Tornado Watch 94

Issued

Mar 20, 2012, 8:02 PM CDT (01:02 UTC)

Expired

Mar 20, 2012, 11:45 PM CDT

In force

4 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

Counties Beauregard Parish, LA, Calcasieu Parish, LA, Cameron Parish, LA, Vernon Parish, LA, Jasper County, TX, Jefferson County, TX, Newton County, TX, Orange County, TX

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 67 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:05 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.

Two or more tornadoes

40%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

20%

Ten or more severe wind reports

20%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

10%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

5%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

60%

• Mesoscale Discussion 310Mar 20, 6:33 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 312Mar 20, 10:23 PM CDT

746 
WWUS20 KWNS 210101
SEL4
SPC WW 210101
LAZ000-TXZ000-CWZ000-210500-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 94
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
800 PM CDT TUE MAR 20 2012

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

       SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA
       SOUTHEAST TEXAS
       COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY NIGHT FROM 800 PM UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 30 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF
FORT POLK LOUISIANA TO 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PORT ARTHUR TEXAS.
FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4).

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 93...

DISCUSSION...ROTATING STORMS CONTINUE TO FORM OFF THE TX/LA COAST
AND TRACK INLAND ROUGHLY ALONG THE SABINE RIVER.  LCH VAD PROFILE
MAINTAINS VERY STRONG LOW LEVEL VERTICAL SHEAR...AND DEWPOINTS IN
THE UPPER 60S COUPLED WITH EXTENT OF LIGHTNING ACTIVITY SUGGEST
SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY FOR A RISK OF A TORNADO DEVELOPMENT THROUGH
THE EVENING.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 20035.


...HART

Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 2012Tornado Watches in Texas, 2012Every tornado watch in 2012

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.