Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 27, NWS Lake Charles, LA

December 21, 2015Rapides Parish, Vernon Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Dec 21, 2015, 4:56 PM CST for Rapides Parish, Vernon Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 34 min. 3 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
Dec 21, 2015, 4:56 PM CST (22:56 UTC)
Expired
Dec 21, 2015, 5:30 PM CST
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
0.0 in

Counties Rapides Parish, LA, Vernon Parish, LA

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 23 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:56 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Dec 21, 5:23 PM CSTTORNADO 13 N Union Hill, LA*** 1 INJ *** NWS STORM SURVEY CONFIRMS AN EF1 TORNADO NEAR CALCASIEU. ONE MAN WAS INJURED WHEN THE TORNADO FLIPPED THE TRAVEL TRAILER WHILE HE WAS INSIDE.
Dec 21, 5:28 PM CSTTSTM WND DMGCalcasieu, LA*** 1 INJ *** ONE INDIVIDUAL WAS INJURED IN A CAMPING TRAILER NEAR CALCASIEU
Dec 21, 5:28 PM CSTTSTM WND DMGCalcasieu, LAREPORTS OF TREES DOWN NEAR CALCASIEU...POSSIBLY FROM A TORNADO...CLECO POWER REPORTING OUTAGES IN THE AREA.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 101 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 2015-12-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 171 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 2015-12-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 228 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
171 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-50 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
601 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
228 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
261 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

284 
WFUS54 KLCH 212256
TORLCH
LAC079-115-212330-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0027.151221T2256Z-151221T2330Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
456 PM CST MON DEC 21 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES  HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN VERNON PARISH IN WEST CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
  SOUTHWESTERN RAPIDES PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

* UNTIL 530 PM CST
    
* AT 455 PM CST...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED OVER PITKIN...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO. 

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

  IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT 
           SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. 
           DAMAGE TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR.  TREE 
           DAMAGE IS LIKELY. 

* THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF
  SOUTHEASTERN VERNON AND SOUTHWESTERN RAPIDES PARISHES...INCLUDING
  THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...CALCASIEU AND UNION HILL.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...IN A
MOBILE HOME...OR IN A VEHICLE...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL
SHELTER AND PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3089 9298 3101 9303 3113 9268 3096 9262
TIME...MOT...LOC 2255Z 254DEG 22KT 3095 9292 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...0.00IN

$$

RUA
1 follow-up statement
330 
WWUS54 KLCH 212315
SVSLCH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
515 PM CST MON DEC 21 2015

LAC115-212324-
/O.CAN.KLCH.TO.W.0027.000000T0000Z-151221T2330Z/
VERNON LA-
515 PM CST MON DEC 21 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN VERNON PARISH IS CANCELLED...
    
THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT
OF THE WARNED AREA. THEREFORE THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

LAT...LON 3092 9281 3108 9282 3108 9281 3113 9268
      3096 9262
TIME...MOT...LOC 2314Z 243DEG 23KT 3101 9279 

$$

LAC079-212330-
/O.CON.KLCH.TO.W.0027.000000T0000Z-151221T2330Z/
RAPIDES LA-
515 PM CST MON DEC 21 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 530 PM CST FOR
SOUTHWESTERN RAPIDES PARISH...
    
AT 514 PM CST...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
WAS LOCATED 9 MILES SOUTH OF HINESTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

HAZARD...TORNADO. 

SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT 
         SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. DAMAGE 
         TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR.  TREE DAMAGE IS 
         LIKELY. 

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
CALCASIEU AND UNION HILL. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...IN A
MOBILE HOME...OR IN A VEHICLE...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL
SHELTER AND PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3092 9281 3108 9282 3108 9281 3113 9268
      3096 9262
TIME...MOT...LOC 2314Z 243DEG 23KT 3101 9279 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

RUA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 21, 5:29 PM CSTTornado WarningLCHRapides31 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 2015Every tornado warning in 2015Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.