Alert archive / Louisiana / Red Flag Warnings in 2026

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Lake Charles, LA

February 23, 202612 parishes in Louisiana; Jefferson County, Orange County, Texas

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this red flag warning at Feb 23, 2026, 9:53 AM CST for 12 parishes in Louisiana; Jefferson County, Orange County, Texas. It was in force for 8 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Feb 23, 2026, 9:53 AM CST (15:53 UTC)
Expired
Feb 23, 2026, 6:00 PM CST
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA

Counties Acadia Parish, LA, Allen Parish, LA, Calcasieu Parish, LA, Cameron Parish, LA, Evangeline Parish, LA, Iberia Parish, LA, Jefferson Davis Parish, LA, Lafayette Parish, LA, Saint Landry Parish, LA, Saint Martin Parish, LA, St. Mary Parish, LA, Vermilion Parish, LA, Jefferson County, TX, Orange County, TX

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 60 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:53 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

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 3.9 hours before the alert went out and 279 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2026-02-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2026-02-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -183 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
2043 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
68 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-183 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-124 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

225 
WWUS84 KLCH 231553
RFWLCH

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
953 AM CST Mon Feb 23 2026

...Fire weather warning in effect for (Today) Monday...

LAZ031>033-044-045-055-073-074-141>143-152>154-241>243-252>254-
TXZ515-516-615-616-240000-
/O.NEW.KLCH.FW.W.0002.260223T1553Z-260224T0000Z/
Allen-Evangeline-St. Landry-Lafayette-Upper St. Martin-
Lower St. Martin-West Cameron-East Cameron-Northern Calcasieu-
Northern Jefferson Davis-Northern Acadia-Upper Vermilion-
Upper Iberia-Upper St. Mary-Southern Calcasieu-
Southern Jefferson Davis-Southern Acadia-Lower Vermilion-
Lower Iberia-Lower St. Mary-Upper Jefferson-Northern Orange-
Lower Jefferson-Southern Orange-
953 AM CST Mon Feb 23 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST MONDAY...

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a Red
Flag Warning for low humidity, which is in effect until 6 PM CST 
this evening.

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 031 Allen, Fire Weather Zone 
  032 Evangeline, Fire Weather Zone 033 St. Landry, Fire Weather 
  Zone 044 Lafayette, Fire Weather Zone 045 Upper St. Martin, 
  Fire Weather Zone 055 Lower St. Martin, Fire Weather Zone 073 
  West Cameron, Fire Weather Zone 074 East Cameron, Fire Weather 
  Zone 141 Northern Calcasieu, Fire Weather Zone 142 Northern 
  Jefferson Davis, Fire Weather Zone 143 Northern Acadia, Fire 
  Weather Zone 152 Upper Vermilion, Fire Weather Zone 153 Upper 
  Iberia, Fire Weather Zone 154 Upper St. Mary, Fire Weather 
  Zone 241 Southern Calcasieu, Fire Weather Zone 242 Southern 
  Jefferson Davis, Fire Weather Zone 243 Southern Acadia, Fire 
  Weather Zone 252 Lower Vermilion, Fire Weather Zone 253 Lower 
  Iberia, Fire Weather Zone 254 Lower St. Mary, Fire Weather 
  Zone 515 Upper Jefferson, Fire Weather Zone 516 Northern 
  Orange, Fire Weather Zone 615 Lower Jefferson and Fire Weather 
  Zone 616 Southern Orange.

* TIMING...Until 6 PM CST this evening.

* WINDS...North 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 10 percent.

* TEMPERATURES...Up to 62.

* IMPACTS...Any fire that develops will catch and spread 
  quickly. Outdoor burning is not recommended.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can
contribute to extreme fire behavior.

&&

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 22, 11:05 PM CSTLow Water AdvisoryLCH7 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Louisiana, 2026Red Flag Warnings in Texas, 2026Every red flag warning in 2026

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.