Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Watches in 2014

Tornado Watch 538

October 13, 201422 parishes in Louisiana; 13 counties in Mississippi

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Oct 13, 2014, 1:39 PM CDT for 22 parishes in Louisiana; 13 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 8 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Oct 13, 2014, 1:39 PM CDT (18:39 UTC)
Expired
Oct 13, 2014, 9:49 PM CDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
1 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt
All 35 counties

Ascension Parish, LA, Assumption Parish, LA, East Baton Rouge Parish, LA, East Feliciana Parish, LA, Iberville Parish, LA, Jefferson Parish, LA, Lafourche Parish, LA, Livingston Parish, LA, Orleans Parish, LA, Plaquemines Parish, LA, Pointe Coupee Parish, LA, Saint Bernard Parish, LA, Saint Charles Parish, LA, Saint Helena Parish, LA, Saint James Parish, LA, Saint John the Baptist Parish, LA, Saint Tammany Parish, LA, Tangipahoa Parish, LA, Terrebonne Parish, LA, Washington Parish, LA, West Baton Rouge Parish, LA, West Feliciana Parish, LA, Amite County, MS, George County, MS, Greene County, MS, Hancock County, MS, Harrison County, MS, Jackson County, MS, Pearl River County, MS, Perry County, MS, Pike County, MS, Stone County, MS, Walthall County, MS, Wayne County, MS, Wilkinson County, MS

What SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes
40%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
10%
Ten or more severe wind reports
50%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
5%
Ten or more severe hail reports
20%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
5%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
70%

Warnings issued inside it

37 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 13, 2:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXPointe Coupee, West Feliciana48 min
Oct 13, 2:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWayne24 min
Oct 13, 3:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXEast Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana78 min
Oct 13, 4:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBPerry35 min
Oct 13, 4:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXLivingston, Saint Helena61 min
Oct 13, 4:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAscension, Livingston59 min
Oct 13, 4:41 PM CDTTornado WarningLIXHarrison19 min
Oct 13, 4:45 PM CDTTornado WarningLIXTangipahoa, Washington45 min
Oct 13, 4:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAmite, Pike34 min
Oct 13, 4:59 PM CDTTornado WarningLIXJackson16 min
Oct 13, 5:05 PM CDTTornado WarningLIXSaint Charles10 min
Oct 13, 5:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXTangipahoa54 min
Oct 13, 5:08 PM CDTTornado WarningLIXHarrison, Jackson22 min
Oct 13, 5:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAscension, Assumption, Lafourche, Livingston, Saint Charles, Saint James and 1 more46 min
Oct 13, 5:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXTangipahoa, Washington23 min
Oct 13, 5:21 PM CDTTornado WarningLIXJackson24 min
Oct 13, 5:21 PM CDTTornado WarningLIXJackson24 min
Oct 13, 5:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXSaint Tammany, Washington50 min
Oct 13, 5:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXSaint Tammany50 min
Oct 13, 5:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXJefferson, Lafourche, Saint Charles64 min
Oct 13, 5:28 PM CDTTornado WarningLIXWalthall17 min
Oct 13, 5:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXSaint Tammany57 min
Oct 13, 5:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXWalthall36 min
Oct 13, 5:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBGeorge, Greene17 min
Oct 13, 5:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXWashington25 min
Oct 13, 6:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXSaint Tammany, Washington41 min
Oct 13, 6:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXOrleans, Saint Tammany38 min
Oct 13, 6:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXSaint Tammany43 min
Oct 13, 6:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXJefferson, Orleans, Saint Bernard46 min
Oct 13, 6:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXHancock40 min
Oct 13, 7:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXLafourche, Terrebonne60 min
Oct 13, 7:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBGreene, Perry, Wayne61 min
Oct 13, 7:18 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBGreene27 min
Oct 13, 7:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBGeorge, Greene, Perry, Stone48 min
Oct 13, 7:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXHarrison, Jackson66 min
Oct 13, 8:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBGreene, Wayne32 min
Oct 13, 8:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXJackson68 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 72 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2014-10-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2055 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2014-10-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 156 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
2055 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
562 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
156 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
204 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.3
Supercell composite
7.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

112 
WWUS20 KWNS 131847
SEL8  
SPC WW 131847
LAZ000-MSZ000-CWZ000-140300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 538
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
140 PM CDT MON OCT 13 2014

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 
  SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
  SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
  COASTAL WATERS

* EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 140 PM UNTIL
  1000 PM CDT.

* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE...
  A COUPLE TORNADOES POSSIBLE
  SCATTERED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH POSSIBLE
  ISOLATED LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER POSSIBLE

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 95 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF MC
COMB MISSISSIPPI TO 40 MILES SOUTH OF HOUMA LOUISIANA.  FOR A
COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU8).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 534...WW 535...WW
536...WW 537...

DISCUSSION...SRN END OF EXTENSIVE SSW-NNE LWR MS VLY SQLN SHOULD
CONTINUE ESE AT 15-20 KTS ACROSS WW AREA THROUGH THIS EVE. WHILE LOW
TO MID-LVL FLOW WILL BE SOMEWHAT VEERED RELATIVE TO POINTS FARTHER
N...COMBINATION OF RICH...LOW-LVL MOISTURE...STRENGTHENING DEEP
SHEAR/ASCENT ON SRN END OF SRN PLNS UPR TROUGH...AND WEAKLY-CAPPED
ENVIRONMENT PER 18Z RAOB DATA SUGGEST POTENTIAL FOR SEMI-DISCRETE
STORMS CAPABLE OF DMGG WIND BOTH WITHIN AND POSSIBLY AHEAD OF
SQLN...AND A CONDITIONAL RISK FOR TORNADOES.

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 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24030.


...CORFIDI

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 13, 12:13 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington and 10 more2 hr
Oct 13, 2:22 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBibb, Blount, Chilton, Colbert, Cullman, Fayette and 18 more113 min
Oct 13, 3:37 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAutauga, Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chilton and 33 more8 hr
Oct 13, 4:46 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaldwin, Butler, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington and 10 more89 min
Oct 13, 5:27 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCColbert, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Marion63 min
Oct 12, 8:04 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCEast Carroll, Morehouse, West Carroll86 min
Oct 13, 2:43 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBossier, Caddo, De Soto, Webster92 min
Oct 13, 3:22 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCBossier, Caddo, De Soto, Webster8 hr
Oct 13, 6:34 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne and 21 more86 min
Oct 13, 7:08 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCBienville, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, East Carroll and 16 more7 hr
Oct 13, 10:20 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBienville, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin and 14 more115 min
Oct 13, 11:10 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAcadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and 10 more8 hr
Oct 13, 11:52 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCEast Carroll, Franklin, Madison, Richland, Tensas, West Carroll113 min
Oct 13, 12:57 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCCatahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, Madison, Tensas7 hr
Oct 13, 5:45 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCJefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Saint Charles, Saint James, Saint John the Baptist and 4 more90 min
Oct 12, 11:46 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCalhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Clay, Grenada, Itawamba and 10 more89 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 2014Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 2014Every tornado watch in 2014

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.