Flash Flooding in Louisiana, April 8, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding in Louisiana, April 8, 2002
Start: 2002-04-08T13:00
End: 2002-04-08T15:00
Location: Louisiana

April 8, 2002 · NWS LCH · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Three inches of rain fell in one hour, resulting in significant street flooding across Iberia, Lafayette, and Vermilion parishes. Several homes had water enter them.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $75,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS LCH wrote it up.

Three inches of rain fell in one hour, resulting in significant street flooding across Iberia, Lafayette, and Vermilion parishes. Several homes had water enter them.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at Apr 8, 9:42 AM CST, 3 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 8, 9:42 AM CST, 3 hours 18 minutes before

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1042 AM CDT MON APR 8 2002

DRYING FROM WEST IS PROGRESSING ABOUT AS EXPECTED. PRECIPITATION IS
ENDING OVER THE WESTERN BORDER OF THE FORECAST AREA. BY EVENING DRY
AIR SHOULD BE NEAR / APPROACHING LAFAYETTE / MARKSVILLE. WILL UPDATE
FORECASTS TO INDICATE RAIN CHANCES DIMINISHING BY LATE AFTERNOON OVER
WESTERN PARTS OF THE AREA.

WILL LOWER HIGH TEMPERATURE FORECAST OVER THE EASTERN PARTS OF THE
AREA TO AROUND 70 AS RAIN WILL LIKELY CONTINUE THERE MOST OF THE
DAY.

THE POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL VERY HEAVY RAINS HAVE DIMINISHED EXCEPT
OVER EASTERN AND THE COASTAL AREAS.

.LCH...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...GMZ450 455 470 475.

.PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
    MO    TU    WE M T W
AEX 73/62/79/58/79 83000
BPT 74/64/81/60/81 82000
LCH 74/64/81/60/81 82000
LFT 70/64/81/63/81 84000

20

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 8, 8:35 AM CST, 4 hours 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES,LA
935 AM CDT MON APR 8 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0203 AM    15 SE KOUNTZE             TX   WIND DAMAGE
04/08/02   HARDIN                         TREES DOWN ON POWERLINES
                                          ACROSS THE COUNTY.

0203 AM    WOODVILLE                 TX   WIND DAMAGE
04/08/02   TYLER                          TREES DOWN ON POWERLINES
                                          ACROSS THE COUNTY.

0315 AM    DE RIDDER                 LA   WIND DAMAGE
04/08/02   BEAUREGARD                     SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN
                                          IN EASTERN PART OF PARISH.

0315 AM    EVADALE                   TX   WIND DAMAGE
04/08/02   JASPER                         TREES DOWN ON POWER LINES.

0315 AM    4 E JASPER                TX   WIND DAMAGE
04/08/02   JASPER                         TREES DOWN ON W90.

0318 AM    EVADALE                   TX   HAIL
04/08/02   JASPER

0342 AM    NEWTON                    TX   WIND DAMAGE
04/08/02   NEWTON                         TREES DOWN ON POWERLINES
                                          ACROSS THE COUNTY.

0350 AM    DEQUINCY                  LA   HAIL
04/08/02   CALCASIEU

0415 AM    RAGLEY                    LA   HAIL
04/08/02   BEAUREGARD                     OFF HIGHWAY 171

0430 AM    MOSS BLUFF                LA   HAIL
04/08/02   CALCASIEU

0445 AM    90 ESE CAMERON            LA   TSTORM WIND
04/08/02   CAMERON                        35 KNOT WIND REPORT ON
                                          OFFSHORE PLATFORM K7RA.

LS

Local storm report, Apr 8, 8:35 AM CST, 4 hours 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES,LA
935 AM CDT MON APR 8 2002

...CORRECTED TO INCLUDE HAIL SIZES LEFT OUT BY AWIPS...

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0203 AM    15 SE KOUNTZE             TX   WIND DAMAGE
04/08/02   HARDIN                         TREES DOWN ON POWERLINES
                                          ACROSS THE COUNTY.

0203 AM    WOODVILLE                 TX   WIND DAMAGE
04/08/02   TYLER                          TREES DOWN ON POWERLINES
                                          ACROSS THE COUNTY.

0315 AM    DE RIDDER                 LA   WIND DAMAGE
04/08/02   BEAUREGARD                     SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN
                                          IN EASTERN PART OF PARISH.

0315 AM    EVADALE                   TX   WIND DAMAGE
04/08/02   JASPER                         TREES DOWN ON POWER LINES.

0315 AM    4 E JASPER                TX   WIND DAMAGE
04/08/02   JASPER                         TREES DOWN ON W90.

0318 AM    EVADALE                   TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
04/08/02   JASPER

0342 AM    NEWTON                    TX   WIND DAMAGE
04/08/02   NEWTON                         TREES DOWN ON POWERLINES
                                          ACROSS THE COUNTY.

0350 AM    DEQUINCY                  LA   1.00 INCH HAIL
04/08/02   CALCASIEU

0415 AM    RAGLEY                    LA   0.88 INCH HAIL
04/08/02   BEAUREGARD                     OFF HIGHWAY 171

0430 AM    MOSS BLUFF                LA   0.75 INCH HAIL
04/08/02   CALCASIEU

0445 AM    90 ESE CAMERON            LA   TSTORM WIND
04/08/02   CAMERON                        35 KNOT WIND REPORT ON
                                          OFFSHORE PLATFORM K7RA.

LS

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 149 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:59 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Iberia

When: April 8, 1:00 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Iberia County, Countywide
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 29.514, -91.840 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Lafayette

When: April 8, 1:00 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Lafayette County, Countywide
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 30.207, -92.064 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Vermilion

When: April 8, 1:00 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Vermilion County, Countywide
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 29.809, -92.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Louisiana in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Louisiana, April 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5289614, 5289615, 5289616.