Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Lake Charles, LA

March 16, 2002Rapides Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Mar 16, 2002, 1:58 AM CST for Rapides Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 47 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 16, 2002, 1:58 AM CST (07:58 UTC)
Expired
Mar 16, 2002, 2:45 AM CST
In force
47 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 16, 2:00 AM CSTThunderstorm WindBoyce, 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, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 146 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 2002-03-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1832 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 2002-03-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 128 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1832 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
564 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
128 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
135 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
5.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KLCH 160758
TORLCH
LAC079-160845-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
158 AM CST SAT MAR 16 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  RAPIDES PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 245 AM CST

* AT 156 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  A DEVELOPING TORNADO 7 MILES WEST OF BOYCE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20
  MPH.

* THIS TORNADIC STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  BOYCE BY 205 AM CST

A TORNADO MAY FORM AT ANY TIME - TAKE COVER NOW. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES
AND VEHICLES FOR MORE SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. AVOID WINDOWS.

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

LAT...LON 3135 9293 3127 9283 3143 9262 3154 9273

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes 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.