Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 43, NWS Lake Charles, LA

July 22, 2002Rapides Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 22, 2002, 6:44 PM CDT for Rapides Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 61 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jul 22, 2002, 6:44 PM CDT (23:44 UTC)
Expired
Jul 22, 2002, 7:45 PM CDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Rapides Parish, LA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 22, 6:58 PM CDTThunderstorm WindCountywide, 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm 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 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 144 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 2002-07-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3204 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 2002-07-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -52 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
3204 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
615 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
3 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-52 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-42 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.

179 
WUUS54 KLCH 222344
SVRLCH
LAC079-230045-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
643 PM CDT MON JUL 22 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  RAPIDES PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 745 PM CDT

* AT 636 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER ALEXANDRIA...MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH.

* THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  WOODWORTH BY 705 PM CDT
  LECOMPTE BY 720 PM CDT

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

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

LAT...LON 3138 9235 3139 9255 3105 9264 3104 9237

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 22, 1:53 PM CDT, 4 hours 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 22, 1:53 PM CDT, 4 hours 51 minutes before
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
153 PM CDT MON JUL 22 2002

SEABREEZE LOOKS A BIT MORE ACTIVE THAN YESTERDAY WITH ISOLATED TSTMS
ALREADY. BROAD UPPER LOW OVER THE SE U.S. ENHANCING RING OF FIRE
TSTMS NEAR EDGE OF CAP OVER MS AND SE LA. RIDGING HOLDS ON AVN THRU
TNITE OVER THE AREA...HOWEVER GRADUAL MOISTURE BUILD UP INCREASING
AREA INSTABILITIES THRU TUESDAY NIGHT...WITH THETA RIDGING BY
TUESDAY NIGHT AS WELL. AFTERNOON PCPN WILL RECOVER TOWARD SEASONAL
NORMS NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AS LOW LEVEL RIDGE WEAKENS. STAYED CLOSE
TO AVN ON TEMPS. SFC FRONT IN SRN PLAINS NOW LOOKS TO STALL NORTH OF
US.

.EXTENDED...OVERALL PATTERN STAYS ON THE DRY SIDE NEXT WEEK AS
HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE RE-ESTABLISHES ACROSS THE GULF SOUTH.

OZONE ACTION DAY FOR HARDIN...JEFFERSON...AND ORANGE COUNTIES OF
SE TX...DECLARED BY TNRCC.

.LCH...NONE.

.PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
      TU    WE    TH    FR    T W T F
BPT 74/93 75/93 74/94 76     0202231
LCH 74/93 74/93 76/94 77     -213232
LFT 75/94 76/93 75/93 76     1313141
AEX 75/93 74/93 73/94 76     1224121

11-SWEENEY

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 21, 8:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHRapides61 min
Jul 21, 8:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAvoyelles66 min
Jul 22, 5:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHRapides60 min
Jul 22, 6:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHVernon62 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.