Alert archive / Louisiana / Mesoscale Discussions in 2012

Mesoscale Discussion 308

March 20, 201219 parishes in Louisiana

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Mar 20, 2012, 3:47 PM CDT for 19 parishes in Louisiana. It was in force for 88 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 20, 2012, 3:47 PM CDT (20:47 UTC)
Expired
Mar 20, 2012, 5:15 PM CDT
In force
88 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center

Counties Acadia Parish, LA, Allen Parish, LA, Avoyelles Parish, LA, Beauregard Parish, LA, Calcasieu Parish, LA, Caldwell Parish, LA, Cameron Parish, LA, Catahoula Parish, LA, Concordia Parish, LA, Evangeline Parish, LA, Franklin Parish, LA, Grant Parish, LA, Jefferson Davis Parish, LA, LaSalle Parish, LA, Madison Parish, LA, Ouachita Parish, LA, Rapides Parish, LA, Richland Parish, LA, Tensas Parish, LA

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 78 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°0°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.

652 
ACUS11 KWNS 202047
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 202047 
MSZ000-LAZ000-TXZ000-202215-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0308
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0347 PM CDT TUE MAR 20 2012

AREAS AFFECTED...SOUTHWEST/NORTHEAST LA TO FAR WESTERN MS

CONCERNING...TORNADO WATCH 92...

VALID 202047Z - 202215Z

THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR TORNADO WATCH 92 CONTINUES.

TORNADO WATCH 92 CONTINUES UNTIL 22Z...WITH THE PRIMARY SEVERE
THREAT FOCUSED ACROSS SOUTHWEST LA. GIVEN A SCHEDULED 22Z EXPIRATION
OF WW 92...CURRENT THINKING IS THAT A LOCAL EXTENSION OR WATCH
REPLACEMENT WILL BE NEEDED WITHIN THE HOUR ESPECIALLY FOR SOUTHERN
LA. POTENTIAL CONTINUES FOR ISOLATED DAMAGING WINDS...A TORNADO OR
TWO...ALONG WITH PERSISTENT/REPETITIVE HEAVY RAINFALL.

STRONG UPDRAFTS PERSIST ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHWEST LA IN TANDEM
WITH A COMPOSITE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY...WITH THE OUTFLOW HAVING
OTHERWISE SURGED EASTWARD/WEAKENED ACROSS NORTHEAST LA. WITH LITTLE
CHANGE IN THE WIND PROFILE OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS AS PER WSR-88D
VWP DATA...A MOIST/UNSTABLE BOUNDARY LAYER IN CONJUNCTION WITH A
SURFACE COLD POOL/MESOSCALE PROCESSES WILL REMAIN CONDUCIVE FOR
QLCS-EMBEDDED BOWS/MESOVORTICES ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHERN LA AS THE
LINE CONTINUES A SLOW EASTWARD PROGRESSION. GIVEN THAT ISOLATED
DAMAGING WIND/TORNADO POTENTIAL MAY PERSIST BEYOND 22Z ESPECIALLY
ACROSS SOUTHWEST/SOUTH-CENTRAL LA...A REPLACEMENT WATCH OR WFO
EXTENSION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED.

..GUYER.. 03/20/2012

...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...

ATTN...WFO...JAN...LIX...LCH...SHV...

LAT...LON   29049390 30129370 31379297 31939253 32819200 32499095
            30999167 29949261 29019270 29049390

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 20, 9:03 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllen, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu and 15 more87 min
Mar 20, 9:46 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAllen, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu and 18 more7 hr
Mar 20, 2:26 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Evangeline and 10 more94 min
Mar 20, 6:33 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Grant, Jackson, Natchitoches and 3 more117 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Louisiana, 2012Every mesoscale discussion 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.