Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 88, NWS Lake Charles, LA

September 21, 2003Cameron Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 21, 2003, 1:42 PM CDT for Cameron Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 33 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
Sep 21, 2003, 1:42 PM CDT (18:42 UTC)
Expired
Sep 21, 2003, 2:15 PM CDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Cameron 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, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 37 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 2003-09-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 275 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 2003-09-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 120 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
275 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
803 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
120 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
151 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KLCH 211842
SVRLCH
LAC023-211915-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
140 PM CDT SUN SEP 21 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CAMERON PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 215 PM CDT

* AT 140 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTH OF SABINE NATIONAL WILDLIFE
  REFUGE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  HACKBERRY BY 150 PM CDT
  GRAND LAKE BY 210 PM CDT

THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. 
TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. TAKE COVER NOW 
VEHICLES AND MOBILE HOMES ARE NOT SAFE.

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

LAT...LON 2993 9368 2981 9349 3005 9323 3005 9357

$$

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 Sep 21, 10:08 AM CDT, 3 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 21, 10:08 AM CDT, 3 hours 34 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
955 AM CDT SUN 21 SEP 2003

...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY...

.OVERVIEW...LARGE RAIN SHIELD EXTENDS OVER SE TX...SRN LA AND
ADJACENT CSTL WATERS. RAINFALL ESTIMATES ALONG THE COAST NEAR SABINE
PASS...FOUR TO SIX INCHES. OTHER TOTALS...ONE TO THREE INCHES EXTEND
FROM JEFFERSON AND ORANGE COUNTIES IN SE TX EAST INTO CAMERON...
CALCASIEU AND VERMILION PARISHES WITH LESSER AMOUNTS FOR INLD
COUNTIES AND PARISHES.

RAIN THIS MRNG DEVELOPED FROM AN AREA OF DISTURBED WEATHER IN THE
EXTREME WESTERN GULF. THIS AREA HAS A SFC LOW LOCATED OFF THE BRO
COAST...W/ A CSTL TROF SWEEPING NORTHWARD INTO THE SOUTH-CNTRL LA
CSTL WATERS. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT IS BEING PROVIDED BY A TROF TO OUR
WEST AND IS EXPECTED TO BE ENHANCED BY THE RIGHT REAR QUAD OF THE
250 JET. PRECIP TDY WILL MOVE TOWARDS THE NORTH. LCH MRNG SOUNDING
IS COMPLETE SATURATED THRU THE ENTIRE COLUMN.

WHAT DO WE EXPECT FOR TDY...MORE OF THE SAME WITH CLOUDY SKIES AND
RAIN... HEAVY AT TIMES. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO HOVER IN THE
MID TO UPPER 70S AT BEST.

TONIGHT EXPECT A FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO MOVE CLOSER TO THE LAKE CHARLES
COUNTY WARNING AREA PROVIDING FOR ADDITIONAL RAINS ALONG AND AHEAD OF
THE FRONT. WE EXPECT THIS FRONT TO PUSH ACROSS THE AREA ON MONDAY
WITH RAIN ENDING FROM WEST TO EAST.

HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN RAPIDLY MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THE
MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. SUNNY SKIES AND MILD CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL
SHORTLY THEREAFTER.

.EXTENDED...ANOTHER REINFORCING SURGE OF NORTHERLY AIR WILL KEEP
CONDITIONS MILD THROUGH FRIDAY. SEE NO REASON TO VEER FROM STABLE
CONDITIONS AND MILD TEMPERATURES.

CSTL WTRS...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR TODAY.

.FORECAST CONFIDENCE...HIGH.

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...

KLCH 77 71 87 68 / 99 80 30 00
KBPT 77 71 87 68 / 99 80 30 00
KAEX 77 71 87 66 / 99 70 30 00
KLFT 77 72 86 68 / 99 80 40 00

.LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

LA...FLOOD WATCH SOUTHWEST/CENTRAL AND SOUTH-CENTRAL LOUISIANA.
TX...FLOOD WATCH SOUTHEAST TEXAS.
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 21, 6:00 AM CDT, 7 hours 42 minutes before
LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-TXZ180>182-201-215-216-221100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
600 AM CDT SUN SEP 21 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...
A DEEP TROPICAL AIRMASS AND A SURFACE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL
RESULT IN WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT WITH
HEAVY RAIN LIKELY. A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE ENTIRE
AREA.

OVER THE COASTAL WATERS, LARGE DIFFERENCES IN PRESSURE WILL GENERATE
MODERATE EASTERLY BREEZES, ESPECIALLY FROM HIGH ISLAND TO CAMERON.
A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL BE IN EFFECT AS SEAS WILL BE IN THE 4 TO
6 FOOT RANGE.

NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR DAY ONE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...
ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE AREA ON MONDAY WITH SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS ENDING FROM WEST TO EAST. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD
INTO THE REGION TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY ALLOWING FOR DRIER
CONDITIONS AND MILD TEMPERATURES.

NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN.

INFORMATION STATEMENT...THE ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO
OPERATORS...AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL, IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE
WEATHER OPERATIONS, IS NOT REQUESTED AT THIS TIME.

06

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 21, 1:15 PM CDT, 27 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
115 PM CDT SUN SEP 21 2003

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

0106 PM    7 SW JOHNSON BAYOU        XX   38 MPH MARINE TSTM WIND
09/21/03   XXX

0106 PM    12 SW JOHNSON BAYOU       XX   40 MPH MARINE TSTM WIND
09/21/03   XXX

THM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 21, 12:50 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH55 min
Sep 21, 1:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCalcasieu46 min
Sep 21, 2:30 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH60 min
Sep 21, 2:30 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH60 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.