Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 8, NWS Lake Charles, LA

March 12, 2003Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 12, 2003, 5:31 PM CST for Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 59 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 12, 2003, 5:31 PM CST (23:31 UTC)
Expired
Mar 12, 2003, 6:30 PM CST
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Avoyelles 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

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 163 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 12:00Z on 2003-03-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 596 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 12:00Z on 2003-03-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 73 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
596 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-142 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
456 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
73 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
96 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

984 
WUUS54 KLCH 122331
SVRLCH
LAC009-130030-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
530 PM CST WED MAR 12 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 630 PM CST

* AT 523 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF EFFIE...MOVING NORTHEAST
  AT 20 MPH.

* THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  BROUILLETTE BY 545 PM

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...DESTRUCTIVE
HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND TORRENTIAL RAIN.

HAIL TO THE SIZE OF GOLF BALLS CAN BE EXPECTED.

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

LAT...LON 3123 9222 3108 9211 3127 9183 3134 9203

$$

KUYPER

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 12, 12:45 PM CST, 4 hours 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 12, 12:45 PM CST, 4 hours 46 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
12:45 PM CST WED MAR 12 2003

.TONIGHT...
A FEW EVENING SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED. OTHERWISE, THE
OVERNIGHT MINIMUMS WILL BE RUNNING ABOUT 10 F DEGREES ABOVE THE
BENCHMARK NORMALS.

ALSO, FOG WILL BE A PROBLEM. THE MESO-ETA COMPUTES A COASTAL FRONT
FORMING OVERNIGHT. ACCUMULATING GULF MOISTURE WILL SUSTAIN AREAS OF
FOG OVER THE COASTAL MARSHES AND I-10 PRAIRIES, PATCHY FOG FURTHER
NORTH OVER THE LAKES AND PINEY HILLS REGIONS.

.THURSDAY...
THE MESO-ETA MODEL DEPICTS THE COASTAL FRONT ADVANCING NORTH AND
STALLING OVER THE PINEY HILLS AND LAKES REGIONS. THIS INTERFACE WILL
PERSIST INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS.

MEANWHILE, THE AVN MODEL COMPUTES SIGNIFICANT KINEMATIC AND QUASI
-GEOSTROPHIC OMEGAS OVER THE AFORMENTIONED INTERFACE. SHOWERS OR
THUNDERSTORMS SEEM LIKELY. WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER AT 170 PERCENT OF
NORMAL, I WILL INSERT RAIN HEAVY AT TIMES INTO PACKAGE.

.THURSDAY NIGHT...
SCATTERED EVENING SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED. OTHERWISE,
PATCHY RADIATION FOG, DENSE AT TIMES, WILL BE A PROBLEM.

.LCH...NONE.

.PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
AEX 58/79/56/78/55/79 263330
BPT 62/77/60/79/59/80 263320
LCH 61/77/59/80/58/80 263320
LFT 60/77/59/78/57/79 263330

TRARES
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 12, 4:00 AM CST, 13 hours 31 minutes before
LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-TXZ180>182-201-215-216-131100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
400 AM CST WED MAR 12 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS...CENTRAL...
SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...
A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS...COMBINED WITH DAYTIME HEATING WILL
PRODUCE SCATTERED MAINLY AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. AT
THIS TIME NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

LIGHT WINDS AND HIGH MOISTURE VALUES AT THE SURFACE WILL BRING THE
CHANCE FOR FOG DURING THE OVERNIGHT. FOG MAY BECOME DENSE AT TIMES...
ESPECIALLY NEAR THE COAST.

.DAY TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...
NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE
WEEKEND. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF MAINLY AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. RIVER FLOODING WILL CONTINUE AT
SOME GAUGE SITES. THOSE WITH INTERESTS NEAR AREA RIVERS SHOULD
MONITOR THE LATEST FLOOD STATEMENTS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED.

RUA

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 12, 3:05 PM CST, 2 hours 26 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
305 PM CST WED MAR 12 2003

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

0302 PM    ALEXANDRIA                LA   .75 INCH HAIL
03/12/03   RAPIDES                        HAIL COVERING THE GROUND
                                          ABOUT 2 INCHES DEEP

FN
Local storm report, Mar 12, 3:14 PM CST, 2 hours 17 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
314 PM CST WED MAR 12 2003

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

0308 PM    PINEVILLE                 LA   1.00 INCH HAIL
03/12/03   RAPIDES                        GOLFBALL HAIL REPORTED BY
                                          CLECO POWER COMPANY

0310 PM    PINEVILLE                 LA   2.75 INCH HAIL
03/12/03   RAPIDES                        BASEBALL SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED BY RAPIDES 911.

FN
Local storm report, Mar 12, 3:19 PM CST, 2 hours 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
319 PM CST WED MAR 12 2003

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

0314 PM    PINEVILLE                 LA   1.75 INCH HAIL
03/12/03   RAPIDES                        GOLFBALL HAIL AND LOTS OF
                                          BROKEN CAR WINDOWS

0317 PM    PINEVILLE                 LA   2.75 INCH HAIL
03/12/03   RAPIDES                        BASEBALL SIZE HAIL AND CAR
                                          WINDOWS BROKEN. REPORTED BY
                                          PUBLIC.

FN
Local storm report, Mar 12, 3:55 PM CST, 1 hour 36 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES, LA
355 PM CST WED MAR 12 2003

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

0336 PM    PINEVILLE                 LA   1.75 INCH HAIL
03/12/03   RAPIDES                        GOLFBALL HAIL IN PINEVILLE
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC

FN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 12, 2:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHRapides40 min
Mar 12, 3:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHRapides28 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Louisiana, 2003Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2003

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.