Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Watches in 2017

Tornado Watch 83

March 24, 20177 parishes in Louisiana; 5 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Mar 24, 2017, 10:28 PM CDT for 7 parishes in Louisiana; 5 counties in Texas. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 24, 2017, 10:28 PM CDT (03:28 UTC)
Expired
Mar 25, 2017, 4:00 AM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
1 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt

Counties Allen Parish, LA, Beauregard Parish, LA, Calcasieu Parish, LA, Evangeline Parish, LA, Jefferson Davis Parish, LA, Rapides Parish, LA, Vernon Parish, LA, Hardin County, TX, Jasper County, TX, Newton County, TX, Orange County, TX, Tyler County, TX

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 51 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:32 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
30%
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
60%

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 24, 10:41 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHJasper, Tyler19 min
Mar 24, 10:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJasper, Tyler33 min
Mar 24, 11:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJasper, Newton, Tyler54 min
Mar 24, 11:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHHardin, Jasper, Tyler65 min
Mar 25, 12:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard, Vernon36 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, 3.5 hours before the alert went out and 89 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 2017-03-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 762 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 2017-03-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 156 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
762 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
666 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
156 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
230 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
3.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

764 
WWUS20 KWNS 250326
SEL3  
SPC WW 250326
LAZ000-TXZ000-250900-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 83
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1030 PM CDT Fri Mar 24 2017

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  Southwest Louisiana
  Southeast Texas

* Effective this Friday night and Saturday morning from 1030 PM
  until 400 AM CDT.

* Primary threats include...
  A couple tornadoes possible
  Isolated damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible
  Isolated large hail events to 1 inch in diameter possible

SUMMARY...A band of severe thunderstorms will spread eastward from
southeast Texas into southwest Louisiana through the overnight
hours.  The strongest storms within the band could have supercell
structures, with an attendant risk for a couple of tornadoes. 
Otherwise, damaging winds and isolated large hail will be possible.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 50 statute miles
east and west of a line from 25 miles north northeast of Fort Polk
LA to 65 miles south southwest of Fort Polk 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...CONTINUE...WW 80...WW 81...WW 82...

AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 1 inch. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 450. Mean
storm motion vector 26035.

...Thompson

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 24, 8:39 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, De Soto, Red River and 1 more66 min
Mar 24, 9:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, Jackson, Lincoln and 3 more6 hr
Mar 24, 9:23 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCCaldwell, De Soto, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Red River and 2 more6 hr
Mar 24, 9:58 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis, Rapides and 2 more62 min
Mar 24, 11:41 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAvoyelles, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin and 7 more64 min
Mar 25, 12:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCCatahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, Madison, Morehouse and 3 more5 hr
Mar 25, 2:08 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAcadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline and 6 more67 min
Mar 25, 3:06 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCatahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, Madison, Richland and 1 more54 min
Mar 25, 5:25 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Vernon2 hr
Mar 25, 12:08 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCJefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, Saint Bernard, Saint Charles and 1 more3 hr
Mar 24, 7:07 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAngelina, Austin, Brazos, Burleson, Cherokee, Colorado and 20 more5 hr

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.