Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2020

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Lake Charles, LA

January 11, 2020Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Jan 11, 2020, 3:12 AM CST for Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 33 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: Jan 11, 2020, 3:12 AM CST (09:12 UTC)
Expired: Jan 11, 2020, 3:45 AM CST
In force: 33 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.0 in

County Calcasieu Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 20 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:16 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
Jan 11, 12:28 AM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 22 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: 2102 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 501 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 197 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 232 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 2.2
Supercell composite: 9.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

038 
WFUS54 KLCH 110912
TORLCH
LAC019-110945-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0002.200111T0912Z-200111T0945Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
312 AM CST Sat Jan 11 2020

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Central Calcasieu Parish in southwestern Louisiana...

* Until 345 AM CST.

* At 311 AM CST, severe thunderstorms capable of producing both
  tornadoes and extensive straight line wind damage were located near
  Vinton, moving northeast at 40 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.

* These dangerous storms will be near...
  Edgerly around 315 AM CST.
  Carlyss around 325 AM CST.
  Lake Charles and Sulphur around 330 AM CST.
  Westlake around 335 AM CST.
  Moss Bluff around 345 AM CST.

This includes the following highways...
 Interstate 10 in Louisiana between mile markers 8 and 34.
 Interstate 210 between mile markers 1 and 3, and near mile marker
12.

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.

This cluster of thunderstorms is capable of producing tornadoes and
widespread significant wind damage. Do not wait to see or hear the
tornado. For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest
floor of a building.

&&

LAT...LON 3009 9353 3018 9360 3039 9323 3024 9316
TIME...MOT...LOC 0911Z 245DEG 35KT 3015 9351 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...0.00IN

$$

Rua

2 follow-up statements

559 
WWUS54 KLCH 110922
SVSLCH

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
322 AM CST Sat Jan 11 2020

LAC019-110945-
/O.CON.KLCH.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-200111T0945Z/
Calcasieu LA-
322 AM CST Sat Jan 11 2020

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 345 AM CST FOR CENTRAL
CALCASIEU PARISH...

At 321 AM CST, a severe squall line capable of producing both
tornadoes and extensive straight line wind damage was located over
Carlyss, or near Sulphur, moving northeast at 40 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.

These dangerous storms will be near...
  Lake Charles and Sulphur around 325 AM CST.
  Westlake around 335 AM CST.
  Moss Bluff around 340 AM CST.

This includes the following highways...
 Interstate 10 in Louisiana between mile markers 16 and 34.
 Interstate 210 between mile markers 1 and 3, and near mile marker
12.

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.

This cluster of thunderstorms is capable of producing tornadoes and
widespread significant wind damage. Do not wait to see or hear the
tornado. For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest
floor of a building.

&&

LAT...LON 3014 9341 3023 9347 3039 9323 3024 9316
TIME...MOT...LOC 0921Z 245DEG 35KT 3019 9340 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...0.00IN

$$

Rua

514 
WWUS54 KLCH 110936
SVSLCH

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
336 AM CST Sat Jan 11 2020

LAC019-110945-
/O.CON.KLCH.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-200111T0945Z/
Calcasieu LA-
336 AM CST Sat Jan 11 2020

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 345 AM CST FOR CENTRAL
CALCASIEU PARISH...

At 335 AM CST, a severe squall line capable of producing both
tornadoes and extensive straight line wind damage was located over
Westlake, moving northeast at 35 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.

These dangerous storms will be near...
  Moss Bluff around 345 AM CST.

This includes the following highways...
 Interstate 10 in Louisiana between mile markers 26 and 34.
 Interstate 210 near mile marker 12.

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.

This cluster of thunderstorms is capable of producing tornadoes and
widespread significant wind damage. Do not wait to see or hear the
tornado. For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest
floor of a building.

&&

LAT...LON 3020 9327 3026 9331 3035 9321 3024 9316
TIME...MOT...LOC 0935Z 243DEG 32KT 3025 9326 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...0.00IN

$$

Rua

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jan 11, 2:04 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	LCH		56 min
Jan 11, 2:16 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Vernon	59 min
Jan 11, 2:58 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	LCH		92 min
Jan 11, 3:05 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Beauregard	25 min
Jan 11, 3:14 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, Rapides and 1 more	61 min
Jan 11, 3:53 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis	52 min
Jan 11, 4:17 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and 7 more	58 min
Jan 11, 5:13 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Acadia, Avoyelles, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, Rapides and 3 more	62 min
Jan 11, 6:13 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Avoyelles, Saint Landry, Saint Martin	32 min
Jan 11, 6:41 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	LCH		64 min
Jan 11, 10:59 AM CST	River Flood Warning	LCH	Calcasieu	6 hr
Jan 11, 10:59 AM CST	River Flood Warning	LCH	Calcasieu	16 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 2020 Every tornado warning in 2020 Tornadoes in 2020

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.