Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Lake Charles, LA

April 19, 2015Avoyelles Parish, Rapides Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Apr 19, 2015, 8:43 PM CDT for Avoyelles Parish, Rapides Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 19 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
Apr 19, 2015, 8:43 PM CDT (01:43 UTC)
Expired
Apr 19, 2015, 9:02 PM CDT
In force
19 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Avoyelles Parish, LA, Rapides Parish, LA

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 90 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:47 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
Apr 19, 9:00 PM CDTHAIL 1Deville, LAMULTIPLE PUBLIC REPORTS OF QUARTER SIZED HAIL IN DEVILLE

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 19, 2:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr
Apr 19, 8:02 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 172 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 00:00Z on 2015-04-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 754 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 00:00Z on 2015-04-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 61 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
754 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-204 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1279 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
61 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
125 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

893 
WFUS54 KLCH 200143
TORLCH
LAC009-079-200215-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0003.150420T0143Z-150420T0215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
843 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES  HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN RAPIDES PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
  NORTHWESTERN AVOYELLES PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

* UNTIL 915 PM CDT
    
* AT 842 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
  NEAR DEVILLE...OR 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF EFFIE...AND MOVING EAST AT
  35 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  ALEXANDRIA...EFFIE...DEVILLE...KOLIN...LIBUSE...HOLLOWAY...ESLER
  REGIONAL AIRPORT...BROUILLETTE...LAKE OPHELIA NATIONAL WILDLIFE
  REFUGE AND CENTERPOINT.

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 IN A MOBILE
HOME OR OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

TORNADOES ARE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO SEE AND CONFIRM AT NIGHT. DO NOT
WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 3143 9216 3136 9208 3132 9208 3134 9202
      3132 9200 3128 9202 3127 9199 3126 9201
      3122 9199 3125 9195 3122 9195 3123 9192
      3127 9195 3129 9193 3129 9188 3126 9185
      3112 9188 3127 9241 3144 9238 3145 9233
TIME...MOT...LOC 0142Z 280DEG 32KT 3132 9222 

$$

13
1 follow-up statement
700 
WWUS54 KLCH 200202
SVSLCH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
902 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2015

LAC009-079-200211-
/O.CAN.KLCH.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-150420T0215Z/
RAPIDES LA-AVOYELLES LA-
902 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN RAPIDES AND NORTHWESTERN
AVOYELLES PARISHES IS CANCELLED...
    
THE TORNADO THREAT HAS DIMINISHED...THEREFORE THE TORNADO WARNING HAS
BEEN CANCELLED. HOWEVER...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS REMAIN 
LIKELY AND A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR 
NORTHEASTERN AVOYELLES PARISH.  

LAT...LON 3143 9216 3136 9208 3132 9208 3134 9202
      3132 9200 3128 9202 3127 9199 3126 9201
      3122 9199 3125 9195 3122 9195 3123 9192
      3127 9195 3129 9193 3129 9188 3126 9185
      3112 9188 3127 9241 3144 9238 3145 9233
TIME...MOT...LOC 0158Z 280DEG 32KT 3129 9202 

$$

13

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 19, 7:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHRapides53 min
Apr 19, 7:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHVernon47 min
Apr 19, 7:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHRapides, Vernon62 min
Apr 19, 8:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHVernon34 min
Apr 19, 8:11 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHRapides34 min
Apr 19, 8:39 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH36 min
Apr 19, 9:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAvoyelles30 min
Apr 19, 9:11 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH94 min
Apr 19, 9:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHRapides39 min
Apr 19, 9:36 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHRapides24 min
Apr 19, 9:59 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH61 min
Apr 19, 10:54 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLCHCalcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis81 min
Apr 19, 10:57 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH63 min
Apr 19, 11:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAcadia, Cameron, Evangeline, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette and 4 more83 min
Apr 20, 1:46 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH89 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.