Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2020

Tornado Warning 83, NWS Lake Charles, LA

December 23, 2020Vernon Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Dec 23, 2020, 5:51 PM CST for Vernon Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 24 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: Dec 23, 2020, 5:51 PM CST (23:51 UTC)
Expired: Dec 23, 2020, 6:15 PM CST
In force: 24 min
Issued by: NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

County Vernon Parish, LA

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 47 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:52 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

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 113 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: 660 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 252 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 283 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

499 
WFUS54 KLCH 232351
TORLCH
LAC115-240015-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0083.201223T2351Z-201224T0015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
551 PM CST Wed Dec 23 2020

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a

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

* Until 615 PM CST.
    
* At 551 PM CST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Burr Ferry, or near Toledo Bend Dam, moving east
  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...
  Leesville and New Llano around 615 PM CST.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Pickering.

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.

Tornadoes are extremely difficult to see and confirm at night. Do not
wait to see or hear the tornado. TAKE COVER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 3099 9319 3102 9351 3103 9351 3105 9353
      3106 9352 3109 9356 3110 9355 3113 9354
      3115 9355 3116 9354 3117 9354 3118 9353
      3119 9355 3121 9355 3126 9319
TIME...MOT...LOC 2351Z 269DEG 18KT 3113 9349 

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

$$

13

2 follow-up statements

852 
WWUS54 KLCH 240004
SVSLCH

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
604 PM CST Wed Dec 23 2020

LAC115-240015-
/O.CON.KLCH.TO.W.0083.000000T0000Z-201224T0015Z/
Vernon LA-
604 PM CST Wed Dec 23 2020

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM CST FOR
NORTHWESTERN VERNON PARISH...
    
At 604 PM CST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 7 miles northeast of Burr Ferry, or 8 miles west of
Leesville, moving east 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...
  Anacoco and New Llano around 620 PM CST.
  Leesville around 625 PM CST.
  Fort Polk around 630 PM CST.

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.

Tornadoes are extremely difficult to see and confirm at night. Do not
wait to see or hear the tornado. TAKE COVER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 3110 9347 3119 9349 3122 9347 3126 9319
      3106 9319 3106 9342
TIME...MOT...LOC 0004Z 255DEG 20KT 3115 9341 

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

$$

13

180 
WWUS54 KLCH 240015
SVSLCH

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
615 PM CST Wed Dec 23 2020

LAC115-240024-
/O.EXP.KLCH.TO.W.0083.000000T0000Z-201224T0015Z/
Vernon LA-
615 PM CST Wed Dec 23 2020

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN VERNON PARISH WILL EXPIRE AT
615 PM CST...
                
The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and no longer appears capable of producing a tornado.
Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire.

To report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement
agency. They will relay your report to the National Weather Service
Lake Charles.

LAT...LON 3110 9347 3119 9349 3122 9347 3126 9319
      3106 9319 3106 9342
TIME...MOT...LOC 0014Z 269DEG 18KT 3115 9335 

$$

13

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 23, 3:48 AM CST	Gale Warning	LCH		38 hr
Dec 23, 3:48 AM CST	Low Water Advisory	LCH		30 hr
Dec 23, 3:48 AM CST	Small Craft Advisory	LCH		50 hr
Dec 23, 3:49 AM CST	Wind Advisory	LCH	Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Cameron, Evangeline, Lafayette and 4 more	38 hr
Dec 23, 4:36 PM CST	Tornado Warning	LCH	Beauregard, Vernon	13 min
Dec 23, 5:45 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LCH	Vernon	45 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.