Alert archive / Louisiana / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Lake Charles, LA

March 8, 2011Rapides Parish, Vernon Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this flash flood warning at Mar 8, 2011, 10:28 PM CST for Rapides Parish, Vernon Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 3 hr. 5 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 8, 2011, 10:28 PM CST (04:28 UTC)
Expired: Mar 9, 2011, 1:30 AM CST
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Rapides Parish, LA, Vernon Parish, LA

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 8, 10:38 PM CST	FLASH FLOOD	Alexandria, LA	RAPIDES 911 CONTINUES TO REPORT SEVERAL CARS FLOODED THROUGHOUT THE PARISH.
Mar 8, 11:14 PM CST	FLASH FLOOD	9 Sw Alexandria, LA	SEVERAL ROADS WITH WATER ON THEM.
Mar 8, 11:21 PM CST	HEAVY RAIN 5.29	2 Ssw Alexandria, LA
Mar 8, 11:28 PM CST	FLASH FLOOD	10 Nnw Pitkin, LA	A LOW WATER CROSSING GAGE REPORTS OVER TWO FEET OF WATER OVER THE ROAD.
Mar 9, 1:36 AM CST	FLASH FLOOD	9 Nnw Pitkin, LA	USGS STREAM GAGE NETWORK AT A LOW WATER CROSSING ALONG THE WEST FORK OF SIX MILE CREEK INDICATES WATER IS STILL TWO FEET OVER THE ROAD. WATER LEVELS HAVE PEAKED AND ARE BEGINNING TO RECEDE.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 4.5 hours before the alert went out and 127 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: 2444 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 506 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 195 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 210 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 2.5
Supercell composite: 12.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

018 
WGUS54 KLCH 090428
FFWLCH
LAC079-115-090730-
/O.NEW.KLCH.FF.W.0002.110309T0428Z-110309T0730Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1028 PM CST TUE MAR 8 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  RAPIDES PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
  VERNON PARISH IN WEST CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

* UNTIL 130 AM CST

* AT 1021 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR            
  INDICATED A BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS  
  THE WARNED AREA. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 3 TO 4 INCHES HAVE ALREADY     
  FALLEN ACROSS PORTIONS OF RAPIDES PARISH THIS EVENING RESULTING IN 
  FLOODING OF SEVERAL ROADS. MORE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN ARE  
  EXPECTED TO CROSS THE AREA...BRINGING THE POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER 2  
  TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN.  

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  ALEXANDRIA...ALEXANDRIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...ANACOCO...BOYCE...
  CHENEYVILLE...FORT POLK...GLENMORA...HINESTON...LEESVILLE...LENA...
  PINEVILLE...PITKIN...ROSEPINE...SLAGLE...BALL...BURR FERRY...
  CLIFTON...CRAVENS...ECHO...ELMER...ESLER REGIONAL AIRPORT...
  FLATWOODS...FULLERTON...GARDNER...HORNBECK...HUTTON...KINGSVILLE...
  KOLIN...KURTHWOOD AND LACAMP.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE 
WARNED AREA.

&&

LAT...LON 3139 9265 3146 9223 3101 9224 3100 9239
      3098 9241 3091 9281 3090 9350 3123 9353
      3136 9336 3135 9294 3148 9275

$$

24

1 follow-up statement

006 
WGUS74 KLCH 090639
FFSLCH

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1239 AM CST WED MAR 9 2011

LAC079-115-090730-
/O.CON.KLCH.FF.W.0002.000000T0000Z-110309T0730Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
RAPIDES LA-VERNON LA-
1239 AM CST WED MAR 9 2011

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR VERNON AND RAPIDES
PARISHES UNTIL 130 AM CST...

AT 1227 AM CST...FLOODING OF SEVERAL STREETS AND ROADS WERE BEING 
REPORTED ACROSS RAPIDES PARISH FROM NEAR HOLLOWAY TO ALEXANDRIA TO 
NEAR WOODWORTH. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER THE PAST SIX HOURS HAVE RANGED 
FROM 2.5 INCHES TO ALMOST 5.5 INCHES. HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUES TO 
MOVE OVER THE WARNED AREA AND AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 3 INCHES OF 
RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE.

RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLASH FLOODING INCLUDE...
ALEXANDRIA...ALEXANDRIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...BOYCE...
CHENEYVILLE...FORT POLK...GLENMORA...HINESTON...LEESVILLE...LENA...
PINEVILLE...PITKIN...ROSEPINE...SLAGLE...BALL...CLIFTON...CRAVENS...
ECHO...ELMER...ESLER REGIONAL AIRPORT...FLATWOODS...FULLERTON...
GARDNER...HUTTON...KINGSVILLE...KOLIN...LACAMP...LEANDER...
LECOMPTE...LIBUSE AND NEW LLANO.

SO CREEKS AND STREAMS THAT MAY BE FLOODED INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT 
LIMITED TO CHERRYWINCHE CREEK NEAR UNION HILL...CASTOR CREEK NEAR 
WOODWORTH...BAYOU BOEUF NEAR ALEXANDRIA. WIGGINS BAYOU...HAINES 
CREEK AND LITTLE HORSEPEN CREEKS NEAR PINEVILLE ARE ALSO LIKELY 
FLOODED. ALSO SIXMILE CREEK...BIG BRUSHY CREEK...TEN MILE CREEK AND 
THOMPSON BRANCH IN SOUTHEAST VERNON PARISH WILL LIKELY SEE FLOODING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...


A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLASH FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR
OCCURRING. IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA...MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND
IMMEDIATELY. RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE
IMMEDIATE PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE.

&&

LAT...LON 3139 9265 3146 9223 3101 9224 3100 9239
      3098 9241 3091 9281 3090 9350 3136 9315
      3135 9294 3148 9275

$$

BRAZZELL

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 8, 6:26 PM CST	Areal Flood Advisory	LCH	Rapides	109 min
Mar 8, 6:33 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Rapides	42 min
Mar 8, 6:44 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Beauregard	61 min
Mar 8, 7:41 PM CST	Flash Flood Warning	LCH	Avoyelles, Rapides	3 hr
Mar 8, 7:43 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Allen	62 min
Mar 8, 8:01 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Allen, Beauregard, Rapides, Vernon	59 min
Mar 8, 8:46 PM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Rapides	29 min
Mar 8, 8:58 PM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Rapides	47 min
Mar 8, 9:32 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Vernon	58 min
Mar 8, 9:44 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Rapides	30 min
Mar 8, 9:58 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Vernon	62 min
Mar 8, 11:36 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Rapides	39 min
Mar 9, 12:07 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Rapides	53 min
Mar 9, 12:11 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Avoyelles, Rapides	34 min
Mar 9, 1:00 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Rapides	60 min
Mar 9, 1:20 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Avoyelles	40 min
Mar 9, 1:32 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	LCH	Rapides, Vernon	3 hr
Mar 9, 2:05 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Avoyelles	40 min
Mar 9, 3:13 AM CST	Small Craft Advisory	LCH		31 hr
Mar 9, 3:48 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Saint Martin	42 min
Mar 9, 4:38 AM CST	Areal Flood Warning	LCH	Rapides	3 hr
Mar 9, 8:53 AM CST	Marine Dense Fog Advisory	LCH		9 hr
Mar 9, 11:20 AM CST	River Flood Warning	LCH	Allen, Rapides	53 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Louisiana, 2011 Every flash flood warning in 2011

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.