Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2020

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Lake Charles, LA

April 19, 2020Vernon Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Apr 19, 2020, 4:55 PM CDT for Vernon Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 20 min. 2 reports 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: Apr 19, 2020, 4:55 PM CDT (21:55 UTC)
Expired: Apr 19, 2020, 5:15 PM CDT
In force: 20 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.75 in

County Vernon Parish, LA

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 11 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:57 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
Apr 19, 5:04 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Sw Slagle, LA	SLAGLE MALL POSTED PHOTO OF UPROOTED AND SNAPPED TREES TO SOCIAL MEDIA.
Apr 19, 5:05 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	3 Ne Leesville, LA	TREES UPROOTED AND ROOF BLOWN OFF HOUSE.

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
Apr 19, 2:39 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 128 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: 1153 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -291 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1054 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 215 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 276 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 4.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

228 
WFUS54 KLCH 192155
TORLCH
LAC115-192215-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0004.200419T2155Z-200419T2215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
455 PM CDT Sun Apr 19 2020

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a

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

* Until 515 PM CDT.
    
* At 455 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Leesville, moving east at 55 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and golf ball 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...
  Slagle around 505 PM CDT.
  Lacamp and Leander around 515 PM CDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Simpson.

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 3132 9293 3132 9288 3129 9288 3129 9286
      3127 9286 3127 9285 3126 9285 3125 9283
      3100 9283 3110 9337 3126 9336 3133 9293
TIME...MOT...LOC 2155Z 271DEG 49KT 3118 9326 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.75IN

$$

MM

1 follow-up statement

590 
WWUS54 KLCH 192206
SVSLCH

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
506 PM CDT Sun Apr 19 2020

LAC115-192215-
/O.CON.KLCH.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-200419T2215Z/
Vernon LA-
506 PM CDT Sun Apr 19 2020

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM CDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN VERNON PARISH...
    
At 505 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located over Slagle, moving east at 55 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado and golf ball 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...
  Lacamp around 515 PM CDT.
  Leander around 520 PM CDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Simpson.

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 3108 9317 3126 9317 3129 9293 3129 9286
      3127 9286 3127 9285 3126 9285 3125 9283
      3103 9283
TIME...MOT...LOC 2205Z 271DEG 49KT 3118 9309 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.75IN

$$

MM

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 18, 7:05 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		25 min
Apr 18, 7:10 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Lafayette	35 min
Apr 18, 7:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Cameron	40 min
Apr 18, 8:03 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		27 min
Apr 18, 8:11 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Vermilion	49 min
Apr 18, 8:22 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		38 min
Apr 18, 8:26 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Assumption	34 min
Apr 18, 8:40 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Cameron	35 min
Apr 18, 8:47 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Saint Martin	43 min
Apr 18, 9:12 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Vermilion	48 min
Apr 18, 9:28 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Saint Martin	47 min
Apr 18, 9:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Vermilion	21 min
Apr 19, 6:55 AM CDT	Dense Fog Advisory	LCH	Cameron	2 hr
Apr 19, 6:56 AM CDT	Marine Dense Fog Advisory	LCH		2 hr
Apr 19, 10:40 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Avoyelles	35 min
Apr 19, 12:15 PM CDT	Small Craft Advisory	LCH		13 hr
Apr 19, 12:15 PM CDT	Wind Advisory	LCH	Allen, Avoyelles, Cameron, Evangeline, Lafayette, Rapides and 2 more	10 hr
Apr 19, 2:52 PM CDT	Coastal Flood Advisory	LCH	Cameron, Saint Martin	13 hr
Apr 19, 3:36 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	LCH		67 min
Apr 19, 4:39 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Vernon	66 min
Apr 19, 4:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Rapides, Vernon	56 min
Apr 19, 5:02 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Beauregard, Calcasieu	43 min
Apr 19, 5:11 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Rapides, Vernon	16 min
Apr 19, 5:45 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Avoyelles, Rapides	45 min
Apr 19, 5:47 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Beauregard	43 min
Apr 19, 6:29 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Avoyelles	46 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.