Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2013

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Lake Charles, LA

February 21, 2013Vernon Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Feb 21, 2013, 2:53 PM CST for Vernon Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 22 min. 2 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: Feb 21, 2013, 2:53 PM CST (20:53 UTC)
Expired: Feb 21, 2013, 3:15 PM CST
In force: 22 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Vernon Parish, LA

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Feb 21, 3:00 PM CST	TORNADO 1	4 E Kurthwood, LA	NWS STORM SURVEY DID FIND DAMAGE FROM A EF1 TORNADO IN THE ALCO AREA...EAST OF OF KURTHWOOD. MORE DETAILS WILL BE ISSUED THIS AFTERNOON IN A PNS.
Feb 21, 3:01 PM CST	TORNADO	3 E Kurthwood, LA	FT POLK DOPPLER RADAR USING DUAL POLARIZATION CONFIRMED TORNADIC DEBRIS SIGNATURE NEAR KURTHWOOD.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Feb 21, 1:37 PM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 136 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: 13 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -343 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 461 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 509 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 644 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 7.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

617 
WFUS54 KLCH 212053
TORLCH
LAC115-212115-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0005.130221T2053Z-130221T2115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
253 PM CST THU FEB 21 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL VERNON PARISH IN WEST CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

* UNTIL 315 PM CST

* AT 250 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR
  KURTHWOOD...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 60 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  HUTTON BY 300 PM CST...

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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CST THURSDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

&&

PLEASE REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT
337-477-5285 EXTENSION 1.

LAT...LON 3136 9303 3136 9299 3135 9298 3134 9298
      3133 9294 3119 9316 3132 9327 3137 9320
      3137 9303
TIME...MOT...LOC 2053Z 229DEG 52KT 3131 9313

$$

LANDRENEAU

1 follow-up statement

035 
WWUS54 KLCH 212104
SVSLCH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
304 PM CST THU FEB 21 2013

LAC115-212115-
/O.CON.KLCH.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-130221T2115Z/
VERNON LA-
304 PM CST THU FEB 21 2013

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 315 PM CST FOR NORTH
CENTRAL VERNON PARISH...

AT 300 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE ON RADAR A TORNADO WITH STRONG ROTATION AND A DEBRIS 
SIGNATURE.  THIS RADAR INDICATED TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR 
KURTHWOOD..MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW! IF YOU WAIT
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CST THURSDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

&&

LAT...LON 3136 9303 3136 9299 3135 9298 3134 9298
      3133 9294 3119 9316 3132 9327 3137 9320
      3137 9303
TIME...MOT...LOC 2104Z 228DEG 30KT 3136 9308

$$

LANDRENEAU

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 21, 6:19 AM CST	Wind Advisory	LCH	Allen, Beauregard, Cameron, Evangeline, Lafayette, Saint Landry and 1 more	12 hr
Feb 21, 10:54 AM CST	Marine Dense Fog Advisory	LCH		4 hr
Feb 21, 12:37 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Allen	53 min
Feb 21, 1:03 PM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Allen, Evangeline	42 min
Feb 21, 1:56 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Avoyelles	64 min
Feb 21, 1:59 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Vernon	46 min
Feb 21, 2:46 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Vernon	44 min
Feb 21, 3:20 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Rapides, Vernon	55 min
Feb 21, 3:28 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Rapides, Vernon	62 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 2013 Every tornado warning in 2013 Tornadoes in 2013

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.