Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2018

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Lake Charles, LA

February 21, 2018Rapides Parish, Vernon Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Feb 21, 2018, 10:11 AM CST for Rapides Parish, Vernon Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 15 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, 10:11 AM CST (16:11 UTC)
Expired: Feb 21, 2018, 10:26 AM CST
In force: 15 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

Counties Rapides Parish, LA, Vernon Parish, LA

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 34 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:14 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Feb 21, 9:48 AM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 4.2 hours before the alert went out and 149 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.

972 
WFUS54 KLCH 211611
TORLCH
LAC079-115-211645-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0006.180221T1611Z-180221T1645Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
1011 AM CST WED FEB 21 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 1045 AM CST
    
* At 1011 AM CST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a
  tornado was located near Clifton, or 9 miles northwest of Hineston,
  moving north 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...
  Clifton around 1015 AM CST. 
  Flatwoods around 1030 AM CST. 
  Boyce around 1035 AM CST. 
  Lena around 1045 AM CST. 

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 3149 9270 3150 9268 3145 9271 3145 9268
      3143 9269 3141 9268 3140 9269 3140 9267
      3139 9266 3118 9273 3120 9293 3137 9293
      3137 9291 3139 9291 3139 9289 3142 9287
      3142 9285 3143 9284 3144 9281 3152 9272
TIME...MOT...LOC 1611Z 188DEG 23KT 3127 9282 

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

$$

13

1 follow-up statement

724 
WWUS54 KLCH 211626
SVSLCH

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
1026 AM CST WED FEB 21 2018

LAC079-115-211636-
/O.CAN.KLCH.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-180221T1645Z/
Rapides LA-Vernon LA-
1026 AM CST WED FEB 21 2018

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN RAPIDES AND NORTHEASTERN
VERNON PARISHES IS CANCELLED...
                
The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and no longer appears capable of producing a tornado.
Therefore the warning has been cancelled.  However gusty winds and
heavy rain are still possible with this thunderstorm.

A tornado watch remains in effect until 500 PM CST for central and
west central Louisiana.

LAT...LON 3149 9270 3150 9268 3145 9271 3145 9268
      3143 9269 3141 9268 3140 9269 3140 9267
      3139 9266 3118 9273 3120 9293 3137 9293
      3137 9291 3139 9291 3139 9289 3142 9287
      3142 9285 3143 9284 3144 9281 3152 9272
TIME...MOT...LOC 1624Z 188DEG 23KT 3137 9280 

$$

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, 8:59 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Vernon	31 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, 10:23 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.