Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 23, NWS Lake Charles, LA
NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 2002, 10:23 AM CDT for Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 52 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- May 17, 2002, 10:23 AM CDT (15:23 UTC)
- Expired
- May 17, 2002, 11:15 AM CDT
- In force
- 52 min
- Issued by
- NWS Lake Charles, LA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Calcasieu Parish, LA
The radar
The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 18 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 10:45 AM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Charles, 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, 3.4 hours before the alert went out and 19 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1518 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -50 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 802 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 13 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 45 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 127 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WUUS54 KLCH 171523 SVRLCH LAC019-171615- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 1019 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... CALCASIEU PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA * UNTIL 1115 AM CDT * AT 1018 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM VINTON TO 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SULPHUR TO 18 MILES SOUTH OF LAKE CHARLES...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. * THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR... CARLYSS BY 1030 AM CDT SULPHUR BY 1040 AM CDT WESTLAKE...LAKE CHARLES BY 1055 AM CDT MOSS BLUFF BY 1105 AM CDT BELL CITY BY 1110 AM CDT GILLIS...LEBLEU SETTLEMENT...IOWA BY 1115 AM CDT THIS LINE HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...KNOCKING DOWN TREES AND POWERLINES AS WELL AS VERY HEAVY RAIN. CALL 337-477-5285 TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE WEATHER SERVICE.
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 May 17, 9:25 AM CDT, 58 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 17, 9:25 AM CDT, 58 minutes before
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 925 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002 LINE OF TSTMS MOVG THRU SE TX AND EXTENDS OFFSHORE. MRNG SOUNDING INDCG HIGH CAPES ALTHOUGH AT THIS TIME HELICITY REMAINS LOW. PRECIP IS NOW 1.83 INCHES. THIS SYSTEM WILL MOVE THRU SW LA OVR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS MOVG TO THE EAST AROUND 25 MPH. IN ADDITION A FRONTAL SYS IS MOVG RAPIDLY TO THE SOUTHEAST AND WILL MOVE INTO SRN LA BY THIS AFTN. WILL UPDATE ZONES TO REFLECT THESE CHANGES. .LCH...NONE. .PRELIMINARY NUMBERS... AEX 83/60/76/52/76/49 960000 BPT 82/69/79/58/77/55 962000 LCH 83/68/78/57/77/55 962000 LFT 84/69/78/58/77/55 962000 K. KUYPER
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 17, 9:36 AM CDT, 47 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES,LA
436 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0433 AM SEA RIM STATE PARK TX WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02 JEFFERSON POWERLINES DOWN AT SEA RIM
STATE PARK. BUILDINGS
RATTLED ACCORDING TO
PERSONNEL. NO ELECTRICITY.
FNLocal storm report, May 17, 9:38 AM CDT, 45 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES,LA
938 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0933 AM SEA RIM STATE PARK TX WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02 JEFFERSON POWERLINES DOWN AT SEA RIM
STATE PARK. BUILDINGS
RATTLED ACCORDING TO
PERSONNEL. NO ELECTRICITY.
FNLocal storm report, May 17, 9:47 AM CDT, 36 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES,LA
947 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0917 AM LA BELLE TX WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02 JEFFERSON TREES DOWN WITH A TRAILER
KNOCKED OVER. NO INJURIES.
PERSONNEL. NO ELECTRICITY.
FNLocal storm report, May 17, 10:04 AM CDT, 19 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES,LA
1004 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0955 AM JOHNSON BAYOU LA WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02 CAMERON PERSONNEL REPORTED
NUMEROUS OUTSIDE ITEMS
THROWN AROUND. NO INJURIES.
FNLocal storm report, May 17, 10:11 AM CDT, 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES,LA
1011 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1008 AM NEDERLAND TX WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02 JEFFERSON BARN BLOWN DOWN
FNLocal storm report, May 17, 10:11 AM CDT, 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES,LA
1011 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0918 AM NEDERLAND TX WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02 JEFFERSON BARN BLOWN DOWN
FNThe office that day
Everything else NWS Lake Charles, LA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 8:10 AM CDT | Special Marine Warning | LCH | 65 min | |
| May 17, 9:12 AM CDT | Special Marine Warning | LCH | 63 min | |
| May 17, 9:39 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Cameron | 66 min |
| May 17, 10:15 AM CDT | Special Marine Warning | LCH | 60 min | |
| May 17, 10:15 AM CDT | Special Marine Warning | LCH | 60 min | |
| May 17, 11:15 AM CDT | Special Marine Warning | LCH | 60 min | |
| May 17, 11:26 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Vermilion | 64 min |
| May 17, 11:51 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Iberia | 59 min |
| May 17, 12:38 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | St. Mary | 67 min |
| May 17, 3:42 PM CDT | Special Marine Warning | LCH | 63 min | |
| May 17, 3:42 PM CDT | Special Marine Warning | LCH | 63 min | |
| May 17, 4:50 PM CDT | Special Marine Warning | LCH | 55 min | |
| May 17, 4:50 PM CDT | Special Marine Warning | LCH | 55 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Louisiana, 2002Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.