Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 6, NWS Lake Charles, LA

March 26, 2002Rapides Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 26, 2002, 12:09 AM CST for Rapides Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 66 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
Mar 26, 2002, 12:09 AM CST (06:09 UTC)
Expired
Mar 26, 2002, 1:15 AM CST
In force
66 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
Mar 26, 12:30 AM CSTThunderstorm WindPineville, 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 25, 7:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr
Mar 26, 12:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 6.2 hours before the alert went out and 132 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 2002-03-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 819 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 00:00Z on 2002-03-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 77 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
819 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-18 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
932 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
77 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
117 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
5.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KLCH 260609
SVRLCH
LAC079-260715-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1208 AM CST TUE MAR 26 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 115 AM CST

* AT 1207 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES WEST OF GLENMORA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
  25 MPH.

* THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  MCNARY BY 1215 AM CST
  FOREST HILL BY 1225 AM CST
  WOODWORTH BY 1240 AM CST
  PINEVILLE BY 115 AM CST


LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT WITH THIS STORM. ALSO...SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...DEADLY LIGHTNING 
AND TORRENTIAL RAIN.

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

LAT...LON 3101 9273 3094 9256 3135 9216 3141 9235

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 Mar 25, 8:20 PM CST, 3 hours 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 25, 8:20 PM CST, 3 hours 49 minutes before
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
820 PM CST MON MAR 25 2002

SVR TSTM WATCH UNTIL 1 AM FOR PORTIONS OF SE TX AND SOUTHWEST
LOUISIANA. STRONG COLD FRONT HAS MOVED THROUGH LFK WITH TEMPS
FALLING INTO THE UPPER 40S...SOUTH OF THE BOUNDARY TEMPS ARE IN
THE 70S ATTM. MAIN THREAT LOOKS TO BE FROM LARGE HAIL AND WINDS.
TALKING WITH HOU THE VIL OF THE DAY LOOKS TO BE AROUND 45.

ZONES HAVE BEEN UPDATED.

.LCH...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY GMZ450-455-470-475

.PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
AEX 52/63/40/68/43/75 500000
BPT 53/68/45/70/51/75 400000
LCH 54/68/45/70/50/75 400000
LFT 60/68/45/70/49/76 420000

K. KUYPER

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 25, 11:57 PM CST, 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES,LA
1157 PM CST MON MAR 25 2002

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

1153 PM    MARKSVILLE                LA   HAIL
03/25/02   AVOYELLES                      DIME AND NICKEL SIZED HAIL
                                          WITH LIMBS DOWN.

DML

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 25, 9:49 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHRapides56 min
Mar 25, 10:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard, Vernon66 min
Mar 25, 10:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard, Vernon63 min
Mar 25, 10:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAvoyelles52 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.