Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 49, NWS Lake Charles, LA

December 24, 2009Acadia Parish, Saint Landry Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Dec 24, 2009, 7:37 AM CST for Acadia Parish, Saint Landry Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 23 min. 10 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
Dec 24, 2009, 7:37 AM CST (13:37 UTC)
Expired
Dec 24, 2009, 8:00 AM CST
In force
23 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Acadia Parish, LA, Saint Landry Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:37 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Dec 24, 7:40 AM CSTTORNADO 04 W Branch, LATORNADO THAT TOUCHED DOWN IN ATWOOD ACRES LIFTED IN THE AIR...AND TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN ALONG HWY 365/1109 INT. A SMALL OUTBUILDING WAS DESTROYED...AND SEVERAL TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN. PATH LENGTH 3 MI. MAX WIDTH 25 YDS. ON GROUND 2 MIN.
Dec 24, 7:46 AM CSTTORNADO 03 Sw Richard, LATHE SAME STORM THAT SPAWNED THE ATWOOD ACRES TORNADO AND THE TORNADO NEAR THE JUDD COMMUNITY PRODUCED THIS TORNADO WHICH TOUCHED DOWN SOUTH OF COLE GULLY ROAD AND WEST OF HIGHWAY 367 AND MOVED NORTHEAST BEFORE ENDING ABOUT 1 MILE WSW OF RICHARD. SEVERAL TREES
Dec 24, 7:46 AM CSTTORNADO 1Richard, LAATWOOD ACRES TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN A THIRD TIME...ALONG HWY 367/1106 INT...AND MOVED NORTH THROUGH PART OF RICHARD...DAMAGING CHURCH ON HWY 370...AND HOME ACROSS THE STREET. MANY TREES AND A COUPLE OF POWER POLES DOWNED. PATH LENGTH 5 MI. MAX WIDTH 25 YDS. ON G
Dec 24, 7:48 AM CSTTORNADO6 N Crowley, LAPAIR OF TORNADOES REPORTED HEADING NORTH ON HWY 13 BETWEEN EUNICE AND CROWLEY
Dec 24, 7:50 AM CSTTSTM WND DMGW Richard, LANWS STORM SURVEY FOUND DAMAGED TREES ALONG RICHARD SCHOOL ROAD ABOUT 1/4 MILE WEST OF CHARLENE HIGHWAY LIKELY FROM RFD ASSOCIATED WITH RICHARD TORNADO.
Dec 24, 7:50 AM CSTTORNADO 11 Wnw Richard, LAA FOURTH TORNADO FROM THE ATWOOD ACRES SUPERCELL TOUCHED DOWN JUST EAST OF ST. THERESA DRIVE AND MOVED NORTHEAST THROUGH RICHARD BEFORE ENDING NEAR BRITANY HWY. A CHURCH AND A HOME WERE DAMAGED ON HWY 370 WITH NUMEROUS TREES AND A COUPLE OF POWER POLES BLOWN D
Dec 24, 7:52 AM CSTTSTM WND DMG2 N Richard, LANWS STORM SURVEY FOUND A NEARLY HALF MILE WIDE SWATH OF WIND DAMAGE ALONG ST. HENRY ROAD NORTH OF RICHARD. TWO MOBILE HOMES SUFFERED SKIRTING AND AWNING DAMAGE WHILE ONE HOME HAD SHINGLE DAMAGE. SEVERAL FENCES WERE ALSO BLOWN DOWN. DAMAGE IN THE AREA WAS IN A
Dec 24, 7:53 AM CSTTSTM WND DMG3 N Richard, LANWS STORM SURVEY FOUND FENCES AND TREE LIMBS BLOWN DOWN AROUND ONE HOME ALONG HIGHWAY 95 IN THE PRUDHOMME COMMUNITY.
Dec 24, 7:53 AM CSTTORNADO 04 N Richard, LAAN EF0 TORNADO BEGAN ABOUT 1 MILE EAST OF THE PRUDHOMME COMMUNITY AND MOVED NNE INTO ST LANDRY PARISH BEFORE ENDING JUST NORTH OF HWY 190 ABOUT 1 MILE EAST OF SAVOY. NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN ALONG HWY 358 AND WAYNE RD. ONE BARN WAS DAMAGE
Dec 24, 7:58 AM CSTTORNADO 04 S Chataignier, LAAN EF0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE OLD RACETRACK 1 MILE NORTHEAST OF SAVOY AND MOVED NORTHWARD CROSSING INTO SOUTHEASTERN EVANGELINE PARISH BEFORE DISSIPATING 2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CHATAIGNIER. AN OUTBUILDING WAS DAMAGED SOUTH OF LINZAY ROAD WITH DEBRIS CARRI

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Dec 24, 4:50 AM CSTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 87 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 2009-12-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1670 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2009-12-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 341 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
1670 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
483 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
341 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
335 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.0
Supercell composite
13.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KLCH 241337
TORLCH
LAC001-097-241400-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0049.091224T1337Z-091224T1400Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
737 AM CST THU DEC 24 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EXTREME WEST CENTRAL ST. LANDRY PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
  CENTRAL ACADIA PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF EUNICE...

* UNTIL 800 AM CST

* AT 734 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 15 MILES        
  SOUTH OF EUNICE...OR NEAR MAXIE...MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  EUNICE BY 800 AM CST...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATES A TORNADO MAY FORM AT ANY
TIME. TAKE COVER NOW ABANDON MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES. MOVE TO AN
INTERIOR ROOM OR HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST FLOOR AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE HOME...WHETHER IT IS TIED DOWN OR NOT...
EVACUATE IT AND FIND A MORE STURDY SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES CAN BE
PICKED UP OR TOSSED BY THE TORNADO.

&&

PLEASE REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT
337-477-5285 EXTENSION 1.

LAT...LON 3053 9245 3053 9217 3026 9230 3026 9247
TIME...MOT...LOC 1336Z 188DEG 22KT 3029 9239

$$

ERICKSON
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS54 KLCH 241349
SVSLCH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
749 AM CST THU DEC 24 2009

LAC001-097-241400-
/O.CON.KLCH.TO.W.0049.000000T0000Z-091224T1400Z/
ST. LANDRY LA-ACADIA LA-
749 AM CST THU DEC 24 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 AM CST FOR NORTH
CENTRAL ACADIA AND EXTREME WEST CENTRAL ST. LANDRY PARISHES...

AT 748 AM CST...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A TORNADO. THIS 
TORNADO WAS LOCATED 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF RICHARD...OR 7 MILES EAST OF
IOTA...MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RICHARD AND EUNICE BY 800 AM CST...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
STURDY 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 3053 9245 3053 9223 3040 9230 3039 9242
TIME...MOT...LOC 1348Z 188DEG 22KT 3036 9238

$$

ERICKSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 24, 4:09 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningLCH2 hr
Dec 24, 6:18 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningLCH57 min
Dec 24, 7:00 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningLCH90 min
Dec 24, 7:20 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHAvoyelles, Evangeline, Saint Landry25 min
Dec 24, 7:42 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHAvoyelles33 min
Dec 24, 7:45 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHAcadia, Evangeline, Saint Landry30 min
Dec 24, 8:02 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningLCH118 min
Dec 24, 8:22 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHEvangeline23 min
Dec 24, 8:32 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHIberia, Vermilion28 min
Dec 24, 8:34 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHAvoyelles, Evangeline, Rapides26 min
Dec 24, 8:39 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHSaint Landry36 min
Dec 24, 8:56 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHIberia, Lafayette, Saint Martin34 min
Dec 24, 9:03 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHIberia, St. Mary27 min
Dec 24, 9:17 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHSaint Landry, Saint Martin28 min
Dec 24, 9:27 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHIberia, Saint Martin33 min
Dec 24, 10:00 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningLCH60 min
Dec 24, 10:41 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningLCHCalcasieu24 hr
Dec 24, 10:41 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningLCHAcadia, Jefferson Davis34 hr
Dec 24, 10:52 AM CSTGale WarningLCH19 hr

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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.