Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 129, NWS Lake Charles, LA

September 13, 2008Jefferson County, Orange County, Texas

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Sep 13, 2008, 12:28 PM CDT for Jefferson County, Orange County, Texas. It was in force for 32 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 13, 2008, 12:28 PM CDT (17:28 UTC)
Expired
Sep 13, 2008, 1:00 PM CDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Jefferson County, TX, Orange County, TX

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 82 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:28 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Sep 13, 9:40 AM CDTTornado WatchSPC9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 5.5 hours before the alert went out and 83 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 2008-09-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1293 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 2008-09-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 465 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1293 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
639 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
465 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
506 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.4
Supercell composite
14.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KLCH 131728
TORLCH
TXC245-361-131800-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0129.080913T1728Z-080913T1800Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1228 PM CDT SAT SEP 13 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS...
  THIS INCLUDES...PORT NECHES...PORT ARTHUR...NEDERLAND...GROVES...
  CENTRAL GARDENS...
  SOUTH CENTRAL ORANGE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS...
  THIS INCLUDES  BRIDGE CITY...

* UNTIL 100 PM CDT

* AT 1222 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 22 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF PORT ARTHUR...OR ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SABINE
  PASS...MOVING NORTH AT 53 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  PORT ARTHUR BY 1245 PM CDT...
  NEDERLAND...GROVES AND CENTRAL GARDENS BY 1250 PM CDT...
  PORT NECHES BY 1255 PM CDT...
  BRIDGE CITY BY 100 PM CDT...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM.
GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE...SEEK
SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR
ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND
ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT SATURDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

LAT...LON 2962 9421 3008 9400 3002 9381 2996 9383
      2995 9385 2993 9386 2983 9394 2979 9394
      2978 9392 2967 9397 2967 9406 2962 9418
TIME...MOT...LOC 1728Z 200DEG 46KT 2969 9408

$$

06
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS54 KLCH 131749
SVSLCH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1249 PM CDT SAT SEP 13 2008

TXC245-361-131800-
/O.CON.KLCH.TO.W.0129.000000T0000Z-080913T1800Z/
JEFFERSON TX-ORANGE TX-
1249 PM CDT SAT SEP 13 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM CDT FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL ORANGE AND EAST CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTIES...

AT 1246 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR PORT ARTHUR...
MOVING NORTH AT 53 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  BRIDGE CITY BY 100 PM CDT...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT SATURDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

LAT...LON 2986 9401 3007 9400 3002 9381 2996 9383
      2995 9385 2993 9386 2991 9388 2990 9390
      2987 9391 2983 9394
TIME...MOT...LOC 1749Z 200DEG 46KT 2992 9391

$$

06

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 13, 2:20 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHJasper, Jefferson, Newton, Orange6 hr
Sep 13, 3:40 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHHardin, Jefferson, Orange3 hr
Sep 13, 5:14 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHJasper, Newton, Orange46 min
Sep 13, 5:32 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHHardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newton, Orange, Tyler6 hr
Sep 13, 5:55 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHHardin, Jasper, Newton, Tyler35 min
Sep 13, 9:36 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHJefferson, Orange24 min
Sep 13, 10:09 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHHardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newton, Orange36 min
Sep 13, 10:46 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningLCHHardin, Jefferson8 days
Sep 13, 2:05 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHHardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newton, Orange6 hr
Sep 13, 4:22 PM CDTLake Wind AdvisoryLCHHardin, Tyler8 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 2008Every tornado warning in 2008Tornadoes in 2008

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.