Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 15, NWS New Orleans, LA

March 31, 20025 parishes in Louisiana

NWS New Orleans, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 31, 2002, 6:15 AM CST for 5 parishes in Louisiana. It was in force for 45 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Mar 31, 2002, 6:15 AM CST (12:15 UTC)
Expired: Mar 31, 2002, 7:00 AM CST
In force: 45 min
Issued by: NWS New Orleans, LA
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties East Baton Rouge Parish, LA, East Feliciana Parish, LA, Livingston Parish, LA, Saint Helena Parish, LA, Tangipahoa Parish, LA

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

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 121 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 663 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -60 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 784 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 188 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 217 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.8
Supercell composite: 6.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

851 
WUUS54 KLIX 311215
SVRNEW
LAC033-037-063-091-105-311300-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
614 AM CST SUN MAR 31 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW ORLEANS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
  EAST FELICIANA PARISH IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
  LIVINGSTON PARISH IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
  ST. HELENA PARISH IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF GREENSBURG
  TANGIPAHOA PARISH IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF AMITE

* UNTIL 700 AM CST

* AT 611 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR PRIDE...OR ABOUT 9 MILES EAST OF
  ZACHARY...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. TAKE COVER
IN A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE.

LAT...LON 3073 9112 3055 9107 3066 9041 3090 9048

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 New Orleans, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Mar 31, 3:15 AM CST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 3:15 AM CST, 3 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS/BATON ROUGE LA
315 AM CST SUN MAR 31 2002

FIRST OF SEVERAL BANDS OF CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LEVEL
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER NORTH TEXAS TRACKED INTO OUR FORECAST AREA
OF SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI AT AROUND 200 AM. JUST A PREVIEW OF THINGS
TO COME FOR THE REMAINDER OF EASTER SUNDAY AS TIME LAPSE SEQUENCE OF
INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS CLOUD TOPS BEGINNING TO COOL ON THE
745 TO 815Z SEQUENCE IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA WITH LIGHTNING DATA
SHOWING LIGHTNING ACTIVITY ON THE INCREASE. WITH THIS IN MIND WILL
GO WITH PRECIPITATION CHANCES TODAY FROM 80 PERCENT IN SOUTHWEST
MISSISSIPPI AND EXTREME EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
ZONES WITH MENTION OF SOME STORMS POSSIBLY SEVERE PER SPC OUTLOOK.
WILL THEN TAPER PRECIPITATION CHANCES ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE
FORECAST AREA TO 60 PERCENT FOR SOUTHEASTERN THIRD INCLUDING THE
MISSISSIPPI COASTAL COUNTIES. MODEL GUIDANCE ADVERTISES THE UPPER
LEVEL LOW RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ROUND OF SEVERE WEATHER TO OPEN UP AS
IT SPINS ACROSS LOUISIANA TODAY AND MOVES EAST OF MISSISSIPPI
TONIGHT. THIS WILL FINALLY PULL THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER EASTERN
TEXAS EAST TODAY AND WILL GO WITH WINDS SHIFTING TO THE NORTHWEST
FOR THE BTR AREA BETWEEN 18 AND 00Z TODAY WITH THE FRONT THEN
WORKING THROUGH THE COASTAL AREAS THIS EVENING. LESS HUMID AND
SLIGHTLY COOLER CONDITIONS THROUGH MONDAY EVENING AND THEN RETURN
FLOW SETS UP AGAIN AHEAD OF ANOTHER COLD FRONT WHICH WILL APPROACH
THE COAST WEDNESDAY. THIS FRONT IS BEING PUSHED SOUTH BY THE DENSITY
OF COOL CANADIAN AIR WHICH SPILLS INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS BEHIND AN
EXITING ALBERTA CLIPPER SYSTEM RACING THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES
REGION. FRONT FINALLY PUSHES THROUGH THE OFFSHORE WATERS OF 20 TO 60
NM EARLY THURSDAY ACCORDING TO THE AVN SURFACE PRESSURE AND WIND
FORECASTS. THIS FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS
MOISTURE TO WORK WITH AND ALSO LACKS UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT SO WILL
MENTION ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION ON WEDNESDAY AS THE
FRONT MOVES SLOWLY THROUGH.

MCB 076/048/074/050  8000       BTR  077/051/075/053  7000
MSY 079/057/076/055  6000       GPT  078/052/074/053  6000

.NEW...NONE
LA.....NONE.
MS.....NONE.

13

The office that day

Everything else NWS New Orleans, LA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 31, 5:27 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LIX	East Baton Rouge, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge	48 min
Mar 31, 7:03 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LIX	Saint Helena, Tangipahoa, Washington	42 min
Mar 31, 7:44 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LIX	Washington	61 min
Mar 31, 10:09 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	LIX		66 min
Mar 31, 10:51 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LIX	Lafourche	24 min
Mar 31, 10:51 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LIX	Terrebonne	8 days
Mar 31, 10:56 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	LIX		94 min
Mar 31, 11:12 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	LIX		2 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Louisiana, 2002 Every 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.