Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Watches in 2017

Tornado Watch 180

April 30, 2017Ashley County, Chicot County, Arkansas; 27 parishes in Louisiana; 9 counties in Mississippi

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 30, 2017, 1:49 AM CDT for Ashley County, Chicot County, Arkansas; 27 parishes in Louisiana; 9 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 7 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 30, 2017, 1:49 AM CDT (06:49 UTC)
Expired
Apr 30, 2017, 9:00 AM CDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
1.5 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt
All 38 counties

Ashley County, AR, Chicot County, AR, Acadia Parish, LA, Allen Parish, LA, Avoyelles Parish, LA, Beauregard Parish, LA, Calcasieu Parish, LA, Cameron Parish, LA, Catahoula Parish, LA, Concordia Parish, LA, East Carroll Parish, LA, Evangeline Parish, LA, Franklin Parish, LA, Iberia Parish, LA, Jefferson Davis Parish, LA, Lafayette Parish, LA, Madison Parish, LA, Morehouse Parish, LA, Pointe Coupee Parish, LA, Rapides Parish, LA, Richland Parish, LA, Saint Landry Parish, LA, Saint Martin Parish, LA, St. Mary Parish, LA, Tensas Parish, LA, Vermilion Parish, LA, Vernon Parish, LA, West Carroll Parish, LA, West Feliciana Parish, LA, Adams County, MS, Claiborne County, MS, Franklin County, MS, Issaquena County, MS, Jefferson County, MS, Sharkey County, MS, Warren County, MS, Washington County, MS, Wilkinson County, MS

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 70 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:52 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 SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes
40%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
20%
Ten or more severe wind reports
40%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
10%
Ten or more severe hail reports
20%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
10%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
70%

Warnings issued inside it

31 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 30, 2:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAcadia, Evangeline, Saint Landry41 min
Apr 30, 2:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAcadia, Jefferson Davis21 min
Apr 30, 3:13 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAcadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Calcasieu, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis and 1 more5 hr
Apr 30, 3:42 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAcadia, Avoyelles, Evangeline, Saint Landry63 min
Apr 30, 4:34 AM CDTTornado WarningJANMorehouse, Richland, West Carroll56 min
Apr 30, 4:40 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCatahoula, Concordia50 min
Apr 30, 5:06 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXIberville, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana39 min
Apr 30, 5:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCatahoula, Concordia61 min
Apr 30, 5:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXPointe Coupee, West Feliciana45 min
Apr 30, 5:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANTensas58 min
Apr 30, 6:10 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningJANConcordia4 hr
Apr 30, 6:10 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAvoyelles, Rapides4 hr
Apr 30, 6:14 AM CDTTornado WarningJANConcordia34 min
Apr 30, 6:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANMadison, Tensas56 min
Apr 30, 6:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAcadia, Avoyelles, Cameron, Evangeline, Lafayette, Saint Landry and 1 more55 min
Apr 30, 6:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXEast Feliciana, Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana38 min
Apr 30, 6:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANClaiborne, Jefferson49 min
Apr 30, 6:43 AM CDTTornado WarningJANMadison, Tensas62 min
Apr 30, 6:50 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANAdams, Franklin, Jefferson55 min
Apr 30, 7:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHIberia, Lafayette, Saint Landry, Saint Martin, St. Mary, Vermilion71 min
Apr 30, 7:20 AM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedJANIssaquena, Sharkey, Warren, Yazoo55 min
Apr 30, 7:21 AM CDTTornado WarningJANClaiborne, Copiah, Jefferson39 min
Apr 30, 7:28 AM CDTTornado WarningJANClaiborne, Hinds, Warren62 min
Apr 30, 7:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXEast Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana30 min
Apr 30, 7:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCopiah, Franklin, Lincoln40 min
Apr 30, 7:56 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAmite, Wilkinson34 min
Apr 30, 8:12 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningJANFranklin, Lincoln3 hr
Apr 30, 8:13 AM CDTTornado WarningJANHinds, Madison, Warren, Yazoo62 min
Apr 30, 8:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHIberia, Saint Martin, St. Mary41 min
Apr 30, 8:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHSaint Martin, St. Mary47 min
Apr 30, 9:00 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningJANHumphreys, Issaquena, Sharkey, Warren, Yazoo3 hr

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 140 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 2017-04-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3254 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 2017-04-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 198 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
3254 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-63 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
602 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
198 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
251 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.4
Supercell composite
26.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

646 
WWUS20 KWNS 300646
SEL0  
SPC WW 300646
ARZ000-LAZ000-MSZ000-CWZ000-301400-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 180
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
150 AM CDT Sun Apr 30 2017

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  Southeast Arkansas
  Southern and eastern Louisiana
  Western Mississippi
  Coastal Waters

* Effective this Sunday morning from 150 AM until 900 AM CDT.

* Primary threats include...
  A couple tornadoes possible
  Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible
  Isolated large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter possible

SUMMARY...Multiple corridors of intensifying thunderstorms are
expected overnight ahead of a cold front. A very moist environment
and strong deep-layer/low-level winds will support the possibility
of a couple of tornadoes aside from a more prevalent damaging wind
risk and some hail.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles
east and west of a line from 35 miles west southwest of Intracoastal
City LA to 75 miles northeast of Monroe LA. For a complete depiction
of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS
WOU0).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
and possible warnings.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 178...WW 179...

AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 1.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 600. Mean
storm motion vector 24035.

...Guyer

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 29, 9:38 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClark, Columbia, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Lafayette and 5 more67 min
Apr 29, 10:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCArkansas, Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleburne, Cleveland and 36 more8 hr
Apr 29, 11:37 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway and 23 more53 min
Apr 30, 12:54 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Clay and 26 more96 min
Apr 30, 1:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCClay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Lee and 4 more6 hr
Apr 30, 2:58 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCrittenden, Cross, Lee, Mississippi, Phillips, Poinsett and 1 more92 min
Apr 30, 3:36 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArkansas, Bradley, Calhoun, Cleveland, Desha, Drew and 10 more84 min
Apr 30, 5:41 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArkansas, Bradley, Clay, Cleveland, Craighead, Crittenden and 19 more64 min
Apr 30, 6:12 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAshley, Chicot93 min
Apr 30, 1:14 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAcadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Caldwell and 20 more91 min
Apr 30, 6:59 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAscension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Jefferson, Lafourche and 12 more2 hr
Apr 30, 7:32 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAscension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Jefferson and 14 more7 hr
Apr 30, 10:06 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCChickasaw, Itawamba, Lee, Monroe, Pontotoc, Prentiss and 2 more84 min
Apr 30, 10:36 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAlcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Itawamba, Lafayette and 9 more8 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 2017Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 2017Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 2017Every tornado watch in 2017

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.