Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 17, NWS Lake Charles, LA

March 20, 2012Jefferson County, Texas

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this flash flood warning at Mar 20, 2012, 12:56 PM CDT for Jefferson County, Texas. It was in force for 3 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 20, 2012, 12:56 PM CDT (17:56 UTC)
Expired
Mar 20, 2012, 4:00 PM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Jefferson County, TX

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:59 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 20, 1:35 PM CDTFLASH FLOODBeaumont, TXKBMT REPORTS VIA FACEBOOK PARK ST NEAR COLLEGE ST CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING.

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, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 97 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 2012-03-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1368 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 2012-03-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 225 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
1368 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
555 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
225 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
338 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
8.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

978 
WGUS54 KLCH 201756
FFWLCH
TXC245-202100-
/O.NEW.KLCH.FF.W.0017.120320T1756Z-120320T2100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1256 PM CDT TUE MAR 20 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

* UNTIL 400 PM CDT

* AT 1253 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE      
  WARNED AREA. RADAR AND RAIN GAUGE ESTIMATES INDICATE THAT RAINFALL 
  AMOUNTS OF 1.5 TO 3.5 INCHES HAVE FALLEN OVER THE PAST 3 HOURS     
  ACROSS NORTHWESTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY INCLUDING BEAUMONT.           
  ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING TO THE         
  SOUTHWEST AND ARE FORECAST TO MOVE NORTH ACROSS THE AREA THAT      
  HEAVY RAINS HAVE ALREADY FALLEN. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF    
  ONE TO TWO INCHES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH 2 PM WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS    
  POSSIBLE. 

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  BEAUMONT...CENTRAL GARDENS...HAMSHIRE...NEDERLAND...NOME...CHINA...
  FANNETT...LA BELLE AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS REGIONAL AIRPORT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...


EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...URBAN AREAS...HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND UNDERPASSES
AS WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT 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 3010 9444 3010 9434 3013 9429 3016 9412
      3010 9408 3008 9409 3008 9406 3003 9403
      3003 9400 3001 9400 3001 9396 2963 9435
      2988 9436 2988 9442

$$
1 follow-up statement
465 
WGUS74 KLCH 201952
FFSLCH

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
252 PM CDT TUE MAR 20 2012

TXC245-202100-
/O.CON.KLCH.FF.W.0017.000000T0000Z-120320T2100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
JEFFERSON TX-
252 PM CDT TUE MAR 20 2012

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR JEFFERSON COUNTY UNTIL
400 PM CDT...

AT 250 PM CDT...THE PUBLIC REPORTED THAT MINOR STREET FLOODING WAS 
OCCURRING NEAR BEAUMONT.

SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLASH FLOODING INCLUDE...
BEAUMONT...CENTRAL GARDENS...HAMSHIRE...NOME...CHINA...FANNETT...LA
BELLE AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS REGIONAL AIRPORT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM PREVIOUS HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE MINOR FLOODING OF 
SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS...URBAN AREAS...HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND 
UNDERPASSES AS WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY.

&&

LAT...LON 3010 9444 3010 9434 3013 9429 3016 9412
      3010 9408 3008 9409 3008 9406 3003 9403
      3003 9400 3001 9400 3001 9396 2963 9435
      2988 9436 2988 9442

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 20, 11:12 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHHardin, Jasper, Tyler3 hr
Mar 20, 11:32 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHHardin, Jefferson3 hr
Mar 20, 11:58 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHJefferson2 hr
Mar 20, 12:40 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHJasper3 hr
Mar 20, 1:23 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHJasper7 hr
Mar 20, 1:32 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHJasper, Newton3 hr
Mar 20, 2:07 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHJasper, Newton3 hr
Mar 20, 2:27 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHJasper, Newton5 hr
Mar 20, 2:30 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHOrange7 hr
Mar 20, 3:18 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHOrange6 hr
Mar 20, 6:53 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHJasper, Newton2 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 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.