Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Watches in 2017

Tornado Watch 473

August 28, 20176 parishes in Louisiana; 5 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Aug 28, 2017, 1:51 AM CDT for 6 parishes in Louisiana; 5 counties in Texas. It was in force for 10 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 28, 2017, 1:51 AM CDT (06:51 UTC)
Expired
Aug 28, 2017, 12:17 PM CDT
In force
10 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Strongest gust expected
60 kt

Counties Acadia Parish, LA, Calcasieu Parish, LA, Cameron Parish, LA, Iberia Parish, LA, Jefferson Davis Parish, LA, Vermilion Parish, LA, Chambers County, TX, Hardin County, TX, Jefferson County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Orange County, TX

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 51 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:49 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
50%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
20%
Ten or more severe wind reports
5%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
5%
Ten or more severe hail reports
5%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
5%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
30%

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 28, 2:10 AM CDTTornado WarningHGXChambers, Galveston20 min
Aug 28, 3:42 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHJefferson38 min
Aug 28, 5:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCameron35 min
Aug 28, 5:42 AM CDTFlash Flood Warning EmergencyLCHHardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Orange12 hr
Aug 28, 6:53 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHAcadia37 min
Aug 28, 7:34 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAcadia5 hr
Aug 28, 7:43 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHAllen, Jefferson Davis47 min
Aug 28, 7:52 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHCameron, Vermilion38 min
Aug 28, 7:54 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHBeauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis11 hr
Aug 28, 8:14 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAllen, Beauregard, Jefferson Davis, Vernon11 hr
Aug 28, 8:27 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHCameron, Vermilion33 min
Aug 28, 8:28 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHCameron, Vermilion32 min
Aug 28, 8:40 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHIberia, St. Mary35 min
Aug 28, 9:00 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHCalcasieu17 min
Aug 28, 9:37 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAcadia, Iberia, Lafayette, Saint Landry, Saint Martin, St. Mary and 1 more13 hr
Aug 28, 9:50 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningHGXBrazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris115 min
Aug 28, 11:35 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningHGXChambers, Galveston, Liberty115 min
Aug 28, 12:05 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHIberia, Saint Martin, St. Mary25 min

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, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 52 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 2017-08-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 311 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 2017-08-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 148 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
311 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-31 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
714 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
148 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
253 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

125 
WWUS20 KWNS 280648
SEL3  
SPC WW 280648
LAZ000-TXZ000-CWZ000-281800-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 473
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
145 AM CDT Mon Aug 28 2017

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  South-central and southwestern Louisiana
  Southeast Texas
  Coastal Waters

* Effective this Monday morning and afternoon from 145 AM until
  100 PM CDT.

* Primary threats include...
  A few tornadoes possible

SUMMARY...The lingering threat for supercells and a few tornadoes
with Harvey is slowly shifting eastward as its path curves back
toward the middle Texas coast, and is forecast by NHC to shift
further eastward through today.  Relatively stable air away from the
coast will continue to limit the inland extent of the risk through
midday.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 85 statute miles
east and west of a line from 35 miles north northeast of Port Arthur
TX to 45 miles south southeast of Lake Charles LA. For a complete
depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update
(WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).

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...This tornado watch replaces tornado
watch number 471. Watch number 471 will not be in effect after
145 AM CDT. 

AVIATION...TORNADOES and A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH EXTREME
TURBULENCE and SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI
WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 16030.


...Edwards

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 27, 9:50 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAcadia, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, Vermilion115 min
Aug 28, 11:37 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAcadia, Ascension, Assumption, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia and 13 more83 min
Aug 28, 12:16 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAcadia, Ascension, Assumption, Calcasieu, Cameron, East Baton Rouge and 20 more12 hr
Aug 28, 3:58 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAcadia, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette and 3 more92 min
Aug 28, 6:49 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAcadia, Ascension, Assumption, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia and 16 more116 min
Aug 27, 7:45 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCarson, Dallam, Hansford, Hartley, Hutchinson, Moore and 3 more2 hr
Aug 28, 3:00 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCJefferson60 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 2017Tornado Watches in Texas, 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.