Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 31, NWS Lake Charles, LA

July 7, 2002Lafayette Parish, Saint Martin Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 7, 2002, 7:22 PM CDT for Lafayette Parish, Saint Martin Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 38 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
Jul 7, 2002, 7:22 PM CDT (00:22 UTC)
Expired
Jul 7, 2002, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Lafayette Parish, LA, Saint Martin Parish, LA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 7, 7:25 PM CDTThunderstorm WindBreaux Bridge, 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 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 131 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 00:00Z on 2002-07-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3420 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2002-07-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 30 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
3420 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1263 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
77 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
5.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

079 
WUUS54 KLCH 080022
SVRLCH
LAC055-099-080100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
721 PM CDT SUN JUL 7 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  LAFAYETTE PARISH IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA
  ST. MARTIN PARISH IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT

* AT 720 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES EAST OF BREAUX BRIDGE...MOVING
  SOUTHWEST AT 20 MPH.

* THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  PARKS BY 730 PM CDT
  ST. MARTINVILLE BY 740 PM CDT
  LAFAYETTE BY 745 PM CDT
  BROUSSARD...CADE BY 750 PM CDT
  YOUNGSVILLE BY 755 PM CDT
  MILTON BY 800 PM CDT

THIS THUNDERSTORM HAS A HISTORY OF KNOCKING DOWN TREES AND POWER
LINES. DESTRUCTIVE WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED - TAKE COVER NOW VEHICLES 
AND MOBILE HOMES ARE NOT SAFE.

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 Jul 7, 1:13 PM CDT, 6 hours 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 7, 1:13 PM CDT, 6 hours 9 minutes before
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA...UPDATE
113 PM CDT SUN JUL 7 2002

UPDATED ZONES AGAIN...EXTENDED HEAT ADVISORY INTO SOUTHERN ZONES AS
DEWPOINTS HOLD IN THE UPPER 70S WITH TEMPS INTO THE MID 90S.

...1245 PM DISC...

UNFORTUNATELY THE TEMPERATURES IN THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE AREA
HAVING CONTINUED TO SOAR UNDER A LIGHT EAST TO NORTHEAST WIND.
DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 70S TO NEAR 80 GIVE HEAT INDICES NEAR 115
DEGREES. ISSUED A HEAT ADVISORY FOR THE NORTHERN ZONES AS CONDITIONS
WILL NOT ABATE UNTIL EARLY THIS EVENING.

WILL UPDATE FORECAST FOR UPPER 90S IN THE NORTHERN ZONES.

.LCH...NONE.

.UPDATED NUMBERS...
AEX 97/73/94/73/94/74 213141
BPT 94/75/92/74/93/76 214141
LCH 94/75/93/75/93/76 214141
LFT 94/74/93/75/92/75 214141

06

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION AT 930 AM:
SEE NO SUPRISES THIS AFTERNOON. AREA UNDER NEGATIVE VORTICITY
ADVECTION AND CONVECTIVE TEMPERATURE ON LCH SOUNDING UP TO 90. K-
INDEX OF 24 WOULD ONLY SUPPORT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.
ANOTHER HOT DAY IS ON TAP FOR THE CWA. CURRENT FORECAST PACKAGE LOOKS
GOOD. WILL NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES. STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS
INDICATED THAT ANY STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS. THIS IS IN THE FORECAST.

.LCH...NONE.

.PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
AEX 96/73/94/73/94/74 213141
BPT 94/75/92/74/93/76 214141
LCH 94/75/93/75/93/76 214141
LFT 94/74/93/75/92/75 214141

06

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 7, 3:36 PM CDT, 3 hours 46 minutes before
LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-TXZ180>182-201-215-216-080200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
336 PM CDT SUN JUL 7 2002

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL POSSIBLE
TONIGHT...

STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING
AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHES FROM THE EAST. AN
ABUNDANCE OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND VERY WARM TEMPERATURES WILL
ENSURE THAT THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE AT LEAST UNTIL MIDNIGHT.

THE MAIN PROBLEM WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL.
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS WILL ACCOMPANY THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS
WITH 1 INCH TO 2 INCH AMOUNTS POSSIBLE.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO..COMMERCIAL TELEVISION OR RADIO
FOR LATER STATEMENTS. ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE
OBTAINED THROUGH OUR HOME PAGE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/LCH.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 7, 7:53 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH67 min
Jul 7, 9:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard53 min
Jul 8, 1:37 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH53 min
Jul 8, 2:24 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH66 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.