Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 55, NWS Lake Charles, LA

April 5, 2012Avoyelles Parish, Saint Landry Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Apr 5, 2012, 1:44 AM CDT for Avoyelles Parish, Saint Landry Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 31 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 5, 2012, 1:44 AM CDT (06:44 UTC)
Expired: Apr 5, 2012, 2:15 AM CDT
In force: 31 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Avoyelles Parish, LA, Saint Landry Parish, LA

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 154 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2323 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 739 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 9 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

511 
WFUS54 KLCH 050644
TORLCH
LAC009-097-050715-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0055.120405T0644Z-120405T0715Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
144 AM CDT THU APR 5 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL AVOYELLES PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
  NORTH CENTRAL ST. LANDRY PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

* UNTIL 215 AM CDT

* AT 143 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES EAST OF
  GOUDEAU...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RURAL SOUTHEASTERN AVOYELLES PARISH AT 200 AM CDT
  RURAL NORTHEASTERN ST. LANDRY PARISH AT 200 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!

&&

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

LAT...LON 3092 9179 3086 9180 3085 9181 3084 9179
      3083 9179 3081 9180 3084 9202 3091 9202
TIME...MOT...LOC 0644Z 274DEG 21KT 3087 9189

$$

25

1 follow-up statement

049 
WWUS54 KLCH 050711
SVSLCH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
211 AM CDT THU APR 5 2012

LAC009-097-050721-
/O.EXP.KLCH.TO.W.0055.000000T0000Z-120405T0715Z/
ST. LANDRY LA-AVOYELLES LA-
211 AM CDT THU APR 5 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AVOYELLES AND NORTH CENTRAL
ST. LANDRY PARISHES WILL EXPIRE AT 215 AM CDT...

THE THUNDERSTORM WHICH PROMPTED THE TORNADO WARNING HAS NOW MOVED 
EAST AND OUT OF THE WARNED AREA.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 AM CDT THURSDAY MORNING
FOR SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA.

LAT...LON 3092 9179 3086 9180 3085 9181 3084 9179
      3083 9179 3081 9180 3084 9202 3091 9202
TIME...MOT...LOC 0711Z 274DEG 21KT 3086 9171

$$

25

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 4, 7:18 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		39 min
Apr 4, 8:25 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		69 min
Apr 4, 8:38 PM CDT	River Flood Warning	LCH	Calcasieu	6 days
Apr 4, 10:25 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		65 min
Apr 5, 12:55 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Avoyelles, Evangeline, Rapides	35 min
Apr 5, 1:22 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Avoyelles	23 min
Apr 5, 2:44 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	St. Mary	31 min
Apr 5, 3:25 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	St. Mary	35 min
Apr 5, 3:37 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Saint Martin, St. Mary	23 min
Apr 5, 4:30 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Saint Martin	45 min
Apr 5, 5:26 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Assumption	34 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 2012 Every tornado warning in 2012 Tornadoes 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.