Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 39, NWS Lake Charles, LA

October 22, 2009Calcasieu Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Oct 22, 2009, 10:53 AM CDT for Calcasieu Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 37 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
Oct 22, 2009, 10:53 AM CDT (15:53 UTC)
Expired
Oct 22, 2009, 11:30 AM CDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Calcasieu Parish, LA, Jefferson Davis Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 20 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:56 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
Oct 22, 5:55 AM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 3.9 hours before the alert went out and 20 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 2009-10-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 833 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2009-10-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 182 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
833 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
773 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
182 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
223 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
5.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KLCH 221553
TORLCH
LAC019-053-221630-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0039.091022T1553Z-091022T1630Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1053 AM CDT THU OCT 22 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CALCASIEU PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...LAKE CHARLES...IOWA...
  JEFFERSON DAVIS PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF FENTON...

* UNTIL 1130 AM CDT

* AT 1046 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 9 MILES
  SOUTHEAST OF LAKE CHARLES...MOVING NORTH AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  IOWA BY 1105 AM CDT...
  FENTON BY 1120 AM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3011 9322 3041 9318 3041 9313 3043 9312
      3043 9283 3006 9309
TIME...MOT...LOC 1553Z 202DEG 31KT 3015 9310

$$

DR

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 22, 9:51 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHBeauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Vernon3 hr
Oct 22, 9:57 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH2 hr
Oct 22, 10:04 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHCameron26 min
Oct 22, 10:11 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHCameron34 min
Oct 22, 10:25 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningLCHRapides11 hr
Oct 22, 10:25 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningLCHCalcasieu30 hr
Oct 22, 10:27 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHBeauregard, Calcasieu48 min
Oct 22, 10:48 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHCameron27 min
Oct 22, 11:00 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHCameron45 min
Oct 22, 11:09 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHCalcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis35 min
Oct 22, 11:27 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH93 min
Oct 22, 11:45 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHAcadia, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, Vermilion45 min
Oct 22, 12:12 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHCameron3 hr
Oct 22, 12:29 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHAcadia, Allen, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis61 min
Oct 22, 12:39 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH66 min
Oct 22, 12:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCameron, Vermilion54 min
Oct 22, 1:07 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAllen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis3 hr
Oct 22, 1:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAcadia, Cameron, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Saint Landry66 min
Oct 22, 1:13 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHAllen, Evangeline, Rapides32 min
Oct 22, 1:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHRapides48 min
Oct 22, 1:33 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH117 min
Oct 22, 1:37 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHRapides23 min
Oct 22, 1:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAcadia, Iberia, Lafayette, Saint Landry, Saint Martin, St. Mary and 1 more64 min
Oct 22, 2:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAcadia, Avoyelles, Evangeline, Lafayette, Rapides, Saint Landry and 1 more64 min
Oct 22, 2:22 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHAvoyelles, Evangeline, Rapides3 hr
Oct 22, 2:33 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHAcadia, Evangeline, Lafayette, Saint Landry, Saint Martin, Vermilion3 hr
Oct 22, 2:50 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHRapides3 hr
Oct 22, 2:57 PM CDTRiver Flood WarningLCHCalcasieu7 hr
Oct 22, 3:33 PM CDTRiver Flood WarningLCHLafayette, Vermilion25 hr
Oct 22, 3:36 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH114 min
Oct 22, 4:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHSaint Martin, St. Mary41 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 2009Every tornado warning in 2009Tornadoes 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.