Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2020

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Lake Charles, LA

May 8, 2020Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at May 8, 2020, 3:53 PM CDT for Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 37 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: May 8, 2020, 3:53 PM CDT (20:53 UTC)
Expired: May 8, 2020, 4:30 PM CDT
In force: 37 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

Counties Calcasieu Parish, LA, Cameron Parish, LA

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 19 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:56 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 was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 8, 4:03 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	4 Nnw Hacketts Corner, LA	TREE DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF ROBINSON ROAD AND HELMS ROAD. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 8, 1:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 18 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: 590 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -306 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 754 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 180 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 410 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

644 
WFUS54 KLCH 082053
TORLCH
LAC019-023-082130-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0021.200508T2053Z-200508T2130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
353 PM CDT Fri May 8 2020

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  North central Cameron Parish in southwestern Louisiana...
  South central Calcasieu Parish in southwestern Louisiana...

* Until 430 PM CDT.
    
* At 353 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Lake Charles Regional Airport, moving southeast 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...
  Sweet Lake around 410 PM CDT.
  Hacketts Corner around 415 PM CDT.
  Gibbstown around 425 PM CDT.

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 2987 9310 3009 9325 3016 9318 3007 9300
      3004 9300 3004 9292 3003 9290
TIME...MOT...LOC 2053Z 316DEG 20KT 3009 9318 

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

$$

K. Kuyper

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 7, 10:09 PM CDT	Wind Advisory	LCH	Cameron	11 hr
May 8, 9:23 AM CDT	Wind Advisory	LCH	Cameron	97 min
May 8, 9:44 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Rapides	46 min
May 8, 10:29 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Avoyelles, Rapides	76 min
May 8, 11:57 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Rapides, Vernon	78 min
May 8, 1:04 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Vernon	56 min
May 8, 1:25 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Avoyelles, Rapides, Vernon	80 min
May 8, 1:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Allen, Beauregard, Vernon	63 min
May 8, 1:36 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Beauregard	69 min
May 8, 1:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Beauregard, Vernon	24 min
May 8, 1:48 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Allen, Evangeline, Rapides, Vernon	57 min
May 8, 1:57 PM CDT	Small Craft Advisory	LCH		32 hr
May 8, 2:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Beauregard, Calcasieu	58 min
May 8, 2:18 PM CDT	Wind Advisory	LCH	Cameron, Lafayette, Saint Martin	4 hr
May 8, 2:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Allen, Evangeline, Saint Landry	64 min
May 8, 2:40 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Beauregard, Calcasieu	13 min
May 8, 3:02 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Acadia, Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis	43 min
May 8, 3:09 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis	36 min
May 8, 3:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Saint Landry, Saint Martin	39 min
May 8, 3:27 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis	19 min
May 8, 3:41 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Acadia, Jefferson Davis	49 min
May 8, 3:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis	56 min
May 8, 3:55 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		65 min
May 8, 4:05 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Cameron	25 min
May 8, 4:18 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Lafayette, Saint Martin	42 min
May 8, 4:21 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Cameron	39 min
May 8, 4:22 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		53 min
May 8, 4:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Cameron	24 min
May 8, 4:53 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Cameron, Vermilion	16 min
May 8, 5:01 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Cameron, Vermilion	33 min
May 8, 5:02 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Iberia, St. Mary, Vermilion	88 min
May 8, 5:15 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		2 hr
May 8, 6:20 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		85 min

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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.