Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Warnings in 2026

Tornado Warning 32, NWS Lake Charles, LA

June 18, 2026Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at Jun 18, 2026, 11:31 AM CDT for Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana. It was in force for 29 min. 1 report 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
Jun 18, 2026, 11:31 AM CDT (16:31 UTC)
Expired
Jun 18, 2026, 12:00 PM CDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
0.75 in

County Avoyelles Parish, LA

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 105 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:33 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 18, 11:50 AM CDTTORNADODupont, LAPublic submitted a video of a tornado in Dupont.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

Did it verify

Verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow matched one storm report to this tornado warning; the first came 19 minutes after it went out.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 4.5 hours before the alert went out and 233 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, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 2026-06-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 245 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 2026-06-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -954 square meters per square second.1939587897117136156175194214233253272Sfc1 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
245 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
617 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
141 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-954 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
54 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

484 
WFUS54 KLCH 181631
TORLCH
LAC009-181700-
/O.NEW.KLCH.TO.W.0032.260618T1631Z-260618T1700Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
1131 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Southeastern Avoyelles Parish in central Louisiana...

* Until noon CDT.

* At 1131 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a
  tornado was located over Evergreen, or 7 miles east of Bunkie,
  moving east at 10 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...
  Plaucheville and Goudeau around 1135 AM 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.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to
flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

&&

LAT...LON 3098 9180 3087 9180 3086 9182 3085 9182
      3085 9202 3091 9215 3102 9209
TIME...MOT...LOC 1631Z 289DEG 8KT 3094 9206 

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

$$

Tingler
2 follow-up statements
376 
WWUS54 KLCH 181646
SVSLCH

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
1146 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

LAC009-181700-
/O.CON.KLCH.TO.W.0032.000000T0000Z-260618T1700Z/
Avoyelles LA-
1146 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN AVOYELLES PARISH...

At 1146 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located over Dupont, or 7 miles south of Moreauville, moving
southeast at 15 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...
  Goudeau and Dupont around 1150 AM 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.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to
flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

&&

LAT...LON 3095 9180 3087 9180 3086 9182 3085 9182
      3085 9200 3090 9207 3098 9204
TIME...MOT...LOC 1646Z 300DEG 15KT 3092 9200 

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

$$

Tingler
842 
WWUS54 KLCH 181659
SVSLCH

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
1159 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

LAC009-181709-
/O.EXP.KLCH.TO.W.0032.000000T0000Z-260618T1700Z/
Avoyelles LA-
1159 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN AVOYELLES PARISH WILL EXPIRE
AT NOON CDT...

The storm which prompted the warning has weakened, and no longer 
appears capable of producing a tornado.
Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire.  However gusty
winds are still possible with this thunderstorm.

&&

LAT...LON 3095 9180 3087 9180 3086 9182 3085 9182
      3085 9200 3090 9207 3098 9204
TIME...MOT...LOC 1659Z 264DEG 18KT 3089 9195 

$$

Tingler

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Lake Charles, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Jun 18, 12:09 AM CDT, 11 hours 22 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Tropical Storm Warnings have been cancelled as Tropical Storm Arthur has dissipated.
  • A Flood Watch remains in effect for all of Southwest Louisiana through Thursday evening.
  • A Coastal Flood advisory is in effect until Thursday afternoon. Surges of up to 2 feet are expected.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 18, 12:09 AM CDT, 11 hours 22 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
1209 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

...New DISCUSSION, AVIATION, MARINE, FIRE WEATHER...

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Tropical Storm Warnings have been cancelled as Tropical Storm
  Arthur has dissipated.

- A Flood Watch remains in effect for all of Southwest Louisiana
  through Thursday evening.

- A Coastal Flood advisory is in effect until Thursday afternoon.
  Surges of up to 2 feet are expected.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
(Today through Wednesday)
Issued at 1206 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

The remnants of post-Tropical Storm Arthur are now onshore near
Galveston and are not expected to re-enter the Gulf. While further
strengthening is not a concern, we are looking at another round
of heavy rain and gusty winds overnight and into Thursday morning.
Flash flooding remains a major concern, with an additional 2 to 6
inches of rain possible across Acadiana and southwest Louisiana
tonight. Along with the heavy rain, there is also an isolated
tornado threat as backing low-level flow will enhance 0-1 km
shear, with models showing elongated low-level hodographs.

Local impacts will start to diminish on Thursday morning, with the
coastal flood advisory being downgraded as surge levels reach
roughly one to two feet above MHHW. In addition, we will be paring
back the flood watch a little early, at least for parts of
southeast Texas and central Louisiana. As Arthur continues to move
further inland, subsidence will increase, leading to less cloud
cover and an increase in temperatures, with highs in the 90s. With
the remnants of Arthur still in east Texas, tropical moisture will
cause dew points to be near 80. This combination will spike the
apparent temperature well into the triple digits, and a heat
advisory will be in effect for southeast Texas. For the rest of
the week and heading into the weekend, we are looking at a more
typical summertime pattern with temperatures in the mid-90s and
high dew points. More heat advisories may be needed through the
weekend. Over the weekend, ridging will start to build over the
region, keeping rain chances below 20% for most of the area. The
break from the rain will be much appreciated, as QPF amounts from
Friday to next Wednesday are around 0.10 inches.

&&

.AVIATION...
(06Z TAFS)
Issued at 1206 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

Heavy rain and thunderstorms are impacting LFT and ARA. Near
convection conditions will be IFR/LIFR with heavy rain and low
ceilings. Elsewhere conditions will be MVFR with low clouds. Winds
will be from the south-southeast around 10 to 15 knots.

&&

.MARINE...
Issued at 1206 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

The remnants of post-Tropical Storm Arthur are now located inland
over Texas, and all Tropical Storm warnings have been cancelled.
Strong squalls will continue. Conditions offshore remain
dangerous, as sustained winds are between 15 and 25 knots with
wave heights up to 10 feet. Conditions will start to improve on
Thursday, with winds dropping below 20 knots Thursday night. Wave
heights will take a bit longer to subside, staying above 6 feet
well into Friday. Over the weekend and into the start of next
week, conditions will be calmer, with prevailing winds around 10
to 15 knots from the south and waves below 5 feet.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 1206 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

Multiple rounds of heavy rain will limit any fire weather concerns
for the next several days. MinRH values will remain above 50% for
the rest of the forecast period.

&&

.LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
LA...Flood Watch through this evening for LAZ027>033-044-045-055-073-
     074-141>143-152>154-241>243-252>254.

     Wind Advisory until 8 PM CDT this evening for LAZ027>033-044-045-
     055-073-074-141>143-152>154-241>243-252>254.

     Coastal Flood Advisory until noon CDT today for LAZ073-074-241-
     252>254.

TX...Wind Advisory until 8 PM CDT this evening for TXZ180-201-259>262-
     515-516-615-616.

     Coastal Flood Advisory until noon CDT today for TXZ615-616.

     Heat Advisory from 10 AM this morning to 9 PM CDT this evening
     for TXZ180-201-259>262-515-516-615-616.

GM...Small Craft Advisory until 7 AM CDT Friday for GMZ430-432-435-
     436-450-452-455-470-472-475.

&&

PUBLIC/FIRE/MARINE...14
AVIATION...14

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 18, 8:13 AM CDT, 3 hours 18 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
813 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0809 AM     Flash Flood      7 W Big Cane            30.81N 92.13W
06/18/2026                   St. Landry         LA   Broadcast Media

            Floodwaters covering WPA Rd near Dubuisson.

&&

TPS
Local storm report, Jun 18, 8:30 AM CDT, 3 hours 1 minute before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
830 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0809 AM     Flash Flood      5 W Big Cane            30.83N 92.09W
06/18/2026                   St. Landry         LA   Broadcast Media

            Corrects previous flash flood report from 7
            W Big Cane. Floodwaters covering WPA Rd at
            intersection of US 71 and Peter Smith Rd
            near Morrow.

&&

TPS
Local storm report, Jun 18, 8:54 AM CDT, 2 hours 37 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
854 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0853 AM     Flash Flood      Cottonport              30.98N 92.05W
06/18/2026                   Avoyelles          LA   Law Enforcement

            Report of a water rescue in Cottonport.

&&

TPS
Local storm report, Jun 18, 9:12 AM CDT, 2 hours 19 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
912 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0826 AM     Flash Flood      Simmesport              30.98N 91.81W
06/18/2026                   Avoyelles          LA   Public

            Multiple social media reports of flooded
            roads in Simmesport.

&&

TPS
Local storm report, Jun 18, 10:22 AM CDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
1022 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1021 AM     Flash Flood      1 WSW Mansura           31.05N 92.06W
06/18/2026                   Avoyelles          LA   Law Enforcement

            Law enforcement reports LA 114 closed due to
            high water between Mansura and Hessmer.

&&

TPS
Local storm report, Jun 18, 11:30 AM CDT, 1 minute before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
1130 AM CDT Thu Jun 18 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1130 AM     Flash Flood      Hessmer                 31.06N 92.12W
06/18/2026                   Avoyelles          LA   NWS Employee

            Water entering multiple homes in Hessmer.

&&

TPS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 17, 9:29 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH61 min
Jun 17, 10:04 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH56 min
Jun 17, 10:05 PM CDTSmall Craft AdvisoryLCH33 hr
Jun 17, 10:06 PM CDTCoastal Flood AdvisoryLCHCalcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, St. Mary, Vermilion14 hr
Jun 17, 11:01 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH59 min
Jun 17, 11:03 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH57 min
Jun 18, 12:01 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH59 min
Jun 18, 12:03 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH57 min
Jun 18, 12:05 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH55 min
Jun 18, 12:53 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH52 min
Jun 18, 12:55 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLCH65 min
Jun 18, 1:37 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningLCHEvangeline, Saint Landry24 hr
Jun 18, 2:17 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHSaint Martin, St. Mary15 min
Jun 18, 5:30 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAvoyelles, Evangeline, Saint Landry5 hr
Jun 18, 6:36 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAvoyelles3 hr
Jun 18, 7:30 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAvoyelles3 hr
Jun 18, 7:57 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAvoyelles, Evangeline, Rapides2 hr
Jun 18, 8:59 AM CDTFlash Flood Warning EmergencyCatastrophic damage threatLCHAvoyelles4 hr
Jun 18, 9:44 AM CDTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatLCHAvoyelles, Evangeline, Rapides, Saint Landry3 hr
Jun 18, 9:53 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAvoyelles67 min
Jun 18, 9:57 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHAvoyelles18 min
Jun 18, 10:51 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningLCHSaint Landry6 hr
Jun 18, 10:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAvoyelles66 min
Jun 18, 11:29 AM CDTHeat AdvisoryLCHAcadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and 10 more32 hr
Jun 18, 11:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAvoyelles66 min
Jun 18, 12:44 PM CDTFlash Flood Warning EmergencyCatastrophic damage threatLCHAvoyelles4 hr
Jun 18, 12:47 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHAvoyelles, Evangeline, Rapides, Saint Landry4 hr
Jun 18, 4:57 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningLCHAvoyelles47 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Louisiana, 2026Every tornado warning in 2026Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.