Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Lake Charles, LA

May 14, 2008Hardin County, Tyler County, Texas

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at May 14, 2008, 11:54 AM CDT for Hardin County, Tyler County, Texas. It was in force for 36 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: May 14, 2008, 11:54 AM CDT (16:54 UTC)
Expired: May 14, 2008, 12:30 PM CDT
In force: 36 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Hardin County, TX, Tyler County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 132 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:57 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 14, 12:20 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	Warren, TX	FUNNEL CLOUD BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN JUST OUTSIDE OF WARREN. PUBLIC REPORT RELAYED BY TYLER COUNTY S.O.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 14, 7:50 AM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 4.9 hours before the alert went out and 134 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1534 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -13 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 494 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 182 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 316 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.3
Supercell composite: 9.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KLCH 141654
TORLCH
TXC199-457-141730-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0013.080514T1654Z-080514T1730Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1154 AM CDT WED MAY 14 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN HARDIN COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS...
  THIS INCLUDES  WILDWOOD...
  SOUTHERN TYLER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS...
  THIS INCLUDES...WARREN...FRED...

* UNTIL 1230 PM CDT

* AT 1149 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 15 MILES WEST OF
  WILDWOOD...OR ABOUT 13 MILES NORTH OF THICKET...MOVING EAST AT 42
  MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  WARREN AND WILDWOOD BY 1210 PM CDT...
  FRED BY 1230 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 300 PM CDT WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON FOR SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

LAT...LON 3050 9455 3060 9457 3069 9459 3072 9415
      3043 9417 3042 9471 3050 9472
TIME...MOT...LOC 1654Z 271DEG 36KT 3058 9462

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 14, 12:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Hardin	53 min
May 14, 12:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Tyler	28 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 2008 Every tornado warning in 2008 Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.