Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2018

Tornado Warning 45, NWS Lake Charles, LA

December 27, 2018Rapides Parish, Vernon Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Dec 27, 2018, 6:38 AM CST for Rapides Parish, Vernon Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 37 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
Dec 27, 2018, 6:38 AM CST (12:38 UTC)
Expired
Dec 27, 2018, 7:15 AM CST
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
1.0 in

Counties Rapides Parish, LA, Vernon Parish, LA

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 24 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:37 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
Dec 27, 3:43 AM CSTTornado WatchSPC10 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 142 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 12:00Z on 2018-12-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1148 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 12:00Z on 2018-12-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 497 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1148 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
508 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
497 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
738 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
4.5
Supercell composite
17.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

370 
WFUS54 KLCH 271238
TORLCH
LAC079-115-271315-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0045.181227T1238Z-181227T1315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
638 AM CST THU DEC 27 2018

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northwestern Rapides Parish in central Louisiana...
  Northeastern Vernon Parish in west central Louisiana...

* Until 715 AM CST.
    
* At 638 AM CST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Kurthwood, or 10 miles northeast of Anacoco,
  moving east at 40 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.

  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...
  Hutton around 655 AM CST.
  Flatwoods and Clifton around 710 AM CST.
  Lena around 715 AM CST.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Simpson.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to 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.

&&

LAT...LON 3122 9277 3127 9330 3137 9330 3137 9303
      3136 9299 3135 9298 3135 9295 3137 9295
      3137 9292 3139 9291 3139 9289 3142 9287
      3142 9285 3143 9284 3144 9281 3146 9281
      3148 9277
TIME...MOT...LOC 1238Z 269DEG 35KT 3136 9322 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.00IN

$$

MM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 26, 8:05 PM CSTGale WarningLCH10 hr
Dec 26, 8:05 PM CSTSmall Craft AdvisoryLCH33 hr
Dec 27, 7:11 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHVernon34 min
Dec 27, 7:11 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHCalcasieu34 min
Dec 27, 7:37 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHCalcasieu19 min
Dec 27, 8:30 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAllen, Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis30 min
Dec 27, 8:36 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningLCHCalcasieu12 hr
Dec 27, 8:41 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHAllen, Evangeline, Rapides34 min
Dec 27, 8:41 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHAllen, Evangeline22 min
Dec 27, 9:00 AM CSTCoastal Flood AdvisoryLCHCameron7 hr
Dec 27, 9:14 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHAvoyelles, Evangeline, Rapides31 min
Dec 27, 9:28 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHAvoyelles, Evangeline, Saint Landry32 min
Dec 27, 9:36 AM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHAcadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Calcasieu, Evangeline, Iberia and 6 more5 hr
Dec 27, 9:42 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHAcadia, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, Vermilion33 min
Dec 27, 9:55 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHAcadia, Calcasieu, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis3 hr
Dec 27, 9:57 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHAvoyelles, Rapides3 hr
Dec 27, 10:14 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHAcadia, Lafayette, Vermilion31 min
Dec 27, 10:21 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHAcadia2 hr
Dec 27, 11:03 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHSaint Landry3 hr
Dec 27, 11:22 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHLafayette, Vermilion3 hr
Dec 27, 12:07 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHVermilion113 min
Dec 27, 12:50 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLCHIberia, Saint Martin3 hr
Dec 27, 1:49 PM CSTRiver Flood WarningLCHLafayette, Vermilion69 hr
Dec 27, 2:10 PM CSTRiver Flood WarningLCHAcadia, Evangeline, Saint Landry4 days
Dec 27, 2:10 PM CSTRiver Flood WarningLCHBeauregard4 days
Dec 27, 2:10 PM CSTRiver Flood WarningLCHAllen4 days
Dec 27, 2:46 PM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHSaint Martin, St. Mary119 min
Dec 27, 3:23 PM CSTFlash Flood WatchLCHLafayette, Saint Landry, Saint Martin18 hr
Dec 27, 4:46 PM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryLCHAcadia, Iberia, Lafayette, Saint Landry, Saint Martin, St. Mary and 1 more3 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 2018Every tornado warning in 2018Tornadoes in 2018

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.