Alert archive / Louisiana / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 10, NWS Lake Charles, LA

October 9, 2002St. Mary Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this flash flood warning at Oct 9, 2002, 3:07 PM CDT for St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 4 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Oct 9, 2002, 3:07 PM CDT (20:07 UTC)
Expired
Oct 9, 2002, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County St. Mary Parish, LA

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this flash flood warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 8.1 hours before the alert went out and 174 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2002-10-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1358 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2002-10-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 58 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1358 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
584 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
58 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
82 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KLCH 092007
FFWLCH
LAC101-100000-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
300 PM CDT WED OCT 9 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  ST. MARY PARISH IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 700 PM CDT

* AT 300 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WAS OCCURRING OVER UPPER WAX LAKE AND OVER 
  EASTERN PARTS OF SAINT MARY PARISH. THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH 
  30 MPH. STORMS IN THE COASTAL WATERS WILL LIKELY MOVE NORTH OVER
  CENTRAL SAINT MARY PARISH WHERE FLOODING OCCURRED EARLIER TODAY. 

HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS AND LOW LYING AREAS RAPIDLY...SO DO NOT DRIVE
YOUR VEHICLE WHERE WATERS OF AN UNKNOWN DEPTH COVERS THE ROAD.

RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS...CREEKS AND DRAINAGE DITCHES SHOULD
BE READY TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED.

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

LAT...LON 2972 9122 2956 9132 2977 9171 2991 9159
          2975 9141

$$

20
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS74 KLCH 092344
FFSLCH
LAC101-100000-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
645 PM CDT WED OCT 9 2002

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING PREVIOUSLY ISSUED FOR SAINT MARY
PARISH WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM...

RADAR INDICATES THE SHOWERS PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL HAVE MOVED EAST
OF SAINT MARY PARISH. NO NEW FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THIS
OFFICE. RAIN IS STILL EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING HOURS.
HOWEVER...THE RAINFALL WILL BE ON THE LIGHT TO MODERATE SIDE WITH
RATES OF LESS THAN ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH PER HOUR. THEREFORE...THE
FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR SAINT MARY PARISH WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE
AT 7 PM.

$$

RUA

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 flash flood warning went out at Oct 9, 9:10 AM CDT, 5 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 9, 9:10 AM CDT, 5 hours 57 minutes before
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
910 AM CDT WED OCT 9 2002

       ...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS EVENING...

           ...RAIN RAIN GO AWAY...

RAINS WILL CONTINUE TODAY AS MSTR STREAMING OUT OF THE GULF COMBINES
WITH PACIFIC MSTR...SUPPORTED BY A CUT-OFF LOW OVR WEST TEXAS. THIS
WILL MEAN WORKING CREWS REMOVING DAMAGE FROM LILI...HAVE ANOTHER
PROBLEM TO CONTEND WITH. RAINS WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE DAY INTO
TONIGHT. THIS WILL MAKE A DIRTY JOB...MUDDY AND WET SLOWING EFFORTS
IN CLEANUP.

ONE HOUR RAINFALL TOTALS ARE 1 TO 3 INCHES ACROSS ST MARY AND IBERIA
PARISHES. RADAR INDCG HEAVIEST RAINS CONTINUING SOUTH OF THE I-10
CORRIDOR. THIS EVENT WILL BE SLOW MOVER AND WILL RESULT IN PRECIP
CONTG THRU THE OVRNGHT HOURS. THE LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGES TELL THE
WHOLE STORY FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT.

WILL UPDATE ZONES TO MAKE SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS.

.LCH...FLOOD WATCH ENTIRE AREA TODAY AND TNGHT.

.PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
    WE    TH    FR    W T F
BPT 77 71/81 66/83 69 +84222
LCH 77 70/80 66/83 69 +85222
LFT 76 72/80 67/82 69 ++7433
AEX 77 67/78 64/80 67 +96333

K. KUYPER
Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 9, 6:00 AM CDT, 9 hours 7 minutes before
LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-TXZ180>182-201-215-216-101100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
600 AM CDT WED OCT 9 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS...CENTRAL...
SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA.

...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE
EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT...

.TODAY AND TONIGHT....THE COMBINATION OF ABUNDANT GULF MOISTURE...A
PASSING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IN THE MIDDLE AND UPPER ATMOSPHERE...AND
A SURFACE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING ACROSS THE REGION WILL
PRODUCE WIDESPREAD SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THROUGH TONIGHT.
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES...WITH SOME HIGHER AMOUNTS...WILL
BE COMMON ACROSS THE AREA...AND A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR
TODAY AND TONIGHT.

A THUNDERSTORM OR TWO COULD BECOME SEVERE TODAY...MAINLY NEAR THE
COAST...WITH DAMAGING WINDS THE BIGGEST CONCERN. HOWEVER WIDESPREAD
SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

NO RIVERS ARE CURRENTLY IN FLOOD. HOWEVER WITH THE HEAVY RAINS
EXPECTED...SOME RIVERS COULD APPROACH FLOOD STAGE BY LATE TONIGHT.

.THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...
RAIN CHANCES WILL BEGIN TO DECREASE ON THURSDAY AS THE TROUGHS OF
LOW PRESSURE BOTH AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT GRADUALLY MOVE EAST AND
WEAKEN. A STRONG COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO CROSS THE REGION ON
SUNDAY...WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO
ACCOMPANY IT. GUSTY NORTH WINDS WILL FOLLOW THIS FRONT AS CANADIAN
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN BEHIND IT. DRY WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED FOR
MUCH OF MONDAY AND TUESDAY.

OUTSIDE OF THE GUSTY WINDS...HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED FOR
THE PERIOD THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION...
ACTIVATION OF SPOTTERS WILL NOT BE LIKELY THROUGH TONIGHT...BUT
SPOTTERS...EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC ARE URGED TO
MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR POSSIBLE FLOODING.

LGE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 9, 9:16 AM CDT, 5 hours 51 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
916 AM CDT WED OCT 9 2002

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

0913 AM    FRANKLIN                  LA   FLOOD
10/09/02   ST MARY                        FLOOD WATERS MOVING INTO
                                          HOUSES ON WILLOW STREET.
                                          ALL STREETS IN FRANKLIN
                                          CLOSED.

FN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 9, 12:38 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH52 min
Oct 9, 12:38 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH52 min
Oct 9, 1:30 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH60 min
Oct 9, 3:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHVermilion60 min
Oct 9, 8:47 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHSt. Mary5 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Louisiana, 2002Every flash flood warning in 2002

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.