Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 21, NWS Lake Charles, LA

March 20, 2012Orange County, Texas

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this flash flood warning at Mar 20, 2012, 2:30 PM CDT for Orange County, Texas. It was in force for 7 hr. 3 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 20, 2012, 2:30 PM CDT (19:30 UTC)
Expired
Mar 20, 2012, 9:30 PM CDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Orange County, TX

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 79 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:32 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, 3:08 PM CDTFLASH FLOOD2 Nne Orange, TXPUBLIC REPORTS WATER COVERING ROAD 1 FOOT DEEP ON THE CORNER OF MEEKS AND INTERNATIONAL AVE.
Mar 20, 6:52 PM CDTFLASH FLOODLittle Cypress, TXROADS FLOODED IN LITTLE CYPRESS.
Mar 20, 7:15 PM CDTHEAVY RAIN 5.64Orange, TXMEASURED AT THE USGS GAUGE IN ORANGE.

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, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 80 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.

362 
WGUS54 KLCH 201930
FFWLCH
TXC361-202330-
/O.NEW.KLCH.FF.W.0021.120320T1930Z-120320T2330Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN ORANGE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

* UNTIL 630 PM CDT

* AT 228 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE      
  WARNED AREA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES HAVE FALLEN OVER    
  THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS ACROSS NORTHERN ORANGE COUNTY. ONE TO TWO 
  INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH 230 PM. 

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  MAURICEVILLE...VIDOR...FOREST HEIGHTS...LAKEVIEW...PINE FOREST AND
  ROSE CITY.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 3024 9412 3024 9370 3009 9376 3008 9408
      3010 9409 3012 9407 3013 9409 3019 9411
      3021 9410 3022 9411

$$
1 follow-up statement
899 
WGUS54 KLCH 202328
FFWLCH
TXC361-210230-
/O.EXT.KLCH.FF.W.0021.000000T0000Z-120321T0230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS EXTENDED THE

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN ORANGE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

* UNTIL 930 PM CDT

* AT 623 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATE    
  THAT THE HEAVIER RAINS HAVE MOVED EAST OF THE WARNED AREA. WHILE   
  HEAVIER RAINS HAVE ENDED...RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES OF 3 TO 4      
  INCHES HAVE FALLEN OVER THE PAST 6 HOURS AND RUNOFF IS NOT YET   
  COMPLETE. SOME OF THE BAYOUS THAT MAY CONTINUE TO RISE AND FLOOD   
  ARE COW BAYOU AND ADAMS BAYOU NEAR MAURICEVILLE. AS WELL AS        
  COLE CREEK AND TIGER CREEK. 

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  MAURICEVILLE...ORANGE...VIDOR...FOREST HEIGHTS...LAKEVIEW...PINE
  FOREST AND ROSE CITY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 3024 9412 3024 9370 3009 9376 3008 9408
      3010 9409 3012 9407 3013 9409 3019 9411
      3021 9410 3022 9411

$$

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, 12:56 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHJefferson3 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, 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.