A mesoscale convective system that developed along the Texas coast moved eastward across the northern Gulf of Mexico into southern Louisiana in the early morning hours on May 16. Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms affected areas near the coast, with one report of wind damage in Vermilion Parish.
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 mesoscale convective system that developed along the Texas coast moved eastward across the northern Gulf of Mexico into southern Louisiana in the early morning hours on May 16. Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms affected areas near the coast, with one report of wind damage in Vermilion Parish.
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 15, 11:10 PM CST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 1210 AM CDT SUN MAY 16 2010 .AVIATION... MADE A FEW CHANGES TO 06Z TAF PKG AS SFC LOW HAS DEVELOPED OFF THE UPPER TX COAST WITH CONVECTION EXTENDING EAST ALONG THE COAST OF LA TOWARD VERMILION BAY. ACTIVITY IS STRUGGLING TO ADVANCE INLAND...BARELY MAKING IT BEYOND THE COASTAL MARSHES OF JEFFERSON COUNTY AND CAMERON PARISH. LATEST NAM GUIDANCE INITIALIZED THE CONVECTION WELL ALTHOUGH IS SLIGHTLY OVERDONE FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. HOWEVER...GIVEN RADAR TRENDS AND MODEL SUPPORT...HAVE INCLUDED VCTS AT SRN TAF SITES FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH TEMPO GROUPS AT KLFT AND KARA WHERE ACTIVITY COULD POTENTIALLY MAKE IT INLAND. OTHERWISE...FEW CHANGES TO REMAINDER OF FCST BEYOND 15Z...WITH VCTS CONTINUING AT TAF SITES WITH PROB30 GROUPS AT KAEX...KLFT AND KARA AS THE LOW LIFTS NORTHEAST. LIGHT NORTHEAST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO VEER TO THE SOUTHEAST SUNDAY. 24 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1027 PM CDT SAT MAY 15 2010/ DISCUSSION... COMBINATION OF SYNOPTIC AND MESOSCALE FEATURES COMBINING TO PRODUCE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY OVER THE GULF WATERS AND COASTAL TEXAS AND LOUISIANA. 00Z NAM APPEARS TO HAVE THE BEST GRASP OF THE SITUATION...BUT ITS QPF IS OVERDONE. IN THE SHORT TERM...SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION IS GOING TO HAVE A TOUGH TIME MAKING MUCH INLAND HEADWAY THANKS TO THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY ALONG THE COAST LAID DOWN BY AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS. MORE UNCERTAINTY CREEPS IN AFTER MIDNIGHT AS THE LIFT SHIFTS EAST...BUT WILL CONTINUE WITH HIGHEST POPS OVER THE COASTAL PARISHES AND GULF WATERS. UPDATED PRODUCTS ALREADY SENT. 13 PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 655 PM CDT SAT MAY 15 2010/ AVIATION... SOME POSSIBLE -RA TO AFFECT KAEX AND -TSRA TO AFFECT KLFT AND KARA OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS BEFORE ACTIVITY DIMINISHES FOR THE EVENING...WHILE KLCH AND KBPT ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN PRECIP- FREE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. WINDS WILL BRIEFLY BE OUT OF THE NORTHEAST TO EAST AT SRN TAF SITES AS A WEAK OUTFLOW BOUNDARY TRAVELS TOWARD THE COAST. WINDS WILL BECOME LIGHT AND VARIABLE OR SERLY THIS EVENING AS THE BOUNDARY WASHES OUT. VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL THROUGH THE EVENING...WITH A SCT LOW CLOUD DECK DEVELOPING AFTER MIDNIGHT...BECOMING OCCASIONALLY BKN BETWEEN 10Z-14Z. ALSO...WITH A LITTLE BIT MORE GROUND MOISTURE AFTER TODAYS RAIN ALONG WITH LIGHT WINDS...SOME PATCHY MVFR FOG IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT...WITH VISBYS OCCASIONALLY DROPPING TO IFR AROUND DAYBREAK. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AGAIN TOMORROW WITH DAYTIME HEATING...WITH THE BEST CHANCES OVER ERN TERMINALS WHERE PROB30 GROUPS HAVE BEEN INCLUDED FOR THE AFTN HOURS. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 318 PM CDT SAT MAY 15 2010/ DISCUSSION... A COUPLE OF MCV'S COMBINED WITH DAYTIME HEATING AND A PSEUDO SEA-BREEZE HAS RESULTED IN A GOOD COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON OVER A LARGE PART OF THE FORECAST AREA. THIS ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD TO THE NORTH THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING...HOWEVER SOME ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED ACTIVITY WILL LIKELY CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT OVER THE EASTERN ZONES. A WEAK COOL FRONT IS FORECAST TO MAKE LITTLE PROGRESS THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND...HOWEVER AFTERNOON HEATING WITH EMBEDDED SHORT WAVES AND OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES THAT REMAIN FROM TODAYS CONVECTION WILL HELP TO INITIATE ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN TOMORROW...MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON. THE FRONT WILL MAKE SOME PROGRESS EARLY NEXT WEEK BEFORE PULLING UP STATIONARY ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL RESULT IN CONTINUED MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN AT LEAST WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON AND HOURS EACH DAY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... KLCH 70 84 69 86 / 50 50 30 40 KBPT 71 85 70 86 / 60 40 30 30 KAEX 68 84 67 87 / 20 70 30 40 KLFT 69 84 69 86 / 40 60 30 50 && .LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LA...NONE. TX...NONE. GM...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 1011 AM CDT SAT MAY 15 2010 GMZ435-LAZ027>033-041>045-051>055-TXZ180>182-201-215-216-161515- VERMILION BAY-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- 1011 AM CDT SAT MAY 15 2010 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 STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OFF AND ON FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY INTO THIS EVENING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES AT TIMES ALONG WITH HEAVY DOWNPOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ON SUNDAY WILL CONTINUE INTO MONDAY BEFORE TAPERING OFF. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. GMZ430-432-450-452-455-470-472-475-161515- SABINE LAKE-CALCASIEU LAKE- 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- 1011 AM CDT SAT MAY 15 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWEST GULF OF MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WINDS AND SEAS WILL CONTINUE TO DECREASE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH THE APPROACH OF A COLD FRONT. ANOTHER COMPLEX OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE FREQUENT CLOUD TO WATER STRIKES...ALONG WITH GUSTY WINDS IN EXCESS OF 30 KNOTS AND LOCALLY HIGHER SEAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 1158 PM CDT SAT MAY 15 2010 LAZ051-160530- CAMERON LA- 1158 PM CDT SAT MAY 15 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CAMERON PARISH UNTIL 1230 AM CDT... AT 1156 PM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GIBBSTOWN...MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH. * THE STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... GIBBSTOWN BY 1205 AM CDT... SWEET LAKE AND HACKETTS CORNER BY 1215 AM CDT... WIND GUSTS OF 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. THIS COULD BLOW SOME BRANCHES DOWN AND CAUSE ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES. YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO MONITOR THE WEATHER CLOSELY AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION IF A WARNING IS ISSUED. 13
The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 91 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:34 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Vermilion Parish Sheriff Office reported trees and power lines blown down along Highway 35 about 2 miles south of Kaplan, with power outages in the area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Louisiana in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, May 2010
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: 237679.