Alert archive / Louisiana / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 17, NWS Lake Charles, LA

October 29, 2002Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this flash flood warning at Oct 29, 2002, 4:02 AM CST for Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 2 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 29, 2002, 4:02 AM CST (10:02 UTC)
Expired: Oct 29, 2002, 6:30 AM CST
In force: 2 hr
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Calcasieu 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

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 18 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: 51 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -148 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1502 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 102 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 106 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KLCH 291002
FFWLCH
LAC019-291230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
355 AM CST TUE OCT 29 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CALCASIEU PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 630 AM CST

* AT 355 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR HAS ESTIMATED  
THAT THREE INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN ACROSS CALCASIEU PARISH DURING THE
PAST FEW HOURS WITH SOME SPOTS RECEIVING OVER 5 INCHES. THE COMBINATION
OF AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAINFALL AND ALREADY OVER-FLOWING
DRAINAGE DITCHES AND BAYOUS WILL CONTINUE EXTENSIVE FLOODING OF STREETS
AND LOW LYING AREAS.

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

LAT...LON 3040 9306 3007 9301 3008 9362 3039 9365

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 28, 8:40 PM CST, 7 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 28, 8:40 PM CST, 7 hours 22 minutes before

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
840 PM CST MON OCT 28 2002

...HEAVY RAIN AND SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL...

STRONG SUPPORT FOR TSTMS TONIGHT AS INDC IN WATER VAPOR AND IR SAT.
BEST SUPPORT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE AREA OVR THE NEXT SVRL
HOURS. CAPES AREA LOOKING A BIT BETTER AND HELICITY IS RUNNING ABOUT
82 (M/S)2... BUT THIS IS EXPECTED TO INCR. SHV SOUNDING HAD HEL ABT
183 (M/S)2. TOR WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF SE TX AND PORTIONS
OF SW AND CNTRL LA THIS EVE.

HAVE UPDATED ZONES.

.LCH...
TORNADO WATCH TIL 2 AM...LAZ027>033-041>043-051-052-
                         TXZ180>182-201-215-216-
FLOOD WATCH...LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-
              TXZ180>182-201-215-216.

.PRELIM NUMBERS...
    TN  TUE   WED   THU  TN  TU WE TH
AEX 65 77/60 76/55 70/49  8  52 11 00
BPT 70 79/66 80/60 73/52  +  62 11 00
LCH 70 79/65 80/60 73/52  +  62 11 00
LFT 71 78/66 79/62 73/52  8  63 11 00

K. KUYPER

Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 28, 5:17 AM CST, 22 hours 45 minutes before

LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-TXZ180>182-201-215-216-291200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
517 AM CST MON OCT 28 2002

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

...FLOOD WATCH THIS AFTERNOON FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND FOR SOUTHWEST
AND WEST CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

.TODAY AND TONIGHT...
SYNOPSIS...
FOR TODAY...A WARM FRONT WILL EXTEND SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS
THE LAKES REGION OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND THROUGH CENTRAL LOUISIANA.
FRESHENING GULF BREEZES WILL UPGLIDE OVER THIS FRONTAL SURFACE. BY
THE AFTERNOON...DISTURBANCES ALOFT WILL PASS OVER THE UPGLIDING GULF
AIR. FURTHER LIFTING OF THIS GULF AIR WILL CAUSE OVERRUNNING RAINS.
ANY RAIN WILL QUICKLY RUN OFF IN THE ALREADY SATURATED SOILS.

FOR TONIGHT...THE WARM FRONT WILL EXIT TO THE NORTH. AN APPROACHING
COLD FRONT WILL SET UP A WARM SECTOR WEDGE ACROSS THE ENTIRE FORECAST
AREA. FAVORABLE UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS WILL BE IN PLACE OVER THIS WARM
SECTOR WEDGE. THUNDERSTORMS ORGANIZING IN LINES ARE POSSIBLE.

FLOODING...
BASIN AVERAGED RAIN WATER AMOUNTS BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES...WITH
LOCAL AMOUNTS BETWEEN 2 AND 4 INCHES...ARE POSSIBLE. SEE FLASH FLOOD
WATCH ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE.

RIVER FLOODING...
MODERATE FLOODING WILL PERSIST OVER THE RIVER BASINS OF THE LOWER
NECHES AND LOWER SABINE...AND OVER THE RIVER BASINS OF THE
CALCASIEU AND MERMENTAU. SEE RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS AND STATEMENTS
ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE. SPECIAL ATTENTION WILL BE NEEDED FOR FLASHY
RIVERS SUCH AS BAYOU ANACOCO AND THE VERMILION RIVER IN LAFAYETTE.

CONVECTIVE WEATHER...
THUNDERSTORMS ORGANIZING IN LINES ARE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. ISOLATED TORNADOES
ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS EVENING.

................................................................
.TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...
POST FRONTAL SHOWERS WILL BE ENDING TUESDAY MORNING. A CANADIAN HIGH
WILL BUILD IN BEHIND THE EXITING FRONT. A MORE SEASONABLE AIR MASS
WILL PREVAIL. ON SUNDAY...A MUCH STRONGER COLD FRONT WILL ADVANCE
ACROSS THE AREA...USHERING IN AN UNSEASONABLY COOL AIR MASS.
OVERNIGHT MINIMUMS IN THE MID 30S WILL BE FELT ACROSS THE LAKES
REGION OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND ACROSS CENTRAL LOUISIANA.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

Trares

In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 28, 11:04 PM CST, 4 hours 58 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
1104 PM CST MON OCT 28 2002

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

1030 PM    BATSON                    TX   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
10/28/02   HARDIN                         TREES REPORTED DOWN

KGK

Local storm report, Oct 29, 12:03 AM CST, 3 hours 59 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
1203 AM CST TUE OCT 29 2002

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

1155 PM    VIDOR                     TX   FLOOD
10/29/02   ORANGE                         MAJOR FLOODING OF STREETS
                                          IN VIDOR. WATER COMING INTO
                                          HOMES ON ST. CHARLES ST. IN
                                          VIDOR

Local storm report, Oct 29, 12:16 AM CST, 3 hours 46 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
1216 AM CST TUE OCT 29 2002

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

1130 PM    LUMBERTON                 TX   TORNADO
10/28/02   HARDIN                         *** SEVERAL INJ ***
                                          LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED -
                                          TX DPS. BLDG DAMAGED, GAS
                                          LEAK

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Oct 29, 12:07 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Calcasieu	58 min
Oct 29, 12:25 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Calcasieu	35 min
Oct 29, 12:54 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	LCH	Calcasieu	3 hr
Oct 29, 1:04 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Calcasieu	56 min
Oct 29, 1:33 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Allen, Beauregard	57 min
Oct 29, 1:35 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Allen, Beauregard	55 min
Oct 29, 1:57 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Jefferson Davis	63 min
Oct 29, 2:16 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Allen	29 min
Oct 29, 2:25 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Acadia	65 min
Oct 29, 2:32 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Evangeline	58 min
Oct 29, 2:38 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Acadia, Evangeline, Saint Landry	37 min
Oct 29, 2:59 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	LCH	Cameron	3 hr
Oct 29, 3:05 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Lafayette	55 min
Oct 29, 3:13 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	LCH	Lafayette	3 hr
Oct 29, 3:20 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Saint Landry	55 min
Oct 29, 3:29 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	LCH	Beauregard	3 hr
Oct 29, 3:32 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	LCH		58 min
Oct 29, 3:32 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	LCH		58 min
Oct 29, 3:32 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Saint Martin	58 min
Oct 29, 3:42 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Saint Martin	33 min
Oct 29, 4:58 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	LCH	Vermilion	2 hr
Oct 29, 6:02 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	LCH	Iberia	118 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Louisiana, 2002 Every 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.