Scattered showers and thunderstorms developing during the morning and afternoon hours produced several funnel clouds across southern Louisiana.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms developing during the morning and afternoon hours produced several funnel clouds across southern Louisiana.
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 19, 9:16 AM CST, 34 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 1016 AM CDT WED AUG 19 2009 .UPDATE...WILL NOT BE MAKING ANY CHANGES TO ONGOING ZONES/GRIDS. MORNING LCH SOUNDING SHOWING PRECIPITABLE WATER AT A VERY TROPICAL 2.45 INCHES. FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATING LFC AGAIN TO DROP THIS AFTERNOON BELOW 2000 FT. THUS EXPECTING CONSIDERABLE CONVECTION AND CURRENT LIKELY POPS LOOK GOOD. MARCOTTE && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 606 AM CDT WED AUG 19 2009/ AVIATION... SHRA ALREADY MOVING INLAND OFF THE GULF THIS MORNING...WILL INTERMITTENTLY AFFECT KBPT/KLCH TERMINALS THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. FOR THIS...PLACED TEMPO GROUP FROM 12-14Z TO ADDRESS INTERMITTENT MVFR VSBY/CEILING ALONG WITH SHRA. COVERAGE OF SHRA/TSRA ONLY INCREASES BY LATE MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS. EXPECT SHRA/TSRA TO RE-INITIATE LATER THIS MORNING...WITH A BETTER THAN AVERAGE CHANCE OF KBPT/KLCH/KLFT/KARA TERMINALS RECEIVING A TSRA/MVFR CEILING & VSBY BETWEEN 16-20Z...AND KAEX BETWEEN 17-21Z. CONVECTION IS EXPECTED WEAKEN JUST BEFORE SUNSET...DISSIPATING BY MID EVENING. DML PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 553 AM CDT WED AUG 19 2009/ DISCUSSION...EVENING AND OVERNIGHT WATER VAPOR IMAGERY/UPPER- AIR/SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWED A DEEP LAYER SUB-TROPICAL RIDGE STRETCHING FROM THE ATLANTIC WWD ACROSS THE GULF COAST STATES...WITH A TUTT NEAR THE WESTERN TIP OF CUBA...AND A RATHER BROAD TROF ACROSS THE NORTHERN CONUS. A VERY MOIST ATMOSPHERE REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION PER 00Z KLCH RAOB AND OVERNIGHT GOES DERIVED PRODUCTS...WHICH SHOWED PRECIPITABLE WATER NEAR 2.5 INCHES...WHICH IS A LITTLE OVER 2 STANDARD DEVIATIONS ABOVE OR 150 PERCENT OF NORMAL. FORECAST SOUNDINGS AND DETERMINISTIC MODEL FIELDS SHOW LITTLE INHIBITION AND DECENT CAPE BY THIS AFTERNOON...BUT ALSO INDICATE THAT THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER IS QUITE LOW GIVEN 0-6KM BULK SHEAR OF 10-15 KT...WHICH MEANS NO ROTATING OR TILTED UPDRAFTS WHICH WILL THEREFORE ALSO BE SUBJECT TO PRECIPITATION LOADING...AND FREEZING AND WET-BULB ZERO HEIGHTS ABOVE 15K AGL WHICH INDICATE LITTLE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE HAIL REACHING THE GROUND. THUS...ANOTHER DAY OF GENERALLY SCATTERED...RELATIVELY SHORT LIVED...AND OUTFLOW DOMINANT CONVECTION IS ANTICIPATED. BUT AS WAS THE CASE YESTERDAY...BOUNDARY COLLISIONS THAT LOCALLY ENHANCE LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE AND LOW-LEVEL SHEAR ARE CAPABLE PRODUCING GENERALLY WEAK AND SHORT LIVED TORNADOES...WHICH ARE DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO DETECT AND WARN FOR. THIS ENVIRONMENT WILL ALSO BE CONDUCIVE FOR TROPICAL FUNNEL CLOUDS...AND WILL ISSUE ANOTHER SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT TO ADDRESS THIS. MODEL PROGS SHOW A DISTINCT NORTH TO SOUTH THETA-E RIDGE RUNNING ALONG AND EAST OF THE SABINE RIVER...WHICH IS QUITE SIMILAR TO THE SITUATION 24 HRS AGO. THIS IS WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE CONVECTION INITIATED YESTERDAY...AND WHERE CURRENT RADAR IMAGERY SHOWS THE FARTHEST INLAND MOVEMENT OF CELLS MOVING IN FROM THE GULF. WILL CARRY LIKELY POPS IN THIS AREA ALL-DAY...WITH SLIGHTLY LOWER POPS ELSEWHERE THIS MORNING. FOR THE AFTERNOON...LIKELY POPS WERE CARRIED AREAWIDE. THURSDAY APPEARS TO BE A VERY SIMILAR SETUP TO TODAY...SO FOR THE MOMENT...INCREASED RAIN CHANCES TO HIGH CHANCE...AND A FURTHER INCREASE TO LIKELY MAY BE NEEDED. BY FRIDAY...AS THE TROUGH CURRENTLY OVER THE NORTHERN CONUS AMPLIFIES AND DIGS INTO THE EASTERN CONUS...A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL PROGRESS THROUGH THE AREA. INCREASED POPS TO THE HIGH CHANCE RANGE HERE AS WELL...AND AGAIN...FURTHER INCREASES MAY BE NEEDED AS THE PRE-FRONTAL AIRMASS WILL REMAIN QUITE TROPICAL IN NATURE. THE AIRMASS BEHIND THE FRONT IS FORECAST TO BE SLIGHTLY COOLER...BUT MUCH DRIER. IN FACT...THE PENDULUM WILL SWING ABOUT 180 DEGREES FROM AN AIRMASS WITH A PWAT OF PLUS 2 STANDARD DEVIATIONS...TO ONE OF MINUS 2 STANDARD DEVIATIONS. DEWPOINTS IN THE 60S ARE PROGGED ALL THE WAY TO THE COAST...AND I WOULD NOT BE AT ALL SHOCKED TO SEE 50S OVER CENTRAL LOUISIANA. TEMPERATURE-WISE...THE GREATEST IMPACT WILL BE FELT WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS...WHICH LOOK TO BE AS MUCH AS 5 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL ALONG THE I-10 CORRIDOR...AND 10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL OVER CENTRAL LA. RAIN CHANCES...OBVIOUSLY...DROP OFF TO NOTHING AMID THIS DRY AIRMASS. THESE CONDITIONS LOOK TO PERSIST INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK...WITH TEMPERATURES SLOWLY MODERATING AND RAIN CHANCES STAYING OUT OF THE PICTURE. SO TO SUMMARIZE...DECENT RAIN CHANCES TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY WILL BE FOLLOWED BY WHAT APPEARS TO BE A VERY NICE WEEKEND. MARINE... A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE BUILDING ALONG THE GULF COAST WILL BRING LIGHT ONSHORE WINDS AND LOW SEAS THROUGH THURSDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE COASTAL WATERS ON FRIDAY BRINGING OFFSHORE FLOW AND DRY CONDITIONS FOR THE WEEKEND. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... KLCH 87 77 89 77 91 / 60 20 50 20 50 KBPT 87 77 91 77 91 / 60 20 50 20 50 KAEX 92 74 91 74 92 / 60 20 50 20 50 KLFT 88 75 89 75 90 / 60 20 50 20 50 && .LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LA...NONE. TX...NONE. GM...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 604 AM CDT WED AUG 19 2009 GMZ430-432-435-450-452-455-470-472-475-LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055- TXZ180>182-201-215-216-201115- SABINE LAKE-CALCASIEU LAKE-VERMILION BAY- 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- 604 AM CDT WED AUG 19 2009 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 SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT THE ENTIRE AREA TODAY...PARTICULARLY IN THE AFTERNOON HOURS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGER SHOWERS AND STORMS. ALTHOUGH THE OVERALL SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS VERY LOW...TROPICAL FUNNEL CLOUDS ARE POSSIBLE...AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP ON OR INTERACT WITH OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES WILL BE CAPABLE PRODUCING BRIEF TORNADOES. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL DIMINISH AROUND SUNSET WITH ONLY ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED ACTIVITY EXPECTED TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN BY POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY BEFORE A COLD FRONT BRINGS DRY WEATHER OVER THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT. 13
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 604 AM CDT WED AUG 19 2009 LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-TXZ180>182-201-215-216-200000- 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- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LEESVILLE...ALEXANDRIA...MARKSVILLE... DERIDDER...OAKDALE...VILLE PLATTE...OPELOUSAS...LAKE CHARLES... JENNINGS...CROWLEY...LAFAYETTE...ST. MARTINVILLE...CAMERON... ABBEVILLE...NEW IBERIA...MORGAN CITY...WOODVILLE...JASPER... NEWTON...LUMBERTON...BEAUMONT/PORT ARTHUR...ORANGE 604 AM CDT WED AUG 19 2009 ...TROPICAL FUNNEL CLOUDS POSSIBLE AGAIN TODAY... A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE TROPICAL AIRMASS IS IN PLACE ACROSS THE AREA. MEANWHILE...THE VERTICAL WIND PROFILE IS LIGHT AND VARIABLE. THESE CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TROPICAL FUNNEL CLOUDS...ESPECIALLY WHERE RAIN COOLED BOUNDARIES...KNOWN AS OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES...AND THE SEA BREEZE COLLIDE. THESE TROPICAL FUNNEL CLOUDS ARE USUALLY SHORT-LIVED AND DO NOT REACH THE GROUND. IF THE FUNNEL CLOUD BECOMES MORE SEVERE AND REACHES THE GROUND...MINOR DAMAGE MAY OCCUR...AND A TORNADO WARNING WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED. STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND UPDATES ON THIS WEATHER SITUATION. 13
The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 9 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:50 UTC.
4 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
The public reported two funnel clouds near Cal Cam Road that lasted a few minutes. One of the funnel clouds was just above the ground.
A KLFY-TV viewer reported a funnel cloud near Church Point.
A funnel cloud was spotted approximately 2 miles south of the Lake Charles Regional Airport.
The public reported a funnel cloud northeast of Gillis.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Louisiana in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, August 2009
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: 194717, 194718, 194719, 194720.