Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Lake Charles, LA

April 19, 2015Rapides Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Apr 19, 2015, 9:36 PM CDT for Rapides Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 24 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 19, 2015, 9:36 PM CDT (02:36 UTC)
Expired
Apr 19, 2015, 10:00 PM CDT
In force
24 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Rapides Parish, LA

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 43 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:35 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 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, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 153 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°0°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.

248 
WFUS54 KLCH 200236
TORLCH
LAC079-200300-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0004.150420T0236Z-150420T0300Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES  HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1000 PM CDT
    
* AT 936 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
  OVER BOYCE...AND MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  ALEXANDRIA...PINEVILLE...BOYCE...ALEXANDRIA INTERNATIONAL
  AIRPORT...BALL...LIBUSE...GARDNER...TIOGA...KINGSVILLE...PARADISE
  AND TIMBER TRAILS.

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 3146 9271 3144 9270 3145 9268 3143 9270
      3142 9268 3140 9270 3140 9267 3139 9266
      3144 9239 3144 9230 3118 9235 3128 9280
      3146 9276
TIME...MOT...LOC 0236Z 278DEG 26KT 3136 9271 

$$

13
1 follow-up statement
745 
WWUS54 KLCH 200259
SVSLCH

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

LAC079-200309-
/O.EXP.KLCH.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-150420T0300Z/
RAPIDES LA-
959 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN RAPIDES PARISH WILL EXPIRE AT
1000 PM CDT...
                
THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS...AND NO LONGER APPEARS TO BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.
THEREFORE THE WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. HOWEVER GUSTY WINDS
AND HEAVY RAIN ARE STILL POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM.

LAT...LON 3146 9271 3144 9270 3145 9268 3143 9270
      3142 9268 3140 9270 3140 9267 3139 9266
      3144 9239 3144 9230 3118 9235 3128 9280
      3146 9276
TIME...MOT...LOC 0257Z 278DEG 26KT 3136 9271 

$$

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, 8:43 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHAvoyelles, Rapides19 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, 9:59 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.