Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 11, NWS Lake Charles, LA

March 27, 20094 parishes in Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Mar 27, 2009, 4:47 PM CDT for 4 parishes in Louisiana. It was in force for 28 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 27, 2009, 4:47 PM CDT (21:47 UTC)
Expired: Mar 27, 2009, 5:15 PM CDT
In force: 28 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Allen Parish, LA, Evangeline Parish, LA, Rapides Parish, LA, Saint Landry Parish, LA

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this tornado 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 watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Mar 27, 2:54 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 106 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: 1993 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 509 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 28 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -15 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.2
Supercell composite: 1.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KLCH 272147
TORLCH
LAC003-039-079-097-272215-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0011.090327T2147Z-090327T2215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
447 PM CDT FRI MAR 27 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN EVANGELINE PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF TURKEY CREEK...
  SOUTH CENTRAL RAPIDES PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
  EXTREME NORTHWESTERN ST. LANDRY PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
  EXTREME EAST CENTRAL ALLEN PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...

* UNTIL 515 PM CDT

* AT 445 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 13 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF TURKEY CREEK...OR 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF MAMOU...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  TURKEY CREEK BY 510 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...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 800 PM CDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

&&

LAT...LON 3098 9243 3083 9219 3064 9256 3069 9263
TIME...MOT...LOC 2147Z 222DEG 23KT 3072 9252

$$

K. KUYPER

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at Mar 27, 3:55 PM CDT, 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 27, 3:55 PM CDT, 52 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
355 PM CDT FRI MAR 27 2009

.DISCUSSION...
STATIONARY FRONT DANGLING JUST SOUTH OF KLFK...JUST NORTH OF KPOE
AND KAEX...WITH SVR SUPERCELL TSTM RIDING THE BOUNDARY OVER W LA
NEAR KPOE. THE NEXT SUPERCELL NOW TAKING SHAPE JUST NORTH OF
KHOU...EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO SE TX WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF
HOURS. SVR TSTM WATCH #77 CONTINUES FOR SE TX...WITH TOR WATCH #79
FOR S AND C LA NORTH OF I-10.

EXPECT TSRA COVERAGE TO INCREASE OVER LA THIS EVENING IN ADVANCE
OF THE COLD FRONT...THUS THE HIGHER POPS HERE. THE FRONT WILL BE
ENTERING SE TX SOMETIME AFTER SUNSET AND RACING EASTWARD ACROSS W
LA SHORTLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT...AND CLEAR EAST OF THE ATCHAFALAYA
RIVER BY SUNRISE SAT. MUCH COLDER AIR WILL INFILTRATE THE REGION
BEHIND THE FRONT...WITH TEMPS RUNNING 10-15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
FOR SAT AFTERNOON AND SUN MORNING. WITH WINDS CALMING DOWN SAT
NIGHT AND SUN AS THE HIGH SETTLES OVER THE REGION...TEMPS COULD
REACH THE MID/UPPER 30S NORTH OF US 190.

COLD SNAP WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS THE HIGH MOVES EAST BY SUN EVENING
AND MON...WITH A SOLID RETURN FLOW ESTABLISHED BY MON. THE NEXT
SYSTEM IN OUR AGGRESSIVE PROGRESSIVE PATTERN WILL BEGIN TO
INFLUENCE OUR REGION BY TUE WITH THE CHANCE OF SHRA/TSRA RETURNING.
WHILE THE GFS IS VERY AGGRESSIVE WITH AN EXTREMELY DEEP SFC LOW
(989MB) OVER E OK BY NEXT THU...THE ECMWF IS MUCH LESS AGGRESSIVE.
FOR THE FORECAST...KEPT THE CHANCE OF SHRA/TSRA TUE-THU TIME FRAME.

DML

&&

.MARINE...
STRONG POST FRONTAL WINDS EXPECTED AFTER MIDNIGHT ACROSS THE
WESTERN ZONES...WITH THE FRONT EXPECTED TO CLEAR THE EASTERN ZONES
BY SUNRISE SAT. SCA WILL BE IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM SAT THROUGH 10 AM
SUN FOR THIS STRONG POST FRONTAL FLOW. WINDS AND SEAS WILL SUBSIDE
BY SUN AFTERNOON AS THE CENTER OF THE HIGH MOVES CLOSER AND
OVERHEAD SUN EVENING INTO MON MORNING.

DML

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
KLCH  80  48  62  41  67 /  60  70   0   0   0
KBPT  79  48  62  40  68 /  60  40   0   0   0
KAEX  79  46  59  37  67 /  60  70   0   0   0
KLFT  81  51  62  41  66 /  60  70   0   0   0

&&

.LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
LA...NONE.
TX...NONE.
GM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 1 AM SATURDAY TO 10 AM CDT SUNDAY FOR
     THE FOLLOWING ZONES: COASTAL WATERS FROM CAMERON, LA TO
     HIGH ISLAND, TX OUT 20 NM...COASTAL WATERS FROM
     INTRACOASTAL CITY TO CAMERON, LA OUT 20 NM...COASTAL WATERS
     FROM LOWER ATCHAFALAYA RIVER TO INTRACOASTAL CITY, LA OUT
     20 NM...WATERS FROM CAMERON, LA TO HIGH ISLAND, TX
     EXTENDING FROM 20 NM TO 60 NM...WATERS FROM INTRACOASTAL
     CITY, LA TO CAMERON, LA EXTENDING FROM 20 NM TO 60 NM...
     WATERS FROM LOWER ATCHAFALAYA RIVER TO INTRACOASTAL CITY,
     LA EXTENDING FROM 20 NM TO 60 NM.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 27, 5:27 AM CDT, 11 hours 20 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
527 AM CDT FRI MAR 27 2009

GMZ430-432-435-450-452-455-470-472-475-LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-
TXZ180>182-201-215-216-281030-
SABINE LAKE-CALCASIEU LAKE-VERMILION BAY-
COASTAL WATERS FROM CAMERON, LA TO HIGH ISLAND, TX OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM INTRACOASTAL CITY TO CAMERON, LA OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM LOWER ATCHAFALAYA RIVER TO INTRACOASTAL CITY,
LA OUT 20 NM-
WATERS FROM CAMERON, LA TO HIGH ISLAND, TX EXTENDING FROM 20 NM
TO 60 NM-
WATERS FROM INTRACOASTAL CITY, LA TO CAMERON, LA EXTENDING FROM
20 NM TO 60 NM-
WATERS FROM LOWER ATCHAFALAYA RIVER TO INTRACOASTAL CITY, LA
EXTENDING FROM 20 NM TO 60 NM-VERNON-RAPIDES-AVOYELLES-BEAUREGARD-
ALLEN-EVANGELINE-ST. LANDRY-CALCASIEU-JEFFERSON DAVIS-ACADIA-
LAFAYETTE-UPPER ST. MARTIN-CAMERON-VERMILION-IBERIA-ST. MARY-
LOWER ST. MARTIN-TYLER-JASPER-NEWTON-HARDIN-JEFFERSON-ORANGE-
527 AM CDT FRI MAR 27 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWEST
GULF OF MEXICO...CENTRAL LOUISIANA...SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...WEST CENTRAL LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS INTO SOUTHERN
LOUISIANA LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. AHEAD OF THE
FRONT...DEEP MOISTURE...STRONG SHEAR AND INSTABILITY WILL COMBINE
TO PRODUCE THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN
THIS AFTERNOON. SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE AREAWIDE. AHEAD OF THE
FRONT...ROTATING SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF
DEVELOPING WITH LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED
TORNADOES. AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA...STORMS WILL
BECOME MORE LINEAR WITH STRONG STRAIGHT LINE DAMAGING WINDS THE
LIKELIEST THREAT.

IN ADDITION TO THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT...THERE IS A POSSIBILITY
OF FLASH FLOODING DUE TO HEAVY RAINS FROM TRAINING STORMS. WITH
DEEP MOISTURE OVER THE AREA...STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
VERY HEAVY RAINS WITH RATES OF UP TO 2 TO 3 INCHES AN HOUR. WITH
THE GROUND IN MANY LOCATIONS SATURATED FROM THE RAIN THE PAST FEW
DAYS...FLASH FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND URBAN AREAS CAN BE
EXPECTED IN AREAS WHERE HEAVY RAIN OCCURS.

STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT
TONIGHT. THIS WILL RESULT IN SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS OVER
THE COASTAL WATERS WITH WINDS OF AT LEAST 20 TO 25 KNOTS AND SEAS
OF UP TO 7 TO 9 FEET.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY
STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. A SMALL
CRAFT ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTAL WATERS
THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY. WINDS AND SEAS WILL DIMINISH BY SUNDAY
AFTERNOON AS HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES OVER THE AREA.

THE NEXT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS ON TUESDAY AS
ANOTHER FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING.

24

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 27, 2:51 PM CDT, 1 hour 56 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
251 PM CDT FRI MAR 27 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0235 PM     HAIL             KIRBYVILLE              30.66N 93.90W
03/27/2009  E0.25 INCH       JASPER             TX   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            POLICE DEPT. REPORTED PEA SIZE HAIL.

&&

MGRIFFIN

Local storm report, Mar 27, 2:55 PM CDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
255 PM CDT FRI MAR 27 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0250 PM     HAIL             1 W BON WEIR            30.74N 93.66W
03/27/2009  E1.00 INCH       NEWTON             TX   PUBLIC

&&

MOGGED

Local storm report, Mar 27, 4:14 PM CDT, 33 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
414 PM CDT FRI MAR 27 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0414 PM     HAIL             GARDNER                 31.27N 92.69W
03/27/2009  E0.50 INCH       RAPIDES            LA   BROADCAST MEDIA

            LOCAL MEDIA REPORTS HALF INCH HAIL NEAR GARDNER.

&&

MGRIFFIN

Local storm report, Mar 27, 4:30 PM CDT, 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
430 PM CDT FRI MAR 27 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0400 PM     TSTM WND GST     FORT POLK               31.05N 93.21W
03/27/2009  M51 MPH          VERNON             LA   ASOS

            51 MPH WIND GUST REPORTED BY ASOS AT FORT POLK

&&

MGRIFFIN

Local storm report, Mar 27, 4:38 PM CDT, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
438 PM CDT FRI MAR 27 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0422 PM     TORNADO          1 SW GARDNER            31.26N 92.71W
03/27/2009                   RAPIDES            LA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            RAPIDES SHERIFF DEPUTY REPORTS TORNADO TOUCHDOWN ON HWY
            121 WITH TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. CARS OFF THE ROAD.

&&

MGRIFFIN

Local storm report, Mar 27, 4:43 PM CDT, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
443 PM CDT FRI MAR 27 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0418 PM     TORNADO          2 W GARDNER             31.27N 92.73W
03/27/2009                   RAPIDES            LA   PUBLIC

            PUBLIC REPORTS RELAYED BY 911 RAPIDES PARISH OF POSSIBLE
            TORNADO TOUCHDOWN ON HWY 28 WEST OF GARDNER AND EAST OF
            THE VERNON PARISH LINE, TREES DOWN, CARS DAMAGE, POSSIBLE
            MINOR INJURIES.

&&

MGRIFFIN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 26, 7:05 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		25 min
Mar 26, 7:17 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		118 min
Mar 26, 8:14 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		61 min
Mar 26, 8:23 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		52 min
Mar 26, 9:20 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		55 min
Mar 26, 10:19 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		56 min
Mar 26, 10:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Iberia, Saint Martin, St. Mary	55 min
Mar 26, 11:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Saint Martin, St. Mary	26 min
Mar 27, 3:46 AM CDT	Small Craft Advisory	LCH		54 hr
Mar 27, 5:06 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	LCH	Lafayette, Vermilion	16 hr
Mar 27, 2:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Beauregard, Vernon	55 min
Mar 27, 2:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Beauregard	44 min
Mar 27, 2:35 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Beauregard	40 min
Mar 27, 2:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Allen, Beauregard, Vernon	62 min
Mar 27, 3:50 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Vernon	25 min
Mar 27, 4:07 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Rapides, Vernon	23 min
Mar 27, 4:18 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Rapides, Vernon	27 min
Mar 27, 4:28 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Rapides	32 min
Mar 27, 4:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Allen, Evangeline, Rapides	44 min
Mar 27, 5:03 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Avoyelles, Rapides	27 min
Mar 27, 5:14 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Avoyelles, Evangeline, Rapides, Saint Landry	31 min
Mar 27, 5:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Avoyelles, Evangeline, Saint Landry	43 min
Mar 27, 6:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Beauregard, Calcasieu	44 min
Mar 27, 6:34 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Beauregard	26 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 2009 Every tornado warning in 2009 Tornadoes in 2009

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.