A couple of funnel clouds were reported across Southwest 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.
A couple of funnel clouds were reported across Southwest 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 18, 11:36 AM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 1236 PM CDT SAT AUG 18 2012 .AVIATION... STORMS EXTEND FROM SOUTHEAST TEXAS OVER TO ST MARTIN PARISH IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA. THESE STORMS ARE PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS... CEILINGS VARYING FROM 025 TO 050 IN AND AROUND TSTMS. STORMS TDY ARE MOVING TO THE EAST. THIS ACTVTY IS EXPECTED TO SLOWLY DISSIPATE THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS BEFORE BEFORE ENDING AROUND SUNSET. STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ALONG THE COAST AND INTO THE COASTAL WATERS DURING THE EVE AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. STORMS ON TAP FOR TMRW. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 651 AM CDT SAT AUG 18 2012/ DISCUSSION... FOR THE 12Z TAF PACKAGE. AVIATION... SCATTERED CONVECTION OVER THE COASTAL WATERS IS STARTING TO CREEP INLAND ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA. OTHERWISE...MOST OF THE REGION IS COVERED WITH CIRRUS BLOW-OFF FROM CONVECTION TO THE NORTHWEST. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA TODAY...BUT SPECIFYING THE TIMING/LOCATION AND RESULTING IMPACTS TO PARTICULAR TERMINALS IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE AT THIS JUNCTURE. CONSEQUENTLY...WILL PREVAIL VFR WITH VCTS AT ALL SITES FROM MID TO LATE MORNING THROUGH EARLY TO MID EVENING. 13 PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 510 AM CDT SAT AUG 18 2012/ SYNOPSIS... UPPER LEVEL ANALYSIS SHOWS LARGE TROF OVER THE ERN CONUS...WITH RIDGING WEST OF THE ROCKIES. THE SRN EXTENT OF THE RIDGE CONTINUES TO BE SHUNTED SOUTH AND WEST AS THE TROF CONTINUES TO DIG OVER THE MIDDLE AND LOWER MS VALLEYS AND SHORTWAVE ENERGY TRAVELS SE ALONG THE BASE OF THE TROF INTO THE GULF COAST. RADAR MOSAIC THIS MORNING SHOWS A WEAKENING MCS ACRS NE TX WITH OTHER ACTIVITY FURTHER NORTH ACRS ERN OK. MEANWHILE AT THE SFC...WEAK LOW PRESSURE WAS SITUATED ACRS THE RED RIVER VALLEY OF SE OK/NE TX WITH THE FRONT EXTENDING EAST ACRS SRN ARK AND ALSO SW FM THE LOW ACRS NRN AND CNTL TX. WARM AND MUGGY CONDITIONS CONTINUE ACRS SW LA AND SE TX WITH WEAK SFC PRESSURE OVER THE NRN GULF MAINTAINING A SLY FLOW. DISCUSSION... UPPER TROF WILL REMAIN MORE OR LESS IN PLACE THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF THE WEEK...WITH A SERIES OF DISTURBANCES TRAVELING THROUGH THE BASE OF THE TROF. THE SFC FRONT WILL REMAIN QUASI-STATIONARY THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING...THEN GRADUALLY MOVE SOUTHWARD SUNDAY INTO MONDAY UNDER INCREASINGLY NW FLOW ALOFT AS THE UPPER TROF DEEPENS OVER THE REGION. THE COMBINATION OF SHORTWAVE ENERGY ALOFT...THE NEARBY SFC BOUNDARY AND ABUNDANT MOISTURE WITH PRECIP WATER AROUND 2 INCHES...WILL ALLOW FOR SCT TO NMRS SHOWERS AND STORMS TO DEVELOP ACRS THE AREA TODAY INTO SUNDAY. THE HIGHEST CHANCES WILL OCCUR DURING THE AFTN AS INSTABILITY INCREASES WITH DAYTIME HEATING...AND A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS CANNOT BE RULED OUT. SPC DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK INDICATES A SLT RISK JUST NORTH OF THE CWA DUE TO THE PLACEMENT OF STRONGER WIND SHEAR AND THE VICINITY OF THE FRONT. ACTIVITY WILL DIMINISH SLIGHTLY DURING THE EVENING...ALTHOUGH MODELS INDICATE YET ANOTHER CONVECTIVE COMPLEX WILL BE MAKING ITS WAY SE ACRS THE RED RIVER VALLEY SATURDAY NIGHT WITH THE POTENTIAL TO BRING SOME SCT SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS TO NRN PORTIONS OF THE AREA. HOWEVER...THE HIGHEST RAIN CHANCES ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR ON SUNDAY WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA AS THE SFC FRONT BEGINS A SLOW SOUTHWARD TREK TOWARD THE AREA WHILE AN UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK BRINGS AN INCREASE IN DIVERGENCE ALOFT LATE IN THE DAY. IN ADDITION...A SURGE OF MOISTURE MOVING NORTH FM WHATS LEFT OF TS HELENE WILL INTERACT WITH THESE FEATURES...RESULTING IN THE POSSIBILITY OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. THE INCREASE IN CLOUDS AND SHOWERS TODAY AND SUNDAY WILL KEEP AFTN MAXIMUMS NEAR OR SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL...WITH TEMPS AROUND 90...ALTHOUGH A FEW LOWER 90S WILL BE POSSIBLE IN LOCATIONS THAT SEE A LITTLE MORE SUN. THE UPPER TROF LOOKS TO DEEPEN SUFFICIENTLY SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY TO ALLOW THE SFC FRONT TO PUSH ACRS THE COASTAL WATERS BY MONDAY MORNING...TAKING DEEPER MOISTURE AND HIGHER RAIN CHANCES WITH IT. DRIER AIR FILTERING OVER THE REGION BEHIND THE FRONT WILL BRING AN END TO RAIN CHANCES MONDAY...WITH JUST A SLT CHC FOR SHOWERS OR STORMS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS AS THE BOUNDARY STALLS OVER THE NRN GULF. MODELS SHOW NLY WINDS AND DRIER AIR OVER THE REGION THROUGH AT LEAST WEDNESDAY...WITH MORNING LOWS INTO THE UPPER 60S ACRS INTERIOR PORTIONS OF THE AREA TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THE FRONT WILL GRADUALLY WASH OUT THROUGH THE WEEK...WITH SLY WINDS RETURNING THURSDAY. WILL SEE A GRADUAL WARMING TREND THROUGH THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEK...ALONG WITH INCREASING HUMIDITIES AND A LOW CHANCE FOR SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS. MARINE... HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO WILL ALLOW A MOSTLY LIGHT ONSHORE FLOW TO PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND. DISTURBANCES ALOFT...COMBINED WITH A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT OVER THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI/RED RIVER VALLEYS...WILL BRING ABOUT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH INTO THE COASTAL WATERS ON MONDAY...WITH RAIN CHANCES DIMINISHING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH AND AN OFFSHORE FLOW DEVELOPING THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF THE WEEK. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... KLCH 74 90 72 90 71 / 30 80 50 50 10 KBPT 75 89 72 91 72 / 30 80 40 40 10 KAEX 72 88 68 87 67 / 40 80 40 30 10 KLFT 75 88 73 89 71 / 30 80 50 50 10 && .LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LA...NONE. TX...NONE. GM...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 543 AM CDT SAT AUG 18 2012 LAZ027>033-041>045-052>055-073-074-TXZ180-201-215-216-259>262- 191045- 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- 543 AM CDT SAT AUG 18 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 A NEARLY STATIONARY SURFACE FRONT WILL REMAIN NORTH OF THE AREA THROUGH TONIGHT. THE COMBINATION OF THE FRONT...ABUNDANT MOISTURE OVER THE AREA AND A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL PRODUCE SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED ALTHOUGH A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE PRIMARY THREATS ASSOCIATED WITH THE STORMS WILL BE FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DIMINISH DURING THE EVENING...BUT SCATTERED SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS FROM THE LAKES AREA OF EAST TEXAS INTO CENTRAL LOUISIANA AS ANOTHER DISTURBANCE BRINGS A COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS SOUTHEAST TOWARD THE REGION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE SURFACE FRONT WILL GRADUALLY MOVE SOUTH SUNDAY...CROSSING THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. THE FRONT...COMBINED WITH ABUNDANT MOISTURE AND PASSING DISTURBANCES ALOFT...WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY. THE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH COULD CAUSE MINOR FLOODING OF DITCHES OF LOW-LYING AREAS AS WELL AS PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS. RAIN CHANCES WILL END FROM NORTH TO SOUTH ON MONDAY...WITH DRIER WEATHER AND SLIGHTLY COOLER MORNINGS EXPECTED TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. GMZ430-432-435-450-452-455-470-472-475-191045- 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- 543 AM CDT SAT AUG 18 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWEST GULF OF MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT MAINLY LIGHT ONSHORE WINDS ARE EXPECTED. HOWEVER...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP TODAY. THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LOCALLY HIGHER WINDS AND SEAS...ALONG WITH FREQUENT CLOUD TO WATER LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH COULD REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN ONE MILE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE SURFACE FRONT WILL GRADUALLY MOVE SOUTH SUNDAY...ENTERING THE NORTHERN GULF BY MONDAY MORNING. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED SUNDAY AS PASSING DISTURBANCES ALOFT COMBINE WITH THE SURFACE BOUNDARY. THE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LOCALLY HIGHER WINDS AND SEAS...ALONG WITH FREQUENT CLOUD TO WATER LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAINFALL GREATLY REDUCING VISIBILITIES. RAIN CHANCES WILL DIMINISH BY MONDAY NIGHT ALTHOUGH A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEK AS THE FRONT STALLS OVER THE NORTHERN GULF. A LIGHT TO MODERATE OFFSHORE FLOW WILL DEVELOP IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT MONDAY...CONTINUING THROUGH MIDWEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. 24
The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 45 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:38 UTC.
2 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
The public reported a funnel cloud that went back into the clouds after a couple of minutes near Holly Beach.
The Calcasieu Parish Emergency Manager reported a funnel cloud near Iowa.
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: 409180, 409181.