Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Watches in 2015

Flash Flood Watch 4, NWS Lake Charles, LA

March 21, 2015Rapides Parish, Vernon Parish, Louisiana; 4 counties in Texas

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this flash flood watch at Mar 21, 2015, 4:13 PM CDT for Rapides Parish, Vernon Parish, Louisiana; 4 counties in Texas. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 21, 2015, 4:13 PM CDT (21:13 UTC)
Expired
Mar 21, 2015, 9:37 PM CDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA

Counties Rapides Parish, LA, Vernon Parish, LA, Hardin County, TX, Jasper County, TX, Newton County, TX, Tyler County, TX

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 79 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:15 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 92 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 2015-03-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 173 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 2015-03-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 82 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
173 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-23 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
533 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
82 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
138 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

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

NWS Lake Charles, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood watch went out at Mar 21, 3:51 PM CDT, 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 21, 3:51 PM CDT, 22 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 21, 5:03 AM CDT, 11 hours 10 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
503 AM CDT SAT MAR 21 2015

LAZ027>033-041>045-052>055-073-074-TXZ180-201-215-216-259>262-
221015-
VERNON-RAPIDES-AVOYELLES-BEAUREGARD-ALLEN-EVANGELINE-ST. LANDRY-
CALCASIEU-JEFFERSON DAVIS-ACADIA-LAFAYETTE-UPPER ST. MARTIN-
VERMILION-IBERIA-ST. MARY-LOWER ST. MARTIN-WEST CAMERON-
EAST CAMERON-TYLER-HARDIN-JEFFERSON-ORANGE-NORTHERN JASPER-
NORTHERN NEWTON-SOUTHERN JASPER-SOUTHERN NEWTON-
503 AM CDT SAT MAR 21 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
LOUISIANA...SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...WEST
CENTRAL LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
THE COMBINATION OF A SURFACE BOUNDARY AND GULF MOISTURE TODAY WILL
SUPPORT SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. RAINS WILL BE HEAVY
AT TIMES. AS THE GROUND IS SATURATED FROM RECENT RAINS...THIS
LATEST RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO ENHANCE THE CHANCE FOR FLOODING IN
THE LAKES REGION OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND INTO CENTRAL LOUISIANA
TODAY. RAINS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
RAINS ENDING SUNDAY EVENING AS THE WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY PUSHES
OFF TO THE EAST AND DRIER AIR BECOMES ESTABLISHED BY EARLY MONDAY
MORNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

GMZ430-432-435-450-452-455-470-472-475-221015-
SABINE LAKE-CALCASIEU LAKE-VERMILION BAY-
COASTAL WATERS FROM CAMERON LA TO HIGH ISLAND TX OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM INTRACOASTAL CITY TO CAMERON LA OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM LOWER ATCHAFALAYA RIVER TO INTRACOASTAL CITY
LA OUT 20 NM-
WATERS FROM CAMERON LA TO HIGH ISLAND TX FROM 20 TO 60 NM-
WATERS FROM  INTRACOASTAL CITY TO CAMERON LA FROM 20 TO 60 NM-
WATERS FROM LOWER ATCHAFALAYA RIVER TO INTRACOASTAL CITY LA FROM
20 TO 60 NM-
503 AM CDT SAT MAR 21 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWEST
GULF OF MEXICO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
PATCHY FOG OVER THE GULF IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE LATE
MORNING HOURS. CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TODAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
NEXT FRONT LOOKS TO MOVE THROUGH BY FRIDAY MORNING WITH WINDS AND
SEAS INCREASING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 21, 10:58 AM CDT, 5 hours 15 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1058 AM CDT SAT MAR 21 2015

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

1035 AM     FLASH FLOOD      PORT NECHES             29.97N 93.94W
03/21/2015                   JEFFERSON          TX   PUBLIC

            PUBLIC REPORTED WATER ACROSS HIGHWAY 365 AND JIMMY
            JOHNSON BOULEVARD.

&&

TWH
Local storm report, Mar 21, 11:56 AM CDT, 4 hours 17 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1156 AM CDT SAT MAR 21 2015

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

1140 AM     FLASH FLOOD      VINTON                  30.20N 93.58W
03/21/2015                   CALCASIEU          LA   PUBLIC

            WATER REPORTED OVER SEVERAL ROADS IN VINTON
            INCLUDING...SITTER ST...EDDY ST...LYONS ST...AND AN
            ESIMATED 6 INCHES OF WATER OVER GOODWIN ST

&&

TWH
Local storm report, Mar 21, 1:38 PM CDT, 2 hours 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
138 PM CDT SAT MAR 21 2015

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

0137 PM     FLASH FLOOD      BRIDGE CITY             30.03N 93.85W
03/21/2015                   ORANGE             TX   PUBLIC

            SEVERAL ROADS FLOODED.

&&
Local storm report, Mar 21, 1:39 PM CDT, 2 hours 34 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
139 PM CDT SAT MAR 21 2015

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

0138 PM     FLASH FLOOD      PORT NECHES             29.97N 93.94W
03/21/2015                   JEFFERSON          TX   PUBLIC

            NUMEROUS REPORTS OF STALLED VEHICLES DUE TO FLOODING.
            NALL STREET HAS BEEN CLOSED.

&&

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 20, 10:25 PM CDTFlash Flood WatchLCHRapides, Vernon18 hr
Mar 20, 11:37 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHRapides, Vernon3 hr
Mar 21, 11:06 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHCalcasieu, Cameron114 min
Mar 21, 12:32 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHCalcasieu88 min
Mar 21, 2:02 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHCalcasieu3 hr
Mar 21, 2:58 PM CDTRiver Flood WatchLCHSaint Martin18 days
Mar 20, 9:39 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHJasper, Newton, Tyler3 hr
Mar 21, 10:13 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHJefferson2 hr
Mar 21, 10:56 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHJefferson109 min
Mar 21, 12:48 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHJefferson3 hr
Mar 21, 3:48 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHJefferson117 min
Mar 21, 4:05 PM CDTRiver Flood WatchLCH10 days

Nearby

Flash Flood Watches in Texas, 2015Flash Flood Watches in Louisiana, 2015Every flash flood watch in 2015

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.