Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Watches in 2002

Tornado Watch 9

February 19, 200217 parishes in Louisiana; 10 counties in Mississippi

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Feb 19, 2002, 6:45 PM CST for 17 parishes in Louisiana; 10 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 19, 2002, 6:45 PM CST (00:45 UTC)
Expired
Feb 20, 2002, 12:00 AM CST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 27 counties

Allen Parish, LA, Avoyelles Parish, LA, Beauregard Parish, LA, Caldwell Parish, LA, Catahoula Parish, LA, Concordia Parish, LA, East Carroll Parish, LA, Evangeline Parish, LA, Franklin Parish, LA, Grant Parish, LA, LaSalle Parish, LA, Madison Parish, LA, Rapides Parish, LA, Richland Parish, LA, Saint Landry Parish, LA, Tensas Parish, LA, West Carroll Parish, LA, Adams County, MS, Claiborne County, MS, Hinds County, MS, Issaquena County, MS, Jefferson County, MS, Madison County, MS, Sharkey County, MS, Warren County, MS, Wilkinson County, MS, Yazoo County, MS

Warnings issued inside it

4 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 19, 8:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANIssaquena, Warren28 min
Feb 19, 9:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANHumphreys, Sharkey22 min
Feb 19, 9:12 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANHinds, Madison, Yazoo33 min
Feb 19, 9:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANMadison, Yazoo31 min

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 186 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 2002-02-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 756 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 2002-02-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 302 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
756 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
638 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
302 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
345 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.4
Supercell composite
7.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 200037
SEL9  
SPC WW 200030
LAZ000-MSZ000-200600-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 9
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
630 PM CST TUE FEB 19 2002

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   LOUISIANA                          
   WESTERN  MISSISSIPPI                        

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM 645 PM
UNTIL MIDNIGHT 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 55 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 70 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF ALEXANDRIA LOUISIANA TO
105 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF NATCHEZ 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.


DISCUSSION...STRONG...FAVORABLE SHEAR PROFILES FOR SUPERCELLS TO
DEVELOP WITHIN LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS NOW MOVING NEWD ACROSS
LA.  WITH APPROACH OF VIGOROUS UPPER TROUGH AND CONTINUED
DESTABILIZATION OF AIR MASS NEWD INTO MS...CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO
BE FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELLS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES WITH THE LINE
FOR NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.


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 500. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23040.


...HALES

302,0934 330,0913 330,0893 302,0914

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 2002Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 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.