE IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH. AT THESE SPEEDS...TREES AND POWERLINES
COULD BE KNOCKED DOWN. SOME DAMAGE TO TRAILERS IS POSSIBLE. ALSO
WINDOWS MAY BE DAMAGED BY DEBRIS.

THERE WILL ALSO BE A THREAT OF ISOLATED TORNADOES...MAINLY WHERE
THUNDERSTORMS MERGE ALONG THE SQUALL LINE.

OVER THE COASTAL WATERS WINDS AND SEAS WILL BE HIGHER NEAR THE
THUNDERSTORMS AND COULD POSE A THREAT TO THE SAFETY OF MARINERS...
ESPECIALLY SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS.

AFTER THE FRONT PASSES...STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL USHER IN MUCH
$COOLER TEMPERATURES WITH A DROP OF ABOUT 15 TO 20 DEGREES.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS
DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
Special weather statement, Feb 16, 10:23 AM CST, 1 hour 10 minutes before
GMZ450-455-470-475-LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-TXZ180>182-201-215-216-
161930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1023 AM CST FRI FEB 16 2001

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM...
...DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS POSSIBLE TODAY...
...MUCH COOLER CONDITIONS FOR LATER TODAY INTO THE WEEKEND...

A STRONG COLD FRONT HAS MOVED INTO SOUTHWEST AND WESTERN LOUISIANA
AND WILL MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LOUISIANA BY EARLY
AFTERNOON. BEHIND THIS FRONT...COOLER AIR HAS BEGUN TO SETTLE OVER
EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

A SQUALL LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS DEVELOPED AS THIS COLD FRONT
PUSHES INTO THE WARM MOIST AIRMASS IN PLACE OVER THE AREA. AN UPPER
LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL LIFT NORTHEAST OUT OF WEST TEXAS. THIS WILL
CAUSE WINDS IN THE ATMOSPHERE TO INCREASE.

SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF DRAGGING THESE STRONG
WINDS ALOFT TO THE SURFACE. THESE WINDS...KNOWN AS A DOWNBURST...
COULD BE IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH. AT THESE SPEEDS...TREES AND POWERLINES
COULD BE KNOCKED DOWN. SOME DAMAGE TO TRAILERS IS POSSIBLE. ALSO
WINDOWS MAY BE DAMAGED BY DEBRIS.

THERE WILL ALSO BE A THREAT OF ISOLATED TORNADOES...MAINLY WHERE
THUNDERSTORMS MERGE ALONG THE SQUALL LINE.

OVER THE COASTAL WATERS WINDS AND SEAS WILL BE HIGHER NEAR THE
THUNDERSTORMS AND COULD POSE A THREAT TO THE SAFETY OF MARINERS...
ESPECIALLY SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS.

AFTER THE FRONT PASSES%...STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL USHER IN MUCH
COOLER TEMPERATURES WITH A DROP OF ABOUT 15 TO 20 DEGREES.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS
DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 16, 9:53 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard67 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.