Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2020

Tornado Warning 34, NWS Lake Charles, LA

May 17, 2020Allen Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at May 17, 2020, 7:40 PM CDT for Allen Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 20 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: May 17, 2020, 7:40 PM CDT (00:40 UTC)
Expired: May 17, 2020, 8:00 PM CDT
In force: 20 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

County Allen Parish, LA

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 52 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:43 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

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), launched 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 216 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1472 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 123 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 176 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

186 
WFUS54 KLCH 180040
TORLCH
LAC003-180100-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0034.200518T0040Z-200518T0100Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
740 PM CDT Sun May 17 2020

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a

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

* Until 800 PM CDT.
    
* At 740 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located over Mittie, moving southeast at 20 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...
  Oberlin and Harmony around 800 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 3075 9295 3079 9287 3063 9268 3054 9290
TIME...MOT...LOC 0040Z 335DEG 19KT 3073 9289 

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

$$

K. Kuyper

1 follow-up statement

059 
WWUS54 KLCH 180053
SVSLCH

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
753 PM CDT Sun May 17 2020

LAC003-180100-
/O.CON.KLCH.TO.W.0034.000000T0000Z-200518T0100Z/
Allen LA-
753 PM CDT Sun May 17 2020

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL
ALLEN PARISH...
    
At 753 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located near Mittie, moving southeast at 20 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...
  Oberlin around 810 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 3068 9293 3073 9281 3063 9268 3054 9290
TIME...MOT...LOC 0053Z 335DEG 19KT 3067 9286 

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 17, 7:15 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Lafayette	45 min
May 17, 7:18 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Saint Landry	42 min
May 17, 7:21 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Evangeline	24 min
May 17, 7:23 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Vernon	52 min
May 17, 7:54 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Evangeline, Saint Landry	21 min
May 17, 7:58 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Allen	47 min
May 17, 8:14 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Acadia, Evangeline, Saint Landry	18 min
May 17, 8:33 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Lafayette	27 min
May 17, 8:42 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Acadia, Lafayette, Saint Landry	33 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.