Alert archive / Louisiana / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 14, NWS Lake Charles, LA

March 12, 20126 parishes in Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this flash flood warning at Mar 12, 2012, 5:30 PM CDT for 6 parishes in Louisiana. It was in force for 6 hr. 1 report 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 12, 2012, 5:30 PM CDT (22:30 UTC)
Expired
Mar 12, 2012, 11:30 PM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Emergency
Flash flood emergency
Flood severity
None

Counties Acadia Parish, LA, Allen Parish, LA, Evangeline Parish, LA, Lafayette Parish, LA, Saint Landry Parish, LA, Saint Martin Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 122 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:31 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
Mar 12, 10:00 PM CDTFLOOD1 Ne Carencro, LAMAJOR FLOODING ALONG THE BAYOU VERMILION NEAR CARENCRO. PRELIMINARY INFORMATION...GAGE CREST AT 22.50 FEET WHICH WOULD BE A NEW RECORD...RAINFALL TOTAL OF 14.18 INCHES FELL DURING A 6 HOUR PERIOD.

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, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 120 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 2012-03-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1900 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 2012-03-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 111 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1900 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
441 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
111 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
116 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
4.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

324 
WGUS54 KLCH 122230
FFWLCH
LAC001-003-039-055-097-099-130430-
/O.NEW.KLCH.FF.W.0014.120312T2230Z-120313T0430Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
530 PM CDT MON MAR 12 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL ALLEN PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...
  EVANGELINE PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
  NORTHERN ACADIA PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...
  NORTHERN LAFAYETTE PARISH IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
  NORTHWESTERN ST. MARTIN PARISH IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
  ST. LANDRY PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

* UNTIL 1130 PM CDT

* AT 524 PM CDT...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORTED FLOODING CONTINUING  
  ACROSS THE WARNED AREA WITH NUMEROUS ROADS AND HOMES FLOODED. THE  
  LATEST RAINFALL ESTIMATES SHOW 12 TO 16 INCHES OF RAIN HAVE FALLEN 
  SINCE EARLY THIS MORNING.

  THIS IS A FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY FOR NORTHERN LAFAYETTE             
  PARISH...SOUTHERN SAINT LANDRY PARISH AND NORTHWEST SAINT MARTIN   
  PARISH.

  THIS CONTINUES TO REMAIN A DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH NUMEROUS ROADS 
  AND HOMES FLOODED IN THE WARNED AREA DO NOT DRIVE INTO THESE AREAS 
  UNTIL AFTER THE WATER SUBSIDES.

  FOR BAYOU VERMILION AT CARENCRO...THE FLOOD STAGE IS 17 FEET. THE  
  CURRENT STAGE IS 22 FEET. THE FORECAST IS FOR THE BAYOU TO CREST   
  BETWEEN 22 AND 23 FEET. THIS IS WOULD MAKE THIS A RECORD CREST FOR 
  THIS SITE. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 21.5 SET IN MAY 2004.

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  ARNAUDVILLE...BASILE...BREAUX BRIDGE...CARENCRO...CATAHOULA...
  CHURCH POINT...EUNICE...KROTZ SPRINGS...LAFAYETTE...LEONVILLE...
  MAMOU...OAKDALE...OPELOUSAS...RAYNE...SCOTT...VILLE PLATTE...
  ATCHAFALAYA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE...BAYOU CHICOT...BEAVER...
  BOND...BRANCH...BROUSSARD...BUTTE LA ROSE...CANKTON...CECILIA...
  CHATAIGNIER...CHICOT STATE PARK...DURALDE...DUSON AND GRAND COTEAU.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. DO
NOT ENTER THE WATER. TURN AROUND AND MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO
ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN
WATER BEGINS RISING.

&&

LAT...LON 3014 9197 3025 9241 3043 9261 3049 9264
      3085 9267 3084 9213 3054 9174 3050 9173
      3050 9169 3034 9161 3031 9162 3028 9158
      3019 9154

$$

24

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 11, 7:41 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH64 min
Mar 11, 8:02 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHCalcasieu88 min
Mar 11, 8:16 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHRapides29 min
Mar 11, 9:12 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH63 min
Mar 11, 9:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHRapides56 min
Mar 11, 9:28 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHCameron, Jefferson Davis32 min
Mar 11, 9:42 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHJefferson Davis33 min
Mar 11, 10:06 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHJefferson Davis24 min
Mar 11, 10:20 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHJefferson Davis25 min
Mar 11, 10:39 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHAcadia, Jefferson Davis36 min
Mar 11, 11:11 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHVermilion34 min
Mar 11, 11:13 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHAcadia, Evangeline, Saint Landry31 min
Mar 11, 11:33 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH57 min
Mar 11, 11:42 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHVermilion33 min
Mar 11, 11:54 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHAcadia, Jefferson Davis3 hr
Mar 12, 12:02 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHAcadia58 min
Mar 12, 12:13 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHVermilion62 min
Mar 12, 12:16 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH59 min
Mar 12, 12:50 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHAcadia, Evangeline, Saint Landry3 hr
Mar 12, 12:52 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHSaint Martin38 min
Mar 12, 1:12 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHSaint Landry48 min
Mar 12, 1:42 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHIberia, St. Mary4 hr
Mar 12, 2:23 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHSaint Martin67 min
Mar 12, 3:06 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningLCHIberia3 hr
Mar 12, 7:48 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHSaint Landry57 min
Mar 12, 8:51 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAcadia, Lafayette, Saint Landry3 hr
Mar 12, 9:48 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHSaint Landry, Saint Martin3 hr
Mar 12, 10:59 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningLCHLafayette, Vermilion35 hr
Mar 12, 11:14 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningLCHAcadia48 hr
Mar 12, 11:26 AM CDTAreal Flood Warning EmergencyLCHAcadia, Lafayette, Saint Landry, Saint Martin12 hr
Mar 12, 11:28 AM CDTFlash Flood Warning EmergencyLCHAcadia, Lafayette, Saint Landry, Saint Martin6 hr
Mar 12, 11:36 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningLCHAcadia, Jefferson Davis8 days
Mar 12, 1:41 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHLafayette64 min
Mar 12, 2:40 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHEvangeline3 hr
Mar 12, 3:43 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAllen, Evangeline4 hr
Mar 12, 6:18 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAllen, Evangeline, Rapides, Vernon3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Louisiana, 2012Every flash flood warning in 2012

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.