A couple of tornadoes were spawned along a decaying cold front in Iberia and Cameron Parishes.
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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.
The episode as NWS LCH wrote it up.
A couple of tornadoes were spawned along a decaying cold front in Iberia and Cameron Parishes.
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 Aug 8, 9:55 AM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 1055 AM CDT FRI AUG 8 2008 .DISCUSSION...LATEST SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS A WEAK COLD FRONT ACROSS THE EXTREME NRN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. MEANWHILE WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS WEAK VORTS DROPPING AROUND THE ERN CONUS TROF CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI AND ATCHAFALAYA DELTAS THIS MORNING. REGIONAL 88DS SHOW COMBO OF THESE FEATURES IS HELPING PRODUCE MULTIPLE POCKETS OF CONVECTION...ONE OVER OUR EXTREME SERN ZONES AND ESPECIALLY OVER THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS...ANOTHER CROSSING THE NER ZONES...AND A THIRD TO OUR NW OVER NERN TX. 12Z SOUNDINGS SHOW THE REGION IN A VERY MOIST STATE (KLCH/KLIX RAOBS BOTH AOA 125% OF NORMAL PWAT VALUES AND 80 PERCENT MRH) WITH MINIMAL TO NO CAPPING. MODIFIED KLCH/KCRP SOUNDINGS SHOW PLENTY OF AVAILABLE ENERGY AND INSTABILITY. THEREFORE EXPECT PLENTY OF CONVECTION TO EITHER CONTINUE ON ITS CURRENT TRACK OR TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON WITH MAX HEATING. ADJUSTED LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON POPS BASED ON CURRENT RADAR TRENDS WITH HIGHEST POPS OVER THE ERN AND NRN ZONES. GOOD CHANCE THE MAX TEMPS IN THESE AREAS WILL NEED ADJUSTING BUT HAVE LEFT THEM ALONE FOR NOW TO SEE HOW THIS PLAYS OUT. UPDATE OUT SHORTLY. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 336 AM CDT FRI AUG 8 2008/ SYNOPSIS... LATEST WATER VAPOR AND UPPER AIR PLOTS SHOW AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE DOMINATING FROM THE SOUTHWEST U.S. THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN WEST. MEANWHILE A GENERAL TROF EXTENDS FROM THE NORTHEAST U.S. INTO THE SOUTHEAST U.S. THE RESULT IS A NORTHERLY FLOW ACROSS THE REGION THAT HAS HELPED SLIP A SURFACE COOL FRONT DOWN CLOSE TO THE FORECAST AREA FROM THE RED RIVER BASIN INTO CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. GOOD MOISTURE HAS POOLED AHEAD OF THE FRONT WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE MID 70S AND PWAT VALUES AROUND 2 INCHES. REGIONAL RADARS SHOW CLUSTERS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FORMING ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND PUSHING TO THE SOUTH-SOUTHEAST...WITH FIRST BATCH OF SHOWERS NEARING RAPIDES PARISH. DISCUSSION... LOOKS LIKE THE FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL PUSH A LITTLE FURTHER SOUTH TODAY REACHING THE FORECAST AREA BY AFTERNOON. THE SURFACE BOUNDARY...ALONG WITH ANY CONVECTIVE OUTFLOWS...WILL SERVE AS A FOCUS FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS WITH MAX DAYTIME HEATING. BEST CHANCE WILL BE OVER NORTHERN ZONES CLOSER TO THE FRONTAL BOUNDAY. HOWEVER...NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL PUSH STORMS DOWN TOWARD THE COAST. HIGH INSTABILITY VALUES ALONG WITH MOISTURE VALUES ARE NOTED ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THEREFORE...AS WHAT NORMALLY HAPPENS WITH NORTHERLY FLOW REGIME DURING THIS TIME OF YEAR...STORMS MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE EXTRA KICK IN THEM. WILL MENTION IN THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK THAT SOME STRONG STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL GRADUALLY WIND DOWN DURING THE EVENING HOURS TONIGHT. WOULD EXPECT BOUNDARY TO HANG AROUND ON SATURDAY THAT A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN IN THE FORECAST. ON SUNDAY...RIDGING TRIES TO BUILD BACK INTO FORECAST AREA...SO WILL LOWER POPS TO THE SLIGHT CHANCE RANGE. WILL NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE EXTENDED FORECAST RIGHT NOW. THERE IS SOME DISAGREEMENT COME AROUND TUESDAY INTO MID WEEK. ECMWF MOVES ANOTHER SURFACE TROF INTO THE FORECAST AREA...WHILE GFS DOES NOT. WILL LEAVE POPS AT THE SLIGHT CHANCE RANGE AND HOPE THAT LATER SOLUTION WILL COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT. AVIATION... MAIN STORY FOR AVIATION INTERESTS WILL BE THE FORMATION OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. THE BEST CHANCE WILL BE IN THE AFTERNOON HOURS...AND IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA NEAR THE KAEX TAF SITE. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAINFALL. MARINE... A FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO STALL NORTH OF THE COASTAL WATERS LATER TODAY. A NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT MAY PUSH SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP NEAR THE BOUNDARY INTO THE COASTAL WATERS DURING THE AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING HOURS. SOME OF THE STORMS WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HIGHER WINDS AND SEAS...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAINFALL THAT WILL GREATLY REDUCE VISIBILITIES. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... KLCH 92 73 92 75 92 / 50 30 30 20 20 KBPT 94 74 92 75 93 / 40 30 30 20 20 KAEX 92 70 94 73 94 / 60 20 30 20 20 KLFT 91 72 92 74 93 / 60 30 30 20 20 && .LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LA...NONE. TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && 25
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 435 AM CDT FRI AUG 8 2008 GMZ450-452-455-470-472-475-LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-TXZ180>182- 201-215-216-091115- COASTAL WATERS FROM CAMERON, LA TO HIGH ISLAND, TX OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM INTRACOASTAL CITY TO CAMERON, LA OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM LOWER ATCHAFALAYA RIVER TO INTRACOASTAL CITY, LA OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM CAMERON, LA TO HIGH ISLAND, TX EXTENDING FROM 20 NM TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM INTRACOASTAL CITY, LA TO CAMERON, LA EXTENDING FROM 20 NM TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM LOWER ATCHAFALAYA RIVER TO INTRACOASTAL CITY, LA EXTENDING FROM 20 NM TO 60 NM-VERNON-RAPIDES-AVOYELLES-BEAUREGARD- ALLEN-EVANGELINE-ST. LANDRY-CALCASIEU-JEFFERSON DAVIS-ACADIA- LAFAYETTE-UPPER ST. MARTIN-CAMERON-VERMILION-IBERIA-ST. MARY- LOWER ST. MARTIN-TYLER-JASPER-NEWTON-HARDIN-JEFFERSON-ORANGE- 435 AM CDT FRI AUG 8 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWEST GULF OF MEXICO...CENTRAL LOUISIANA...SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA... SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...WEST CENTRAL LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE DOWN FROM THE RED RIVER BASIN AND STALL ACROSS UPPER SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA. THIS WILL SERVE AS A FOCUS FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP...ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING HOURS. DUE TO HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT AND A MODERATELY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE...SOME OF THE STORMS WILL BE ON THE STRONG SIDE. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERNS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL HANG AROUND THROUGH SATURDAY WITH A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BEFORE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE REGION. NO WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT NEEDED AT THIS TIME. RUA
The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 136 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:57 UTC.
2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A tornado quickly touched down in New Iberia near a shopping center, breaking the windows in 10 vehicles in the parking lot. Fences were blown down. At a nearby funeral home, a 30 ft section of the roof was torn off.
A weak tornado briefly touched down near the high school, damaging several cars in the parking lot and part of the school roof.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Louisiana in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Louisiana, 2008Warnings in Louisiana, August 2008
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: 133175, 133176.