Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 32, NWS Lake Charles, LA

December 20, 2011Beauregard Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Dec 20, 2011, 8:25 AM CST for Beauregard Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 35 min. 2 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 20, 2011, 8:25 AM CST (14:25 UTC)
Expired
Dec 20, 2011, 9:00 AM CST
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Beauregard Parish, LA, Calcasieu Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 43 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:29 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 20, 8:25 AM CSTTSTM WND DMGDequincy, LAPUBLIC REPORTED ROOF BLOWN OFF WEST WING OF PATIENT CARE FACILITY OF DEQUINCY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. CALLED HOSPITAL AND DAMAGE WAS CONFIRMED BY HOSPITAL EMPLOYEE.
Dec 20, 8:25 AM CSTTORNADO 1Ene Dequincy, LAPUBLIC REPORTED ROOF BLOWN OFF WEST WING OF PATIENT CARE FACILITY OF DEQUINCY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. CALLED HOSPITAL AND DAMAGE WAS CONFIRMED BY HOSPITAL EMPLOYEE. FROM STORM SURVEY THERE IS A DAMAGE PATH STRETCHING FROM .25 MILE SW OF THE HOSPITAL TO .5 MILE NE O

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 12:00Z, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 44 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 2011-12-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 879 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 2011-12-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 241 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
879 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
614 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
241 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
226 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
8.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

494 
WFUS54 KLCH 201425
TORLCH
LAC011-019-201500-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0032.111220T1425Z-111220T1500Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
825 AM CST TUE DEC 20 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN BEAUREGARD PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...
  THIS INCLUDES RAGLEY...
  NORTH CENTRAL CALCASIEU PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...
  THIS INCLUDES DE QUINCY...

* UNTIL 900 AM CST

* AT 824 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR DE
  QUINCY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RAGLEY BY 855 AM CST...
  LONGVILLE BY 900 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.

&&

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

LAT...LON 3051 9313 3048 9313 3034 9347 3049 9357
      3050 9357 3069 9325
TIME...MOT...LOC 1426Z 240DEG 16KT 3047 9343

$$

13
2 follow-up statements
710 
WWUS54 KLCH 201441
SVSLCH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
841 AM CST TUE DEC 20 2011

LAC019-201451-
/O.CAN.KLCH.TO.W.0032.000000T0000Z-111220T1500Z/
CALCASIEU LA-
841 AM CST TUE DEC 20 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL CALCASIEU PARISH IS
CANCELLED...

LAT...LON 3051 9313 3042 9332 3057 9343 3068 9324
      3052 9314
TIME...MOT...LOC 1441Z 239DEG 24KT 3052 9332

$$

LAC011-201500-
/O.CON.KLCH.TO.W.0032.000000T0000Z-111220T1500Z/
BEAUREGARD LA-
841 AM CST TUE DEC 20 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 AM CST FOR CENTRAL
BEAUREGARD PARISH...

AT 838 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 6 MILES WEST OF RAGLEY..MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RAGLEY BY 850 AM CST...
  LONGVILLE BY 855 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.

&&

LAT...LON 3051 9313 3042 9332 3057 9343 3068 9324
      3052 9314
TIME...MOT...LOC 1441Z 239DEG 24KT 3052 9332

$$

13
528 
WWUS54 KLCH 201500
SVSLCH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
900 AM CST TUE DEC 20 2011

LAC011-201509-
/O.EXP.KLCH.TO.W.0032.000000T0000Z-111220T1500Z/
BEAUREGARD LA-
900 AM CST TUE DEC 20 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL BEAUREGARD PARISH WILL EXPIRE AT
900 AM CST...

THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING STILL SHOWS SOME WEAK 
ROTATION...BUT NO LONGER APPEARS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO AT 
THIS TIME. 

LAT...LON 3051 9313 3042 9332 3057 9343 3068 9324
      3052 9314
TIME...MOT...LOC 1459Z 239DEG 24KT 3058 9320

$$

13

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 20, 5:54 AM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHBeauregard, Rapides, Vernon111 min
Dec 20, 6:28 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHBeauregard, Rapides, Vernon3 hr
Dec 20, 7:29 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard61 min
Dec 20, 8:32 AM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHAllen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Rapides, Vernon118 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 2011Every tornado warning in 2011Tornadoes 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.