A long-lived line of severe thunderstorms, called a derecho, developed over central Texas early on May 3, 2009, before moving rapidly eastward across southeast Texas into Louisiana during the morning. Additional strong to severe thunderstorms developed in the wake of the initial derecho across the region during the afternoon and early evening hours.
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.
A long-lived line of severe thunderstorms, called a derecho, developed over central Texas early on May 3, 2009, before moving rapidly eastward across southeast Texas into Louisiana during the morning. Additional strong to severe thunderstorms developed in the wake of the initial derecho across the region during the afternoon and early evening hours. Several reports of damaging winds, large hail, and flash flooding were received.
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 May 3, 6:57 AM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 757 AM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009 .UPDATE...HAVE UPDATED ZONES/GRIDS WITH TORNADO WATCH #232 FOR ALONG AND NORTH OF LOUISIANA I-10. WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM. WCN ALREADY OUT. && MARCOTTE && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 557 AM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009/ AVIATION... STORMS DRAGGING ACROSS CENTRAL LOUISIANA AT THIS TIME WILL EXIT TO THE EAST WHILE A SECOND STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO EASTERN TEXAS. THIS LATEST STORM SYSTEM IS MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. AT THIS TIME THE STORM COMPLEX WILL SWEEP ACROSS TYLER...JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES AROUND 7 AM AND INTO BEAUREGARD...VERNON PARISHES BEFORE 8 AM. AS THE STORM SYSTEM MOVES TO THE EAST IT WILL MOVE OUT OF THE COLD SECTOR AND INTO WARMER MORE UNSTABLE AIR WHICH WILL MEAN STRONGER STORMS WILL DEVELOP. BPT..LCH AND FINALLY LFT AND ARA WILL SEE SOME STORM DEVELOPMENT ALTHOUGH THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL SWEEP WELL TO THE NORTH OF THESE LOCATIONS. BUT WILL MONITOR THE SOUTHWARD PROGRESSION. MVFR/IFR FOR CLOUDS AND WX FOR AEX. MVFR FOR BPT...LCH...LFT AND ARA FOR CLOUDS AND SHWRS. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 532 AM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009/ UPDATE...MCS CURRENTLY OVER EAST CENTRAL TEXAS TRACKING RAPIDLY EAST. ACTIVITY HAS BEEN ELEVATED BUT EXPECTED TO BECOME SURFACE BASED TAPPING INTO SOME ADDITIONAL MOISTURE/INSTABILITY. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #231 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM CDT. INCLUDES OUR INTERIOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS COUNTIES. ALSO BEAUREGARD...VERNON AND RAPIDES OF WEST CENTRAL LOUISIANA. MARCOTTE PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 412 AM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009/ DISCUSSION...ANOTHER IN A SERIES OF MCSS CURRENTLY MOVING ACROSS THE ARKLATEX REGION. PROPAGATION RESULTING IN A SOUTHWARD EXPANSION OF CONVECTION INTO CENTRAL LOUISIANA AND THE LAKES AREA OF INTERIOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS. POST FRONTAL DEVELOPMENT ALSO OCCURRING OVER CENTRAL/NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS. FAIR WEATHER PATTERN COMING TO AN END TODAY. MID LEVEL TROF MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO ADVANCE A PERSISTENT FRONTAL BOUNDARY INTO THE FORECAST AREA OVERNIGHT...STALLING NEAR THE COAST MONDAY THEN RAPIDLY WASHING OUT. ALONG AND AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM AMPLE MOISTURE IN PLACE WITH PROGGED PRECIPITABLE WATERS RUNNING AROUND 1.7 INCHES...WELL ABOVE THE NORM FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. WITH CONCERN FOR HEAVY RAINFALL...HAVE INGESTED HPC QPF INTO GRIDS. STORM TOTAL PRECIP RANGING FROM A MAXIMUM OF 2 INCHES ACROSS THE NORTHEAST PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA DOWN TO NEAR 0.5 INCHES OVER COASTAL SOUTHEAST TEXAS. WAS CONTEMPLATING THE NEED FOR A FLOOD WATCH OVER OUR NORTHERN TIER BUT CURRENT NUMBERS BELOW FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE OF 3/4/5 INCHES FOR 1/3/6 HOURS. SPC MAINTAINING THE ENTIRE AREA IN SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE EXPECTING SQUALL LINE DEVELOPMENT ALONG/AHEAD OF FRONT. WIND DAMAGE APPEARS FAVORABLE FROM UNIDIRECTIONAL WIND PROFILES...AS WELL AS HAIL AND A FEW TORNADOES. RAINS TAPER OFF FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST THROUGH MONDAY. EXACTLY WHERE FRONT WILL END UP IS PARTICULARLY SUSPECT AT THIS TIME FROM NUMEROUS COLD POOLS SETTING UP FROM PREVIOUS AND ONGOING CONVECTION. THUS WHETHER WE ACTUALLY SEE SOME LOWER DEWPOINTS/HUMIDITY FILTER INTO THE SOUTHERN SECTIONS REMAINS QUESTIONABLE. RETURN FLOW SETS UP TUESDAY WITH ANY COOLER OR DRIER COMING TO AN END. REMAINDER OF THE WEEK...WILL BE LOOKING FOR A DRY WEATHER PATTERN WITH THE EXCEPTION OF WEDNESDAY WHEN NEXT IMPULSE APPROACHES. AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS MAIN ENERGY AND RAINS WILL REMAIN NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA SO LOW END POPS WILL BE MAINTAINED. OTHERWISE EXPECTING TEMPERATURES ABOVE THE NORM. MARINE...OUR PERSISTENT SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL BE BRIEFLY INTERRUPTED MONDAY AS A COLD FRONT DROPS INTO THE NORTHWEST GULF. THIS BOUNDARY WILL RAPIDLY WASH OUT WITH A ONSHORE FLOW BECOMING REESTABLISHED TUESDAY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... KLCH 83 70 81 66 86 / 50 60 40 10 10 KBPT 82 67 81 66 86 / 50 40 30 10 10 KAEX 82 64 79 61 86 / 80 60 30 10 10 KLFT 84 70 80 65 87 / 50 60 50 10 10 && .LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LA...NONE. TX...NONE. GM...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 454 AM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009 GMZ430-432-435-450-452-455-470-472-475-LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055- TXZ180>182-201-215-216-041000- 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- 454 AM CDT SUN MAY 3 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 ACTIVE WEATHER IS EXPECTED ALONG AND AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT WILL ADVANCE ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. WIND PROFILES AND INSTABILITY ARE FAVORABLE FOR A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL...BUT ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. ALONG WITH THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINS PARTICULARLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 10 WHERE 1 TO 2 INCHES WILL BE COMMON WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DIMINISH MONDAY WITH AN OVERALL DRY PATTERN EXPECTED THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY AND TONIGHT.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
828 AM CDT SUN MAY 03 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0810 AM TSTM WND DMG TOLEDO BEND DAM 31.17N 93.57W
05/03/2009 NEWTON TX PUBLIC
PUBLIC REPORTS TREES DOWN ON LAKE CABINS.
&&
MGRIFFINPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
835 AM CDT SUN MAY 03 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0810 AM TSTM WND DMG 2 SW TOLEDO BEND DAM 31.15N 93.59W
05/03/2009 NEWTON TX PUBLIC
PUBLIC REPORTS TREES DOWN ON LAKE CABINS.
&&
MGRIFFINThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 flash flood, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Rapides Parish 911 Center reported numerous trees and power lines down across Alexandria.
Local law enforcement reported trees and power lines blown down in Pineville.
Esler Regional Airport ASOS measured a wind gust of 59 mph.
Coop observer reported several streets flooded in Oakdale.
Local law enforcement reoprted high water over Seth Cole Road three miles west-southwest of De Ridder.
The public reported widespread street flooding in Eunice.
Beauregard Parish Sheriff Office reported water covering numerous roads in De Ridder, but the water was receeding.
Local law enforcement reported hail up to quarter size covering half the ground.
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, May 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: 173896, 173897, 173898, 173899, 173900, 173901, 173903, 173902.