Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Lake Charles, LA

March 27, 2009Hardin County, Tyler County, Texas

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Mar 27, 2009, 5:04 PM CDT for Hardin County, Tyler County, Texas. It was in force for 26 min. 3 reports 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: Mar 27, 2009, 5:04 PM CDT (22:04 UTC)
Expired: Mar 27, 2009, 5:30 PM CDT
In force: 26 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Hardin County, TX, Tyler County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 120 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:07 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
Mar 27, 5:12 PM CDT	TORNADO	Votaw, TX	TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN A FIELD NO DAMAGE TO HOMES NOTED AT THIS TIME.
Mar 27, 5:28 PM CDT	HAIL 0.75	Wildwood, TX
Mar 27, 5:30 PM CDT	HAIL 1.25	Wildwood, TX

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
Mar 27, 4:49 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	3 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 137 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 272204
TORLCH
TXC199-457-272230-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0013.090327T2204Z-090327T2230Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN HARDIN COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...WILDWOOD...THICKET...SARATOGA...
  KOUNTZE...
  SOUTH CENTRAL TYLER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

* UNTIL 530 PM CDT

* AT 503 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 6 MILES WEST OF
  THICKET...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  THICKET BY 515 PM CDT...
  WILDWOOD BY 530 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 3048 9473 3050 9467 3050 9455 3054 9456
      3062 9436 3029 9428 3028 9467
TIME...MOT...LOC 2205Z 252DEG 30KT 3040 9472

$$

K. KUYPER

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS54 KLCH 272219
SVSLCH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
519 PM CDT FRI MAR 27 2009

TXC199-457-272230-
/O.CON.KLCH.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-090327T2230Z/
TYLER TX-HARDIN TX-
519 PM CDT FRI MAR 27 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 530 PM CDT FOR
NORTHWESTERN HARDIN AND SOUTH CENTRAL TYLER COUNTIES...

AT 517 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR THICKET...MOVING
EAST AT 35 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE HONEY ISLAND...VILLAGE 
MILLS...AND WILDWOOD.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GOLF 
BALL SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

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 800 PM CDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

&&

LAT...LON 3048 9473 3050 9467 3050 9455 3054 9456
      3062 9436 3029 9428 3028 9467
TIME...MOT...LOC 2218Z 252DEG 30KT 3043 9460

$$

ERICKSON

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 27, 1:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Hardin, Jasper, Tyler	58 min
Mar 27, 2:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Hardin, Jasper, Newton, Tyler	55 min
Mar 27, 2:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Jasper, Newton	44 min
Mar 27, 2:35 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Jasper, Newton	40 min
Mar 27, 4:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Hardin, Tyler	61 min
Mar 27, 5:31 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Hardin, Tyler	29 min
Mar 27, 5:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Hardin, Jasper, Newton, Tyler	49 min
Mar 27, 6:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Hardin, Jefferson	60 min
Mar 27, 6:19 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Jasper, Newton	26 min
Mar 27, 6:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Newton	44 min
Mar 27, 6:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Orange	62 min

Nearby

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