Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Watches in 2002
Tornado Watch 788
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Dec 18, 2002, 8:55 PM CST for 4 states. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Dec 18, 2002, 8:55 PM CST (02:55 UTC)
- Expired
- Dec 19, 2002, 3:00 AM CST
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 54 counties
Ashley County, AR, Bradley County, AR, Calhoun County, AR, Chicot County, AR, Cleveland County, AR, Columbia County, AR, Dallas County, AR, Desha County, AR, Drew County, AR, Lafayette County, AR, Lincoln County, AR, Nevada County, AR, Ouachita County, AR, Union County, AR, Bienville Parish, LA, Bossier Parish, LA, Caddo Parish, LA, Caldwell Parish, LA, Claiborne Parish, LA, De Soto Parish, LA, East Carroll Parish, LA, Jackson Parish, LA, Lincoln Parish, LA, Morehouse Parish, LA, Natchitoches Parish, LA, Ouachita Parish, LA, Red River Parish, LA, Richland Parish, LA, Sabine Parish, LA, Union Parish, LA, Webster Parish, LA, West Carroll Parish, LA, Winn Parish, LA, Bolivar County, MS, Grenada County, MS, Leflore County, MS, Sunflower County, MS, Tallahatchie County, MS, Washington County, MS, Yalobusha County, MS, Anderson County, TX, Angelina County, TX, Cherokee County, TX, Gregg County, TX, Harrison County, TX, Houston County, TX, Leon County, TX, Marion County, TX, Nacogdoches County, TX, Panola County, TX, Rusk County, TX, Sabine County, TX, San Augustine County, TX, Shelby County, TX
The radar
The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 16 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:58 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.
Warnings issued inside it
26 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 9:06 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SHV | Columbia | 54 min |
| Dec 18, 9:14 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | SHV | Bossier, Caddo | 4 hr |
| Dec 18, 9:20 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | LZK | Calhoun, Cleveland, Dallas, Ouachita | 3 hr |
| Dec 18, 9:21 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | SHV | Columbia, Lafayette | 4 hr |
| Dec 18, 9:24 PM CST | Tornado Warning | LZK | Cleveland | 41 min |
| Dec 18, 9:37 PM CST | Tornado Warning | LZK | Calhoun | 33 min |
| Dec 18, 9:40 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | SHV | Gregg, Harrison | 4 hr |
| Dec 18, 9:47 PM CST | Tornado Warning | LZK | Lincoln | 43 min |
| Dec 18, 9:52 PM CST | Tornado Warning | LZK | Bradley, Cleveland | 43 min |
| Dec 18, 10:24 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | LZK | Lincoln | 3 hr |
| Dec 18, 10:29 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Lincoln | 41 min |
| Dec 18, 10:42 PM CST | Tornado Warning | LZK | Desha, Lincoln | 43 min |
| Dec 18, 11:01 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | LZK | Bradley | 2 hr |
| Dec 18, 11:24 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SHV | Union | 66 min |
| Dec 18, 11:45 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | LZK | Arkansas, Bradley, Calhoun, Cleveland, Dallas, Desha and 5 more | 4 hr |
| Dec 18, 11:50 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SHV | Cherokee | 40 min |
| Dec 18, 11:55 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | LZK | Arkansas, Bradley, Calhoun, Cleveland, Dallas, Desha and 5 more | 4 hr |
| Dec 19, 12:00 AM CST | Tornado Warning | SHV | Union | 30 min |
| Dec 19, 12:19 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SHV | Rusk | 41 min |
| Dec 19, 1:01 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SHV | Panola | 29 min |
| Dec 19, 1:16 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | SHV | Union | 4 hr |
| Dec 19, 2:09 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | JAN | Bolivar | 4 hr |
| Dec 19, 2:10 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SHV | Union | 35 min |
| Dec 19, 2:16 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Desha | 29 min |
| Dec 19, 2:37 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Bolivar | 58 min |
| Dec 19, 2:48 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Ashley | 47 min |
The nearest sounding before it
Shreveport, LA (KSHV), launched 00:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 16 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1623 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -1 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 618 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 69 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 291 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 354 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 3.8
- Supercell composite
- 12.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WWUS20 KWNS 190256 SEL8 SPC WW 190255 ARZ000-LAZ000-MSZ000-TXZ000-190900- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 788 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 855 PM CST WED DEC 18 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN ARKANSAS NORTHERN AND WESTERN LOUISIANA WESTERN MISSISSIPPI EAST CENTRAL TEXAS EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FROM 855 PM UNTIL 300 AM CST. TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 100 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF LUFKIN TEXAS TO 45 MILES NORTH OF GREENVILLE MISSISSIPPI. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 784. WATCH NUMBER 784 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 855 PM CST. CONTINUE...WW 785...WW 787... DISCUSSION...SUPERCELLS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING ENE ALONG STALLING CONVECTIVE BAND THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. VERY STRONG DEEP SHEAR AND RICH GULF INFLOW SUGGEST POTENTIAL FOR A FEW TORNADOES...ESPECIALLY OVER NRN LA AND SRN AR. AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24040. ...CORFIDI 340,0891 310,0931 310,0964 340,0924
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 9:05 PM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Crittenden, Lee, Mississippi, Phillips, St. Francis | 6 hr |
| Dec 19, 2:25 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Ashley, Bradley, Chicot, Union | 8 hr |
| Dec 19, 12:30 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Evangeline | 7 hr |
| Dec 19, 6:30 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Cameron and 26 more | 6 hr |
| Dec 19, 9:35 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, Saint Bernard, Saint Charles and 2 more | 5 hr |
| Dec 19, 11:40 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Ascension, Assumption, Livingston, Orleans, Saint Bernard, Saint Charles and 7 more | 6 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 2002Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 2002Tornado Watches in Texas, 2002Every tornado watch 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.