Alert archive / Louisiana / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 23, NWS Lake Charles, LA

March 20, 2012Orange County, Texas; Beauregard Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this flash flood warning at Mar 20, 2012, 3:18 PM CDT for Orange County, Texas; Beauregard Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 6 hr. 9 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, 3:18 PM CDT (20:18 UTC)
Expired
Mar 20, 2012, 9:00 PM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Beauregard Parish, LA, Calcasieu Parish, LA, Orange County, TX

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 46 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:18 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, 4:05 PM CDTFLASH FLOODVinton, LACHIEF OF POLICE REPORTED 6.00 INCHES OF RAINFALL FOR THE DURATION OF THE STORM.
Mar 20, 4:13 PM CDTFLASH FLOODVinton, LAWATER OVER THE CURB ON HARGE STREET.
Mar 20, 4:13 PM CDTHEAVY RAIN 3.75Vinton, LA
Mar 20, 4:13 PM CDTHEAVY RAIN 4.3Vinton, LA
Mar 20, 4:13 PM CDTHEAVY RAIN 5.5Starks, LA
Mar 20, 5:30 PM CDTFLASH FLOOD2 Nw Dequincy, LAWATER COVERING THE ROAD ON PINDER LANE IN DEQUINCY
Mar 20, 6:58 PM CDTFLASH FLOODDequincy, LASEVERAL HOMES IN DEQUINCY HAVE HAVE BEEN FLOODED AND POLICE ARE ASKING PUBLIC TO STAY OFF ROADS AS TRAFFIC IS CREATING WAKES IN FLOOD WATERS
Mar 20, 6:59 PM CDTHEAVY RAIN 4.33De Quincy, LACALCASIEU PARISH RAIN GAUGE NETWORK INDICATES 4.33 IN THE PAST THREE HOURS.
Mar 20, 8:21 PM CDTFLASH FLOODVinton, LACHIEF OF POLICE REPORTED 6.00 INCHES OF RAINFALL FOR THE DURATION OF THE STORM.

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, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 47 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.

326 
WGUS54 KLCH 202018
FFWLCH
LAC011-019-TXC361-210200-
/O.NEW.KLCH.FF.W.0023.120320T2018Z-120321T0200Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN ORANGE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS...
  SOUTHWESTERN BEAUREGARD PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...
  WESTERN CALCASIEU PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...

* UNTIL 900 PM CDT

* AT 313 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE      
  WARNED AREA. RADAR ESTIMATES OF 1 TO 3.5 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN 
  OVER THE PAST HOUR. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS SLOWED DOWN     
  CONSIDERABLY AND CONTINUE TO MOVE OVER THE SAME GENERAL AREA. AN   
  ADDITIONAL 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS.  
  MINOR FLOODING OF ROADS HAVE ALREADY BEEN RECEIVED FROM VINTON.  

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...DE
  QUINCY...STARKS...SULPHUR...VINTON...BUHLER...CARLYSS...EDGERLY AND
  LUNITA.

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 3006 9376 3024 9373 3025 9371 3029 9371
      3030 9372 3043 9371 3044 9370 3047 9371
      3051 9333 3006 9337

$$
1 follow-up statement
268 
WGUS74 KLCH 202205
FFSLCH

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

LAC011-019-TXC361-210200-
/O.CON.KLCH.FF.W.0023.000000T0000Z-120321T0200Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
BEAUREGARD LA-CALCASIEU LA-ORANGE TX-
505 PM CDT TUE MAR 20 2012

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEASTERN ORANGE
COUNTY...AND WESTERN CALCASIEU AND SOUTHWESTERN BEAUREGARD PARISHES
UNTIL 900 PM CDT...

AT 500 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. 
OBSERVED AND ESTIMATED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4.5 INCHES HAVE 
FALLEN OVER THE PAST 3 HOURS WITH 3 TO 5 INCHES OVER THE PAST 5 
HOURS ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN CALCASIEU PARISH. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL 
AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH 7 PM. 

RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLASH FLOODING INCLUDE...
DE QUINCY...STARKS...VINTON...BUHLER...CARLYSS...EDGERLY AND LUNITA.

SEVERAL REPORTS OF ROADS FLOODED HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FROM THE VINTON 
AREA AND ON HIGHWAY 389 IN HARGROVES JUST OUTSIDE OF DEQUINCY.

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 3006 9376 3024 9373 3025 9371 3029 9371
      3030 9372 3043 9371 3044 9370 3047 9371
      3051 9333 3006 9337

$$

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, 2:30 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHOrange7 hr
Mar 20, 6:53 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHJasper, Newton2 hr
Mar 20, 9:33 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningLCHAllen7 days
Mar 20, 9:33 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningLCHAllen, Jefferson Davis9 days
Mar 20, 9:33 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningLCHCalcasieu7 days
Mar 20, 9:33 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningLCHBeauregard5 days
Mar 20, 9:33 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningLCHAllen6 days
Mar 20, 9:33 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningLCHAcadia, Allen, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis6 days
Mar 20, 9:33 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningLCHAcadia, Jefferson Davis4 days
Mar 20, 2:43 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHBeauregard, Vernon5 hr
Mar 20, 2:46 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHCalcasieu29 min
Mar 20, 6:05 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHVernon3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Louisiana, 2012Flash 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.