Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2018

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Lake Charles, LA

February 21, 2018Vernon Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Feb 21, 2018, 8:59 AM CST for Vernon Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 31 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: Feb 21, 2018, 8:59 AM CST (14:59 UTC)
Expired: Feb 21, 2018, 9:30 AM CST
In force: 31 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.0 in

County Vernon Parish, LA

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 23 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:59 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 nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 120 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: 1458 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 474 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 203 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 188 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.3
Supercell composite: 10.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

466 
WFUS54 KLCH 211459
TORLCH
LAC115-211530-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0005.180221T1459Z-180221T1530Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
859 AM CST WED FEB 21 2018

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Central Vernon Parish in west central Louisiana...

* Until 930 AM CST
    
* At 859 AM CST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located over New Llano, or near Leesville, moving northeast at
  25 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...
  Leesville around 910 AM CST. 
  Slagle around 930 AM CST. 

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Pickering.

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 3120 9301 3096 9331 3108 9347 3137 9325
      3137 9324
TIME...MOT...LOC 1459Z 219DEG 21KT 3110 9332 

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

$$

13

2 follow-up statements

123 
WWUS54 KLCH 211522
SVSLCH

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
922 AM CST WED FEB 21 2018

LAC115-211530-
/O.CON.KLCH.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-180221T1530Z/
Vernon LA-
922 AM CST WED FEB 21 2018

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 930 AM CST FOR CENTRAL
VERNON PARISH...
    
At 920 AM CST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located near Leesville, moving northeast at 25 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...
  Slagle around 930 AM CST. 

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Pickering.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3120 9301 3096 9331 3108 9347 3137 9325
      3137 9324
TIME...MOT...LOC 1520Z 219DEG 21KT 3120 9323 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

13

071 
WWUS54 KLCH 211528
SVSLCH

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
928 AM CST WED FEB 21 2018

LAC115-211538-
/O.EXP.KLCH.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-180221T1530Z/
Vernon LA-
928 AM CST WED FEB 21 2018

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL VERNON PARISH WILL EXPIRE AT 930
AM CST...
                
The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and no longer appears capable of producing a tornado.
Therefore the warning will be allowed to expire.  However gusty winds
and heavy rain are still possible with this thunderstorm.

LAT...LON 3120 9301 3096 9331 3108 9347 3137 9325
      3137 9324
TIME...MOT...LOC 1528Z 219DEG 21KT 3124 9320 

$$

13

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 21, 8:32 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Vernon	28 min
Feb 21, 9:34 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Vernon	26 min
Feb 21, 9:39 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Rapides	36 min
Feb 21, 9:46 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	LCH	Beauregard, Vernon	5 hr
Feb 21, 10:11 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Rapides, Vernon	15 min
Feb 21, 10:23 AM CST	River Flood Warning	LCH	Beauregard	8 days
Feb 21, 10:23 AM CST	River Flood Warning	LCH	Rapides	14 days
Feb 21, 10:23 AM CST	River Flood Warning	LCH	Calcasieu	65 hr
Feb 21, 10:29 AM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Vernon	46 min
Feb 21, 10:37 AM CST	Wind Advisory	LCH	Cameron, Lafayette, Saint Martin	7 hr
Feb 21, 10:52 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	LCH	Vernon	4 hr
Feb 21, 11:05 AM CST	River Flood Warning	LCH	Vernon	8 days
Feb 21, 11:19 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	LCH	Rapides	3 hr
Feb 21, 11:28 AM CST	Flash Flood Watch	LCH	Allen, Beauregard, Rapides, Vernon	31 hr
Feb 21, 2:19 PM CST	River Flood Warning	LCH	Beauregard, Calcasieu	69 days
Feb 21, 2:46 PM CST	Flash Flood Warning	LCH	Rapides, Vernon	5 hr

Nearby

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