Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2020

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Lake Charles, LA

April 19, 2020Rapides Parish, Vernon Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Apr 19, 2020, 5:11 PM CDT for Rapides Parish, Vernon Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 16 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: Apr 19, 2020, 5:11 PM CDT (22:11 UTC)
Expired: Apr 19, 2020, 5:27 PM CDT
In force: 16 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.75 in

Counties Rapides Parish, LA, Vernon Parish, LA

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 8 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:11 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
Apr 19, 2:39 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 118 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.

829 
WFUS54 KLCH 192211
TORLCH
LAC079-115-192245-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0005.200419T2211Z-200419T2245Z/

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

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Southwestern Rapides Parish in central Louisiana...
  East central Vernon Parish in west central Louisiana...

* Until 545 PM CDT.
    
* At 511 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Slagle, moving east at 50 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 520 PM CDT.
  Leander around 525 PM CDT.
  Hineston and Sieper around 530 PM CDT.
  Otis around 535 PM CDT.
  Elmer around 540 PM CDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Calcasieu and 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 3110 9314 3123 9313 3128 9253 3101 9254
TIME...MOT...LOC 2211Z 271DEG 43KT 3116 9304 

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

$$

MM

1 follow-up statement

439 
WWUS54 KLCH 192227
SVSLCH

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

LAC079-115-192237-
/O.CAN.KLCH.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-200419T2245Z/
Rapides LA-Vernon LA-
527 PM CDT Sun Apr 19 2020

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN RAPIDES AND EAST CENTRAL
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.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT for central and
west central Louisiana.

LAT...LON 3110 9314 3123 9313 3128 9253 3101 9254
TIME...MOT...LOC 2223Z 271DEG 43KT 3116 9281 

$$

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, 4:55 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LCH	Vernon	20 min
Apr 19, 5:02 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LCH	Beauregard, Calcasieu	43 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.