Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2016

Tornado Warning 24, NWS Lake Charles, LA

May 19, 2016Vermilion Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at May 19, 2016, 7:55 PM CDT for Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 23 min. 4 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: May 19, 2016, 7:55 PM CDT (00:55 UTC)
Expired: May 19, 2016, 8:18 PM CDT
In force: 23 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.0 in

County Vermilion Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 105 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:55 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 19, 8:08 PM CDT	TSTM WND GST 59	6 Ene Forked Island, LA	CWOP STATION IN ABBEVILLE MEASURED A WIND GUST OF 59 MPH.
May 19, 8:18 PM CDT	TSTM WND GST 70	6 Ene Forked Island, LA	CWOP STATION IN ABBEVILLE MEASURED A WIND GUST OF 70 MPH.
May 19, 8:19 PM CDT	TSTM WND GST 63	2 Sse Kaplan, LA	PUBLIC REPORTS 65 MPH WIND GUST MEASURED WITH PERSONAL WEATHER STATION...ID C2220. TREES WERE SNAPPED FROM THE GUST.
May 19, 8:24 PM CDT	TSTM WND GST 70	6 Ene Forked Island, LA	CWOP STATION IN ABBEVILLE MEASURED A WIND GUST OF 70 MPH.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 235 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 2145 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 48 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

496 
WFUS54 KLCH 200055
TORLCH
LAC113-200130-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0024.160520T0055Z-160520T0130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
755 PM CDT THU MAY 19 2016

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES  HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN VERMILION PARISH IN SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA...

* UNTIL 830 PM CDT
    
* AT 754 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR FORKED ISLAND...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40
  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 DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  KAPLAN AND ESTHER AROUND 805 PM CDT. 
  MEAUX AND HENRY AROUND 815 PM CDT. 
  ABBEVILLE AND ERATH AROUND 820 PM CDT. 
  DELCAMBRE AROUND 825 PM CDT. 

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.

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

THIS CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES AND
WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT WIND DAMAGE. DO NOT WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE
TORNADO. FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A BUILDING.

&&

LAT...LON 2995 9245 3012 9209 3011 9209 3010 9208
      3008 9207 3007 9206 3003 9196 2999 9198
      2999 9199 2990 9198 2978 9237
TIME...MOT...LOC 0054Z 246DEG 34KT 2990 9234 

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

$$

13

1 follow-up statement

695 
WWUS54 KLCH 200118
SVSLCH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
818 PM CDT THU MAY 19 2016

LAC113-200127-
/O.CAN.KLCH.TO.W.0024.000000T0000Z-160520T0130Z/
VERMILION LA-
818 PM CDT THU MAY 19 2016

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN VERMILION PARISH IS
CANCELLED...
    
THE TORNADO THREAT HAS DIMINISHED...THEREFORE THE TORNADO WARNING
HAS BEEN CANCELLED. HOWEVER...DAMAGING WINDS REMAIN LIKELY AND A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM CDT FOR
SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA.

LAT...LON 2995 9245 3012 9209 3011 9209 3010 9208
      3008 9207 3007 9206 3003 9196 2999 9198
      2999 9199 2990 9198 2978 9237
TIME...MOT...LOC 0116Z 246DEG 34KT 2999 9210 

$$

13

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 19, 7:09 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Vermilion	66 min
May 19, 7:34 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		56 min
May 19, 7:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Acadia, Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Vermilion	36 min
May 19, 8:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Acadia, Iberia, Lafayette, Saint Landry, Saint Martin, St. Mary and 1 more	28 min
May 19, 8:31 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		59 min
May 19, 8:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Acadia, Iberia, Lafayette, Saint Landry, Saint Martin, St. Mary and 1 more	60 min
May 19, 10:03 PM CDT	River Flood Warning	LCH	Acadia, Jefferson Davis, Vermilion	27 hr
May 19, 10:06 PM CDT	River Flood Warning	LCH	Lafayette, Vermilion	23 hr
May 20, 4:39 AM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		66 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 2016 Every tornado warning in 2016 Tornadoes in 2016

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.