Alert archive / Louisiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 96, NWS Lake Charles, LA

December 29, 2003St. Mary Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Dec 29, 2003, 7:59 AM CST for St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 46 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
Dec 29, 2003, 7:59 AM CST (13:59 UTC)
Expired
Dec 29, 2003, 8:45 AM CST
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County St. Mary 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, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 179 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2003-12-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2003-12-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 224 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
715 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
224 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
240 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.

000 
WUUS54 KLCH 291359
SVRLCH
LAC101-291445-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
758 AM CST MON DEC 29 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  ST. MARY PARISH IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 845 AM CST

* AT 758 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BURNS POINT...MOVING EAST
  AT 25 MPH.

* THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  BAYOU VISTA...BERWICK BY 805 AM CST
  MORGAN CITY BY 810 AM CST

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

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

LAT...LON 2976 9158 2955 9154 2951 9131 2971 9111

$$

K. 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 Dec 29, 5:51 AM CST, 2 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 29, 5:51 AM CST, 2 hours 8 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
550 AM CST MON 29 DEC 2003

.DISCUSSION...
UPDATED ZONES AND ISSUED NPW FOR LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR SE TX/S LA
ZONES FOR HEALTHY NORTHERLY WINDS OF 20+ MPH I-10 SOUTH. SOME
LOCATION...ESPECIALLY NEAR OPEN LAKES...HAVE BEEN REPORTING 25 MPH
OVER THE LAST HOUR. THE WINDS SHOULD GRADUALLY DIMINISH BY MID
AFTERNOON.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...
COLD FRONT JUST A COUPLE OF HOURS WEST OF LFT...WITH LARGE SHIELD OF
SHRA/TSRA IMMEDIATELY BEHIND IT. TEMPERATURES DROPPING 15 DEGREES
WITHIN ONE HOUR BEHIND THE FRONT AS WELL.

THE FRONT SHOULD EXIT THE REGION BY EARLY AFTERNOON...BRINGING NW-N
WINDS ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. CLEARING SKIES TONIGHT WITH A LIGHT
FREEZE FROM AEX TO JAS...MID 30S ELSEWHERE BY TUE MORNING. TUE AND
WED LOOKS BEAUTIFUL...WITH SCT CLOUDS RETURNING BY WED AFTERNOON.

NEW YEARS DAY WILL BE THE BEGINNING OF AN UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN
WELL INTO NEXT WEEK. LONGWAVE MID/UPPER LEVEL TROF ACROSS THE
WESTERN US WILL KEEP AREA UNDER WSW FLOW ALOFT...WITH A SERIES OF
SHORTWAVES BRINGING OFF AND ON RAIN CHANCES INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.
WITH THIS TYPE OF WEATHER PATTERN...TIMING ON ANY ONE UPPER LEVEL
SYSTEM IS IMPOSSIBLE...AND WILL NOT TRY TO HERE. THE EXTENDED CLOSELY
FOLLOWS THE LATEST GFS EXTENDED GUIDANCE.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...

KLCH 56 36 62 39 / 90 00 00 00
KBPT 57 36 62 42 / 90 00 00 00
KAEX 51 32 59 32 / 90 00 00 00
KLFT 56 36 61 37 / 90 00 00 00

.LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
LA...SCA...GMZ455-475.
     NPW...LAZ041>045-051>055.
TX...SCA...GMZ450-455-470-475.
     NPW...TXZ215-216.

&&

DML
Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 29, 4:25 AM CST, 3 hours 34 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
425 AM CST MON DEC 29 2003

LAZ027>033-TXZ180>182-201-301200-
ALLEN-AVOYELLES-BEAUREGARD-EVANGELINE-HARDIN-JASPER-NEWTON-RAPIDES-
ST LANDRY-TYLER-VERNON-
425 AM CST MON DEC 29 2003

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ENDING FROM WEST TO EAST TODAY...
WITH DECREASING CLOUDINESS BY THIS EVENING. UNDER CLEAR SKIES BY
TUESDAY MORNING...A LIGHT FREEZE IS EXPECTED WITH READINGS RANGING
FROM 30 TO 32 DEGREES. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

.DAY TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...
EXPECT PLEASANT WEATHER TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. BEGINNING ON NEW
YEARS DAY...EXPECT THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN TO CHANGE...FAVORING A
SUCCESSION OF DISTURBANCES THAT WILL BRING OFF AND ON RAIN CHANCES
THROUGH NEXT SUNDAY. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

LAZ041>045-051>055-TXZ215-216-301200-
ACADIA-CALCASIEU-CAMERON-IBERIA-JEFFERSON-JEFFERSON DAVIS-LAFAYETTE-
LOWER ST MARTIN-ORANGE-ST MARY-UPPER ST MARTIN-VERMILION-
425 AM CST MON DEC 29 2003

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ENDING FROM WEST TO EAST TODAY...
WITH DECREASING CLOUDINESS BY THIS EVENING. UNDER CLEAR SKIES BY
TUESDAY MORNING...TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOVE FREEZING...WITH
READINGS RANGING FROM 33 TO 37 DEGREES. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT
EXPECTED.

.DAY TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...
EXPECT PLEASANT WEATHER TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. BEGINNING ON NEW
YEARS DAY...EXPECT THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN TO CHANGE...FAVORING A
SUCCESSION OF DISTURBANCES THAT WILL BRING OFF AND ON RAIN CHANCES
THROUGH NEXT SUNDAY. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

GMZ450-455-470-475-301200-
ATCHAFALAYA RIVER TO CAMERON 20 NM OUT-
ATCHAFALAYA RIVER TO CAMERON 20 TO 60 NM OUT-
CAMERON TO HIGH ISLAND 20 NM OUT-
CAMERON TO HIGH ISLAND 20 TO 60 NM OUT-
425 AM CST MON DEC 29 2003

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ENDING FROM WEST TO EAST MONDAY
MORNING. NORTHERLY WINDS OF 25 KNOTS CAN BE EXPECTED BEHIND THE
FRONT...DIMINSHINIG BY TONIGHT. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

.DAY TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...
WINDS WILL BECOME EASTERLY BY TUESDAY NIGHT...SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST
WINDS PREVAILING THROUGH NEXT SUNDAY. BEGINNING ON NEW YEARS DAY...
EXPECT THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN TO CHANGE...FAVORING A SUCCESSION OF
DISTURBANCES THAT WILL BRING OFF AND ON RAIN CHANCES THROUGH NEXT
SUNDAY. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

DML

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.