Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 53, NWS Lake Charles, LA

April 4, 2012Newton County, Texas; Beauregard Parish, Vernon Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Apr 4, 2012, 12:45 AM CDT for Newton County, Texas; Beauregard Parish, Vernon Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 30 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 4, 2012, 12:45 AM CDT (05:45 UTC)
Expired
Apr 4, 2012, 1:15 AM CDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Beauregard Parish, LA, Vernon Parish, LA, Newton County, TX

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 3, 9:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 102 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 00:00Z on 2012-04-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3354 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 00:00Z on 2012-04-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 43 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
3354 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
635 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
43 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
66 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
3.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

980 
WFUS54 KLCH 040545
TORLCH
LAC011-115-TXC351-040615-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0053.120404T0545Z-120404T0615Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1245 AM CDT WED APR 4 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN NEWTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS...
  NORTHWESTERN BEAUREGARD PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...
  SOUTHWESTERN VERNON PARISH IN WEST CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

* UNTIL 115 AM CDT

* AT 1240 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR
  STRINGTOWN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  BURR FERRY BY 115 AM CDT...

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.

TORNADOES AT NIGHT ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE
OR HEAR THE TORNADO...IT MAY BE TOO LATE. TAKE COVER NOW!

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 AM CDT
WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

&&

PLEASE REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR RELAY TO 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

LAT...LON 3118 9355 3100 9325 3079 9354 3086 9366
TIME...MOT...LOC 0545Z 214DEG 16KT 3089 9357

$$

25
2 follow-up statements
111 
WWUS54 KLCH 040608
SVSLCH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
108 AM CDT WED APR 4 2012

LAC011-115-TXC351-040615-
/O.CON.KLCH.TO.W.0053.000000T0000Z-120404T0615Z/
NEWTON TX-BEAUREGARD LA-VERNON LA-
108 AM CDT WED APR 4 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 115 AM CDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN NEWTON COUNTY...AND SOUTHWESTERN VERNON AND NORTHWESTERN
BEAUREGARD PARISHES...

AT 103 AM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED POSSIBLE ROTATION 
WITH A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR EVANS..MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  BURR FERRY BY 115 AM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TORNADOES AT NIGHT ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE
OR HEAR THE TORNADO...IT MAY BE TOO LATE. TAKE COVER NOW!

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 AM CDT
WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

&&

LAT...LON 3118 9355 3100 9325 3079 9354 3086 9366
TIME...MOT...LOC 0608Z 214DEG 16KT 3097 9350

$$

25
866 
WWUS54 KLCH 040620
SVSLCH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
120 AM CDT WED APR 4 2012

LAC011-115-TXC351-040629-
/O.EXP.KLCH.TO.W.0053.000000T0000Z-120404T0615Z/
NEWTON TX-BEAUREGARD LA-VERNON LA-
120 AM CDT WED APR 4 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN NEWTON COUNTY...AND
SOUTHWESTERN VERNON AND NORTHWESTERN BEAUREGARD PARISHES HAS
EXPIRED...

AT 115 AM CDT...REGIONAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR 
INDICATED THE THUNDERSTORM WHICH PROMPTED THE TORNADO WARNING WAS 
LOCATED NEAR BURR FERRY IN SOUTHWESTERN VERNON PARISH. THE STORM HAS 
WEAKENED AND THE WARNING WAS ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 AM CDT
WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

LAT...LON 3118 9355 3100 9325 3079 9354 3086 9366
TIME...MOT...LOC 0608Z 214DEG 16KT 3097 9350

$$

25

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 11:14 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHTyler2 hr
Apr 3, 11:22 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHTyler113 min
Apr 3, 8:35 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHAvoyelles55 min
Apr 3, 8:59 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHRapides61 min
Apr 4, 2:14 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHAcadia, Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis, Saint Landry31 min
Apr 4, 2:56 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHAcadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette and 2 more64 min
Apr 4, 3:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAcadia, Lafayette, Saint Landry, Saint Martin, Vermilion29 min
Apr 4, 3:56 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHCalcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Saint Martin, Vermilion64 min
Apr 4, 4:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHIberia, Vermilion26 min
Apr 4, 4:54 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHIberia51 min
Apr 4, 5:00 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHSt. Mary60 min
Apr 4, 8:31 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH59 min
Apr 4, 9:28 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH62 min
Apr 4, 6:59 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH91 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 2012Tornado Warnings in Texas, 2012Every tornado warning in 2012Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.