Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 38, NWS Lake Charles, LA

July 12, 2002Acadia Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 12, 2002, 5:13 PM CDT for Acadia Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 62 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 12, 2002, 5:13 PM CDT (22:13 UTC)
Expired
Jul 12, 2002, 6:15 PM CDT
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Acadia Parish, LA, Jefferson Davis Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 60 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:01 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 12, 5:30 PM CDTThunderstorm WindCrowley, 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, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 59 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 2002-07-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1539 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2002-07-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 0 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
1539 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-74 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1081 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
8 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-9 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

051 
WUUS54 KLCH 122213
SVRLCH
LAC001-053-122315-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
513 PM CDT FRI JUL 12 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  JEFFERSON DAVIS PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA
  ACADIA PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 615 PM CDT

* AT 508 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER MERMENTAU...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  EGAN...ESTHERWOOD BY 520 PM CDT
  IOTA BY 525 PM CDT
  CROWLEY BY 530 PM CDT
  BRANCH...RICHARD...MIRE BY 550 PM CDT
  CHURCH POINT BY 555 PM CDT

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

THIS THUNDERSTORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY LARGE HAIL WHICH COULD
CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.

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 12, 2:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 12, 2:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 38 minutes before
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
235 PM CDT FRI JUL 12 2002

LATEST KLCH 88D SHOWS SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING
SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE NORTHERN ZONES...WITH SOME ACTIVITY BEGINNING
TO DEVELOP OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS/SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AS OUTFLOWS PUSH
SOUTH FROM THE CONVECTION. IN ADDITION...SEA BREEZE IS BEGINNING TO
PUSH INLAND OVER THE COASTAL ZONES WHICH IS ALSO HELPING TO SET OFF
A FEW STORMS.

IR SATELLITE PICS INDICATE THE WEAK SURFACE BOUNDARY OVER N OK/SW MO
WITH A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING. THIS TROUGH IS PROGGED TO
MOVE SOUTH THIS EVENING AND WEAKEN OVER N TX/N LA. SHOULD SEE ENOUGH
INSTABILITY SOUTH OF THIS TROUGH TO HAVE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WITH POPS HIGHER
OVER THE N ZONES. FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE ABUNDANT MOISTURE WITH
PWS AROUND 2 INCHES.

IN THE UPPER LEVELS...TROUGH CURRENTLY LOCATED OVER NW MO WILL
GRADUALLY MOVE SOUTH NEAR CENT AR/SE OK BEFORE BEING PUSHED BACK TO
THE NORTH AS RIDGING DEVELOPS OVER THE SE CONUS EARLY NEXT WEEK.
THIS PATTERN IS ALSO REFLECTED AT THE SURFACE WITH HIGH PRESSURE
DEVELOPING OVER THE EASTERN GULF...PRODUCING ONSHORE FLOW BY
MONDAY. UNTIL THEN...WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL PREVAIL.

IN THE EXTENDED...WILL SEE TYPICAL SCATTERED AFTERNOON CONVECTION
MONDAY AND TUESDAY AS ONSHORE FLOW BRINGS MOISTURE ACROSS THE AREA.
BY WEDNESDAY...THE HIGH OVER THE EASTERN GULF WILL GRADUALLY MOVE
WEST BRINGING DRIER CONDITIONS TO THE AREA.

.KLCH...NONE.

.PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
AEX 72/92/73/92/72/93/72 4544231
BPT 75/91/76/90/74/92/74 3434231
LCH 75/90/75/90/74/91/74 3434231
LFT 74/92/74/91/75/92/75 2434231

24

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 12, 1:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard54 min
Jul 12, 5:30 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH60 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.