Strong thunderstorms in the area resulted in downed trees, large hail, and flooding.
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.
Strong thunderstorms in the area resulted in downed trees, large hail, and flooding.
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 9, 11:03 PM CST, 1 hour 57 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 1203 AM CDT FRI AUG 10 2012 .DISCUSSION... 06 TAF ISSUANCE. && .AVIATION... SCT/NUM SHRA/TSRA CONTINUES TO MOVE S OVER C LA. WITH THIS ACTIVITY...PLACED TEMPO GROUP FOR +TSRA & IFR VSBY/CEILING THRU 07-08Z. NOT EXPECTING THE ACTIVITY TO REACH LFT/ARA AT THIS TIME. OTHERWISE...VSBY RESTRICTIONS AT LCH DUE TO FU FROM A MARSH FIRE SW OF THE TERMINAL. WILL CONTINUE INTERMITTENT 2-4SM THRU 08Z. OTHERWISE...VFR EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. FOR FRI...AMPLE MOISTURE...SEA BREEZE/OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES...AND NW FLOW PERTURBATIONS EXPECTED OVER THE REGION. THUS...VCTS PLACED IN ALL TERMINALS BY 15Z...WITH PROB30 GROUP FOR SHRA/TSRA & MVFR VSBY/CEILING BEGINNING 18Z FOR BPT/LCH/LFT/ARA...AND 20Z FOR AEX. DML && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 844 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012/ UPDATE... THE MAJORITY OF THE CONVECTION HAS DISSIPATED OVER THE FORECAST AREA WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. HOWEVER...LATEST UPPER AIR SOUNDING FROM KLCH STILL SHOWS A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE IS IN PLACE. WATER VAPOR AND IR SATELLITE SHOW CONVECTION RE-DEVELOPING TO THE NORTH AS SHORT WAVE MOVES SOUTH AND INTERACTS WITH A SURFACE BOUNDARY. WILL KEEP CHANCE POPS GOING FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT FOR THE NORTHERN ZONES...AS NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL PUSH CONVECTION TOWARD UPPER SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA. ALSO...WILL INSERT CHANCE POPS NEAR THE SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA COAST OVERNIGHT...AS SOME NOCTURNAL SHOWER ACTIVITY MAY RE-DEVELOP ALONG LEFT-OVER MESO-SCALE BOUNDARY IN THAT AREA. RUA PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 636 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012/ DISCUSSION... 00Z TAF ISSUANCE. AVIATION... SCT/NUM SHRA/TSRA CONTINUES OVER S LA FROM JENNINGS EAST TO JUST NORTH OF LFT/ARA. WITH THIS ACTIVITY MOVING SE...LFT/ARA TERMINALS IN LINE TO POSSIBLY GET AFFECTED WITH TSRA & MVFR VSBY/CEILING THRU 02Z. THE POSSIBILITY OF MVFR VSBY BEFORE SUNRISE FOR LFT/ARA...OTHERWISE...VFR EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. FOR FRI...AMPLE MOISTURE...SEA BREEZE/OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES...AND NW FLOW PERTURBATIONS EXPECTED OVER THE REGION. THUS...VCTS PLACED IN ALL TERMINALS BY 15Z...WITH PROB30 GROUP FOR SHRA/TSRA & MVFR VSBY/CEILING BEGINNING 18Z FOR BPT/LCH/LFT/ARA...AND 20Z FOR AEX. DML PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 343 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012/ DISCUSSION... SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING ACROSS THE NRN GULF FROM A CENTER OVER THE ATLANTIC NE OF THE BAHAMAS...WHILE A STATIONARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY LIES FROM THE RED RIVER VALLEY ACROSS THE OZARKS TO THE OHIO VALLEY. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A CUT OFF LOW OVER THE GREAT LAKES HELPING FURTHER DIG AN ERN CONUS TROF...WITH A SHORTWAVE CROSSING THE WRN GULF STATES ATTM. COMBO OF THE SHORTWAVE...SEA BREEZE...HEATING AND ABUNDANT MOISTURE HAS LED TO SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND STORMS ACROSS THE SRN ZONES... ESPECIALLY OVER ACADIANA...OTHERWISE LOCAL RADARS HAVE BEEN A LITTLE QUIET TODAY. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE INHERITED GRIDS/ZONES. CONVECTION SHOULD DIE OFF SOMEWHAT AFTER SUNSET WITH BEST POPS CONFINED AGAIN TO THE SERN ZONES WHERE BETTER MOISTURE IS PROGGED ALONG WITH LINGERING LIFT FROM THE DEPARTING SHORTWAVE. ANOTHER ROUND OF LATE- NIGHT CONVECTION LOOKS POSSIBLE AS SHORT-RANGE MODELS ALL PROG ANOTHER VORT DEVELOPING JUST NORTH OF THE AREA WHILE THE FRONT SAGS SWD TOWARDS US. BEST POPS FOR THIS TIME FRAME HAVE BEEN KEPT ACROSS THE N-CNTL/NERN ZONES WITH CHANCE POPS. MEANWHILE ADDITIONAL MARITIME NOCTURNAL SHOWERS LOOK LIKELY AS WELL. SCATTERED CONVECTION REMAINS IN THE FORECAST INTO THE EARLY WEEKEND AS THE FRONT OOZES FURTHER SWD WHILE ONE LAST WEAK VORT CROSSES THE REGION. THE FRONT IS PROGGED TO DRIVE AS FAR AS THE I-10 CORRIDOR BEFORE STALLING. DRIER AIR IS PROGGED TO FILTER ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY WITH MINIMAL CONVECTION EXPECTED. BY EARLY IN THE WEEK THE REMNANTS OF THE FRONT SHOULD PUSH NWD WITH INCREASING MOISTURE RETURNING BEHIND IT...LEADING TO A RETURN OF SMALL RAIN CHANCES FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. MARINE... SLIGHTLY INCREASED SEAS FROM ERNESTO-BRED SWELL SHOULD BEGIN TO DIMINISH LATER TONIGHT...WITH MAINLY LIGHT SEAS LINGERING THE REST OF THE PERIOD. HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE NRN GULF WILL MAINTAIN MOSTLY LIGHT SRLY FLOW THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... KLCH 76 93 75 92 74 / 20 40 30 20 10 KBPT 77 92 76 92 75 / 20 30 30 20 10 KAEX 76 93 73 93 72 / 30 40 20 20 10 KLFT 76 91 76 92 73 / 30 50 30 30 10 && .LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LA...NONE. TX...NONE. GM...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 526 AM CDT THU AUG 9 2012 LAZ027>033-041>045-052>055-073-074-TXZ180-201-215-216-259>262- 101030- VERNON-RAPIDES-AVOYELLES-BEAUREGARD-ALLEN-EVANGELINE-ST. LANDRY- CALCASIEU-JEFFERSON DAVIS-ACADIA-LAFAYETTE-UPPER ST. MARTIN- VERMILION-IBERIA-ST. MARY-LOWER ST. MARTIN-WEST CAMERON- EAST CAMERON-TYLER-HARDIN-JEFFERSON-ORANGE-NORTHERN JASPER- NORTHERN NEWTON-SOUTHERN JASPER-SOUTHERN NEWTON- 526 AM CDT THU AUG 9 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL LOUISIANA...SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...WEST CENTRAL LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY. TYPICAL BRIEF HEAVY RAINS AND CONSIDERABLE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL ACCOMPANY THIS ACTIVITY. NO ORGANIZED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ANTICIPATED...BUT A PULSE THUNDERSTORM BRIEFLY REACHING SEVERE LIMITS CANNOT BE RULED OUT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY AS A WEAK COLD FRONT SLIDES ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA AND STALLS NEAR THE COAST. AS WILL BE THE CASE TODAY...NO ORGANIZED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ANTICIPATED....BUT A PULSE THUNDERSTORM BRIEFLY REACHING SEVERE LIMITS CANNOT BE RULED OUT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY NOT BE REQUIRED. GMZ430-432-435-450-452-455-470-472-475-101030- 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 FROM 20 TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM INTRACOASTAL CITY TO CAMERON LA FROM 20 TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM LOWER ATCHAFALAYA RIVER TO INTRACOASTAL CITY LA FROM 20 TO 60 NM- 526 AM CDT THU AUG 9 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWEST GULF OF MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY...WITH CHANCES LOWERING THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND NEW WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 1231 AM CDT FRI AUG 10 2012 LAZ028-029-032-033-100630- ST. LANDRY LA-RAPIDES LA-EVANGELINE LA-AVOYELLES LA- 1231 AM CDT FRI AUG 10 2012 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ST. LANDRY...RAPIDES...EVANGELINE AND AVOYELLES PARISHES UNTIL 130 AM CDT... AT 1228 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF HESSMER...MOVING SOUTH AT 20 MPH. * THE STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... CHENEYVILLE AND COTTONPORT BY 1245 AM... BUNKIE AND EVERGREEN BY 1255 AM... GOUDEAU BY 115 AM... MORROW AND BIG CANE BY 125 AM... THE PRIMARY THREATS FROM THIS STORM ARE FREQUENT LIGHTNING...PEA TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS 40 TO 50 MPH...WHICH COULD DOWN TREE LIMBS AND BLOW AROUND UNSECURED SMALL OBJECTS. SEEK SHELTER IN A SAFE HOME OR BUILDING UNTIL THIS STORM HAS PASSED. LAT...LON 3079 9197 3085 9235 3117 9227 3115 9206 RUA
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was reported down in Elmer by a passing storm.
The sheriff’s department reported a tree down on power lines at the intersection of highways 1207 and 115.
A NWS employee reported a tree down along highway 12 east of Dequincy.
A report from the public was received of 1.5 inch hail in the town of Whiteville.
A report was received of a bridge washed out due to heavy rain in the area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Louisiana in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, August 2012
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: 409174, 409175, 409177, 409176, 409178.