High Wind in Louisiana, March 1, 2002

Name: High Wind in Louisiana, March 1, 2002
Start: 2002-03-01T12:00
End: 2002-03-01T15:00
Location: Louisiana

March 1, 2002 · NWS LCH · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

High winds associated with a strong cold front downed trees and power lines across central and south-central Louisiana.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: $165,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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.

High winds associated with a strong cold front downed trees and power lines across central and south-central Louisiana.

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 Mar 1, 9:26 AM CST, 2 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 1, 9:26 AM CST, 2 hours 34 minutes before

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
926 AM CST FRI MAR 1 2002

.MORNING SOUNDING...
The morning RAOB depicts precipitable water near 1.12 inches...which
is about 150 percent of normal. The K-index is 27 Celsius deg...which
suggests a few showers and thunderstorms. The 700-500 mb lapse rate
is moist adiabatic. Two significant inversions are found...first is a
strong advection inversion (from previous cold front)...second is
subsidence inversion at 5300 feet.

.THIS AFTERNOON...
The warm front will advance north into the coastal waters.
Overrunning rains will prevail as fresh Gulf breezes...having an
extensive marine fetch...upglide over continental air in place across
Louisiana and SE Texas. Strong easterly winds will maintain the
continental air...and thus the upgliding.

Despite the rather stable morning RAOB...embedded thunderstorms
with hail are also possible. A KPLC-TV viewer reported quarter size
hail along with 1.3 inches of rain at 0630 CST near the city of Iowa.
I believe that this hail storm was an isolated event. However...I
will introduce heavy rain wording in the zones.

Also evaporative cooling (rain falling through continental air)
should hold afternoon readings in the lower 60s. I will lower the
afternoon maximums a few F degrees.

.ADJUSTED NUMBERS...
AEX 60/58/68/36/44 +7620
BPT 63/61/70/41/47 +5510
LCH 62/60/70/41/47 +6620
LFT 62/60/69/41/47 +7720

.LCH...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ATCHAFALAYA RIVER LOUISIANA TO HIGH
ISLAND TEXAS...GMZ450...455....470...475.

Trares

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 1, 10:05 AM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES,LA
1005 AM CST FRI MAR 1 2002

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

0630 AM    IOWA                     LA    1.00 HAIL
03/01/02   CALCASIEU                      REPORTED BY PUBLIC

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Acadia

When: March 1, 12:00 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Acadia forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph)
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

High Wind, Allen

When: March 1, 12:00 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Allen forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph)
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 30.653, -92.828 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Evangeline

When: March 1, 12:00 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Evangeline forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph)
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 30.729, -92.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Lafayette

When: March 1, 12:00 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Lafayette forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph)
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 30.207, -92.064 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Rapides

When: March 1, 12:00 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Rapides forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph)
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 31.199, -92.533 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Vermilion

When: March 1, 12:00 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Vermilion forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph)
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

High Wind, St. Landry

When: March 1, 12:00 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: St. Landry forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph)
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 30.599, -92.006 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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, March 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: 5286230, 5286231, 5286232, 5286233, 5286234, 5286235, 5286236.