Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2013

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Shreveport, LA

February 18, 2013Bossier Parish, Caddo Parish, Louisiana

NWS Shreveport, LA issued this tornado warning at Feb 18, 2013, 6:04 PM CST for Bossier Parish, Caddo Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 41 min. 1 report 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 18, 2013, 6:04 PM CST (00:04 UTC)
Expired: Feb 18, 2013, 6:45 PM CST
In force: 41 min
Issued by: NWS Shreveport, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Bossier Parish, LA, Caddo Parish, LA

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 37 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:05 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Feb 18, 6:08 PM CST	TORNADO	2 S Belcher, LA	AN EF-0 TORNADO BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN AND SNAPPED SEVERAL HARDWOOD BRANCHES ALONG DIXIE SHREVEPORT ROAD. THE PATH LENGTH WAS 40 YARDS WITH A PATH WIDTH OF 20 YARDS. MAXIMUM WINDS WERE ESTIMATED NEAR 70 MPH.

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

Did it verify

Verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow matched one storm report to this tornado warning; the first came 4 minutes after it went out.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

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 18, 2:19 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), launched 00:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 30 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: 800 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 593 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 67 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 361 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 392 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 2.0
Supercell composite: 6.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

547 
WFUS54 KSHV 190004
TORSHV
LAC015-017-190045-
/O.NEW.KSHV.TO.W.0016.130219T0004Z-130219T0045Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
604 PM CST MON FEB 18 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL BOSSIER PARISH IN NORTHWEST LOUISIANA...
  CENTRAL CADDO PARISH IN NORTHWEST LOUISIANA...

* UNTIL 645 PM CST.

* AT 601 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR BELCHER...
  OR 18 MILES NORTH OF SHREVEPORT...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  BENTON...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

&&

LAT...LON 3260 9345 3269 9399 3282 9398 3282 9346
      3276 9347 3276 9345
TIME...MOT...LOC 0004Z 276DEG 31KT 3272 9386

$$

12

1 follow-up statement

097 
WWUS54 KSHV 190021
SVSSHV

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
621 PM CST MON FEB 18 2013

LAC017-190030-
/O.CAN.KSHV.TO.W.0016.000000T0000Z-130219T0045Z/
CADDO LA-
621 PM CST MON FEB 18 2013

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CADDO PARISH IS CANCELLED...

LAT...LON 3265 9377 3268 9378 3277 9379 3279 9378
      3281 9346 3276 9347 3276 9345 3260 9345
TIME...MOT...LOC 0020Z 276DEG 31KT 3270 9370

$$

LAC015-190045-
/O.CON.KSHV.TO.W.0016.000000T0000Z-130219T0045Z/
BOSSIER LA-
621 PM CST MON FEB 18 2013

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM CST FOR BOSSIER
PARISH...

AT 618 PM CST...WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS CONTINUED TO DETECT A 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION.  THIS POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS 
LOCATED NEAR BENTON...OR 13 MILES NORTH OF BOSSIER CITY...MOVING 
EAST AT 35 MPH. 

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO 
LINTON...IVAN AND BELLEVUE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

&&

LAT...LON 3265 9377 3268 9378 3277 9379 3279 9378
      3281 9346 3276 9347 3276 9345 3260 9345
TIME...MOT...LOC 0020Z 276DEG 31KT 3270 9370

$$

12

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Feb 18, 2:53 PM CST, 3 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 18, 2:53 PM CST, 3 hours 11 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
253 PM CST MON FEB 18 2013

.DISCUSSION...
SCATTERED TSTMS HAVE RECENTLY DEVELOPED ACROSS THE EAST TX
LAKES...NW LA...EXTREME NE TX...AND SW AR. FURTHER TO THE NORTH
AND WEST....ALONG AND APPROACHING COLD FRONT...A LINE OF TSTMS HAS
DEVELOPED OVER WESTERN AR/SE OK. THIS LINE IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE
DEVELOPING SOUTHWARD...WHERE THE MOST CONCENTRATED THREAT OF SVR STORMS
IS EXPECTED...PROMPTING ISSUANCE OF SVR TSTM WATCH UNTIL 9 PM. LOW
LVL WINDS QUITE STG...BUT NEARLY UNIDIRECTIONAL...THUS STRAIGHT
LINE WINDS APPEAR TO BE THE MAIN SVR THREAT. HOWEVER...INCREASING
ROTATION INDICATED WITHIN SCT STORM SECTOR. EXPECTING SKIES TO
BECOME MOSTLY CLEAR WITH NW WINDS IMMEDIATELY BEHIND FRONT
TONIGHT.

A BRIEF DRY PERIOD WILL BE REPLACED BY ISENTROPIC LIFT PROVIDING
CHANCE OF STRATIFORM RAIN TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. NORTHERN
CWA COULD FLIRT WITH A LIGHT WINTRY MIX WITH EVAP COOLING...BUT
WILL HOLD OFF TO INTRODUCE TO FCST JUST YET. LATER IN DAY WEDNESDAY...
A TRANSITION TO MORE CONVECTIVE TYPE PRECIP WILL OCCUR AS A WARM
FRONT RAPIDLY MOVES IN FROM CENTRAL TX...WITH EAST WINDS
DEVELOPING SOUTHERLY COMPONENT AS INTENSE UPPER TROUGH WILL BECOME
NEGATIVELY TILTED...HANGING UP OVER NORTHERN PLAINS WITH SFC LOW
MOVING TOWARDS GREAT LAKES. EXCESSIVE LOW LVL SHEAR WILL RESULT
FROM THIS DEFORMATION...BUT AT THE SAME TIME WILL KEEP INSTABILITY
ELEVATED WITH SHOWALTER INDICES WELL BELOW ZERO. AMOUNT OF SFC
BASED INSTABILITY CLOSER TO COLD FRONT PASSAGE LATER IN DAY
THURSDAY WILL DICTATE TORNADIC POTENTIAL WITH THIS SYSTEM. THIS
FRONT MAY HANG OUT OVER SOUTHERN CWA INTO FRIDAY...COULD YIELD
DECENT RAINFALL TOTALS AS WELL...BUT WITH NORTHERN SECTIONS OF
AREA CLEARING OUT FOR FIRST PART OF WEEKEND./VII/.

&&

.AVIATION...
MOSTLY MVFR FLIGHT WEATHER EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING. CIGS WERE RANGING
BETWEEN 2 AND 4 KFT. VSBYS VICINITY OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS
BRIEFLY IFR. LOOK FOR DETERIORATING FLIGHT CONDITIONS FROM WEST TO
EAST AS A COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. NUMEROUS TSTMS ALONG THE
FRONT WILL CREATE FLIGHT HAZARDS...INCLUDING IFR CIGS AND VSBYS...
MODERATE TO SEVERE TURBULENCE AND ICING ABOVE 9 KFT. THE FRONT WILL
CROSS THE FOUR STATE REGION RAPIDLY...AND SHOULD BE NEAR A KMLU TO
KJAS LINE BY 19/06Z. FLIGHT WEATHER SHOULD IMPROVE TO VFR WITHIN A
COUPLE HOURS AFTER FROPA. SURFACE WIND SOUTHWEST 15 TO 25 KTS WITH
GUSTS TO 35 KTS THIS AFTERNOON WILL CREATE MODERATE LOW LEVEL
TURBULENCE. WIND BECOMING NORTHWEST 10 TO 15 KTS AFTER FROPA. /14/

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SHV  41  62  41  53  42 /  60  10  20  50  60
MLU  43  61  37  52  42 /  70  10  10  50  60
DEQ  36  60  34  48  38 /  40  10  20  40  50
TXK  38  60  37  50  38 /  40  10  20  40  50
ELD  37  60  35  49  37 /  60  10  10  40  50
TYR  41  63  41  53  44 /  20  10  30  60  70
GGG  41  63  40  53  44 /  40  10  30  60  70
LFK  41  66  42  55  47 /  40  10  30  60  70

&&

.SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073.

LA...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022.

OK...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: OKZ077.

TX...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 18, 12:04 PM CST, 6 hours before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
1204 PM CST MON FEB 18 2013

ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-OKZ077-
TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-191815-
SEVIER-HOWARD-LITTLE RIVER-HEMPSTEAD-NEVADA-MILLER-LAFAYETTE-
COLUMBIA-UNION AR-CADDO-BOSSIER-WEBSTER-CLAIBORNE-LINCOLN-
UNION LA-DE SOTO-RED RIVER-BIENVILLE-JACKSON-OUACHITA-SABINE LA-
NATCHITOCHES-WINN-GRANT-CALDWELL-LA SALLE-MCCURTAIN-BOWIE-
FRANKLIN-TITUS-CAMP-MORRIS-CASS-WOOD-UPSHUR-MARION-SMITH-GREGG-
HARRISON-CHEROKEE-RUSK-PANOLA-NACOGDOCHES-SHELBY-ANGELINA-
SAN AUGUSTINE-SABINE TX-
1204 PM CST MON FEB 18 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
ARKANSAS...SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
NORTHWEST LOUISIANA...SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...EAST TEXAS AND
NORTHEAST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE TO THE EAST AND
SURFACE LOW PRESSURE TO THE WEST AND NORTHWEST WILL PRODUCE
STRONG AND GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH HIGHER
GUSTS TO 30 TO 35 MPH. THE STRONG WINDS AND RESULTING HIGHER
WAVES ON AREA LAKES WILL MAKE SAFE NAVIGATION DIFFICULT...ESPECIALLY
FOR SMALLER BOATS. THE STRONG WINDS WILL ALSO AFFECT HIGH PROFILE
VEHICLES ON WEST TO EAST ORIENTED ROADWAYS.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BEGIN TO DEVELOP OVER THE EAST
TEXAS LAKES DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON. THIS ACTIVITY WILL
INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY AS IT SPREAD TO THE NORTH AND
EAST ACROSS REMAINING PORTIONS OF THE AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS...
AND POSSIBLY EVEN HAIL OR ISOLATED TORNADOES...WILL BE MOST LIKELY
ACROSS EXTREME EAST TEXAS...NORTHERN LOUISIANA...AND SOUTHERN
ARKANSAS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...

AN EVEN MORE POTENT UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BRING
ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE...TO THE
FOUR STATE REGION BY LATER IN THE WEEK. THE PERIOD OF GREATEST
POTENTIAL FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS APPEARS TO
BE FROM LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING AS A MAJOR
SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL HELP DRIVE A COLD FRONT INTO THE FOUR STATE
REGION. INSTABILITY AND LOW LEVEL SHEAR APPEAR TO BE FAVORABLE
FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS
AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL...AMATEUR RADIO
OPERATORS...AND STORM SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON ODAY
AND TONIGHT.

VII

In the hours before

Local storm report, Feb 18, 4:16 PM CST, 1 hour 48 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
416 PM CST MON FEB 18 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0322 PM     HAIL             4 N FOUKE               33.32N  93.89W
02/18/2013  E1.75 INCH       MILLER             AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

EVENT NUMBER SHV1300004

12

Local storm report, Feb 18, 4:20 PM CST, 1 hour 44 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
420 PM CST MON FEB 18 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0322 PM     HAIL             7 N FOUKE               33.36N  93.89W
02/18/2013  E1.75 INCH       MILLER             AR   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            NEAR GENOA

&&

EVENT NUMBER SHV1300005

12

Local storm report, Feb 18, 4:28 PM CST, 1 hour 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
428 PM CST MON FEB 18 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0425 PM     HAIL             2 N TOLLETTE            33.84N  93.90W
02/18/2013  M1.25 INCH       HOWARD             AR   EMERGENCY MNGR

&&

EVENT NUMBER SHV1300006

12

Local storm report, Feb 18, 5:13 PM CST, 51 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
513 PM CST MON FEB 18 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0457 PM     HAIL             VIVIAN                  32.87N  93.99W
02/18/2013  M1.75 INCH       CADDO              LA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

EVENT NUMBER SHV1300007

12

Local storm report, Feb 18, 5:32 PM CST, 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
532 PM CST MON FEB 18 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0528 PM     HAIL             5 SW HENDERSON          32.11N 94.86W
02/18/2013  E0.75 INCH       RUSK               TX   TRAINED SPOTTER

            INTERSECTION OF FM 839 AND HWY 79

&&

25

Local storm report, Feb 18, 5:45 PM CST, 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
545 PM CST MON FEB 18 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0533 PM     HAIL             13 SE LONGVIEW          32.38N 94.60W
02/18/2013  E1.00 INCH       GREGG              TX   BROADCAST MEDIA

&&

25

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 18, 6:29 PM CST	Tornado Warning	SHV	Caddo, De Soto	46 min
Feb 18, 6:43 PM CST	Tornado Warning	SHV	De Soto	47 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.