A strong upper level disturbance fired up some showers and thunderstorms in the early morning hours, resulting in an isolated tornado near Oberlin.
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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 strong upper level disturbance fired up some showers and thunderstorms in the early morning hours, resulting in an isolated tornado near Oberlin.
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 Jan 31, 11:37 PM CST, 53 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 1137 PM CST TUE JAN 31 2012 .AVIATION...IFR AND LIFR CONDITIONS IN SHRA AND FG CAN BE EXPECTED TONIGHT AND INTO MID MORNING WEDNESDAY. A FEW TSRA WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT. BRIEF PERIODS OF IMPROVING CONDITIONS INTO MVFR CONDITIONS MAY OCCUR THROUGH THE NIGHT BEFORE BECOMING PREDOMINANT BEFORE NOON WED. HIGH MOISTURE LVLS MAY ALLOW FOG FORMATION AGAIN TOMORROW NIGHT. WINDS WILL BE SOUTH TO SOUTH-SOUTH EAST TONIGHT AND GRADUALLY BECOME S-SW IN THE MORNING. /TINGLER && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1019 PM CST TUE JAN 31 2012/ DISCUSSION... MINOR CHANGES TO ZONES...MAINLY TO BETTER DEPICT THE AREA COVERAGE OF THE RAIN SHOWERS. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 905 PM CST TUE JAN 31 2012/ DISCUSSION... THE BERMUDA HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM RIDGES WEST-SOUTHWEST THROUGH NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA AND INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. ITS CLOCKWISE CIRCULATION IS STEERING BAHAMIAN AIR WESTWARD THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST GULF OF MEXICO...BEFORE TURNING NORTHWARD THROUGH THE NORTHWEST GULF OF MEXICO AND INTO THE GULF COAST. THE WARM CONVEYOR BELT AIRSTREAM IS FIRMLY ENTRENCHED ACROSS THE WESTERN UPPER GULF COAST STATES. UPSLIDING BAHAMIAN AIR CONTINUES TO GENERATE AND MAINTAIN ADVECTION STRATUS. FURTHER-UP...PACIFIC SHORTWAVES ARE EMANATING OUT OF CENTRAL MEXICO...TRAVELING ACROSS THE TEXAS OFFSHORE WATERS...LANDFALLING ACROSS LOUISIANA. THESE TRAVELING SHORTWAVES ARE GENERATING AND STEERING WIDE BANDS OF SHOWERS ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA. THE DYNAMIC MODELS DEPICT AN EASTWARD DRIFT OF THE WAVE TRACK DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE RAINS WILL TAPER OFF FROM WEST-TO-EAST. AREAS OF FOG ARE EXPECTED TO FORM AS THE BANDS OF SHOWERS EXIT THE REGION... AND THE AFOREMENTIONED ADVECTION STRATUS WORKS ITS WAY DOWNWARD TO THE GROUND. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 557 PM CST TUE JAN 31 2012/ AVIATION...SCATTERED TO ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD ALONG WITH AREAS OF FOG TOWARD MORNING. ISOLATED STORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE, HOWEVER CHANCES ARE LOW AROUND ANY TERMINAL AND DECIDED TO LEAVE VCSH IN. CEILINGS AND VIS MAY BE DOWN INTO LIFR CRITERIA AT ANY OR ALL TERMINALS TOWARD MORNING IN FOG AND SHOWERS. WINDS WILL BE JUST EAST OF SOUTH THROUGH THE NEXT SEVERAL HRS, BUT BECOME SW DURING WED MORN. /TINGLER PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 452 PM CST TUE JAN 31 2012/ DISCUSSION... LATEST WATER VAPOR SATELLITE IMAGERY/UPPER AIR ANALYSIS SHOWED NOISY SW FLOW ACROSS THE NW GULF COAST REGION DOWNSTREAM OF A MEAN LOW AMPLITUDE WRN CONUS TROF. AT THE SFC...STNG HIGH PRESSURE WAS CENTERED OFF THE COAST OF THE CAROLINAS WITH AN AXIS STRETCHING WWD ALONG THE GULF COAST....WITH A CDFNT OVER THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN PLAINS EXTENDING FM NE KS TO THE TX PANHANDLE. LATEST RADAR IMAGERY SHOWS AN UPTICK IN CONVECTIVE COVERAGE ACROSS EAST TEXAS...WHICH COINCIDES QUITE WELL WITH PROGGED EASTWARD PROGRESSION OF 850-700MB THETAE RIDGE. WILL MAINTAIN SLIGHT CHANCE/CHANCE POPS THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. OTHER PRIMARY CONCERN TONIGHT IS FOG FORMATION. ALREADY SEEING SOME VSBY RESTRICTIONS AT SEVERAL OFFSHORE REPORTING SITES AS MOISTURE LADEN AIR WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE MID/UPPER 60S IS TRANSPORTED ATOP WATER SURFACE TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW/MID 60S. DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE FROM THE HIRES ARW/NMM...NAM...AND RUC...ALONG WITH PROBABILISTIC GUIDANCE FROM THE SREF...WARRANT THE INCLUSION OF FOG FROM MID EVENING THROUGH TOMORROW MORNING...WITH THE GREATEST RISK OF DENSE ADVECTION FOG OCCURRING IN A ZONE FROM THE NEARSHORE COASTAL WATERS NORTH TO NEAR THE I-10 CORRIDOR. WILL WORD AREAS OF FOG HERE AND PATCHY FARTHER NORTH...AND LET EVENING CREW MONITOR OBSERVATIONS INTO THE EVENING TO DETERMINE NEED FOR AN ADVISORY. DECENT RAIN CHANCES CONTINUE TOMORROW AS SHORTWAVE ENERGY CURRENTLY NEAR THE BAJA TRANSLATES THROUGH THE THE ARKLATEX...WITH RELATIVE DRYING IN THE WAKE OF THIS FEATURE KNOCKING POPS DOWN TO JUST A SLIGHT CHANCE ON THURSDAY. FAIRLY GOOD CONSENSUS AMONG THE GLOBAL MODELS OF A HIGHLY AMPLIFIED RIDGE FORMING OVER THE EPAC/WEST COAST...WITH A DOWNSTREAM UPPER LOW DEVELOPING AND BECOMING CUT OFF...OR NEARLY SO...OVER THE ROCKIES. THE RESULT AT THE SFC IS A LEE-SIDE LOW THAT TRACKS EAST THRU THE SOUTHERN PLAINS...WITH A N-S ORIENTED CDFNT PROGGED TO BE SOMEWHERE OVER EAST TEXAS FRIDAY NIGHT. GOOD LIFT COUPLED WITH A NWD SURGE OF MOISTURE LED TO INCREASING POPS A BIT FOR FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. BEYOND THIS...THE EVOLUTION OF THE UPPER LEVEL FEATURES...AND THUS THE SURFACE FEATURES...CONTINUES TO BE A SOURCE OF DISAGREEMENT. FOR THIS FORECAST CYCLE...USED A BLEND OF HPC/GFS/GEM TO ARRIVE AT A SOLUTION THAT SHOWS A WEAKER FRONT CROSSING THE AREA ON SATURDAY THAN PREVIOUSLY FORECAST. IT SHOULD BE NOTED...HOWEVER...THAT THE USUALLY RELIABLE ECMWF DOESN/T GET THE FRONT EAST OF OUR AREA UNTIL MONDAY...DEPICTING A LESS PROGRESSIVE SOLUTION WITH THE UPPER LOW THAN THE GFS OR GEM. SHOULD THIS PAN OUT...A WARMER AND RAINIER SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY WOULD TRANSPIRE. 13 MARINE... LIGHT TO SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH TOMORROW...BECOMING LIGHT AND FROM THE NORTHEAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY AS A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY SAGS INTO THE REGION. THE POTENTIAL FOR SEA FOG WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE AS VERY MOIST AIR IS TRANSPORTED ATOP RELATIVELY COOLER WATER TEMPERATURES. A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL PASS THROUGH THE REGION OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THIS WILL RESULT IN ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO RESUME LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY WITH THE APPROACH OF ANOTHER COLD FRONT CURRENTLY FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHWEST GULF ON SATURDAY. 13 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... KLCH 72 61 76 60 73 / 30 60 40 20 20 KBPT 72 61 74 61 72 / 30 60 30 20 20 KAEX 71 58 75 55 71 / 40 60 40 20 20 KLFT 71 61 75 59 72 / 20 60 50 20 20 && .LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LA...NONE. TX...NONE. GM...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 407 AM CST TUE JAN 31 2012 LAZ027>033-041>045-052>055-073-074-TXZ180-201-215-216-259>262- 011015- 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- 407 AM CST TUE JAN 31 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 AREAS OF SHOWERS TODAY WITH TEMPERATURES CLIMBING INTO THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY AREAS OF FOG OVERNIGHT MAINLY ALONG THE I-10 CORRIDOR SOUTH TO THE COAST ON WEDNESDAY MORNING AND AGAIN ON THURSDAY MORNING. WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE ON WEDNESDAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS RETURN ON FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY MORNING AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. GMZ430-432-435-450-452-455-470-472-475-011015- 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- 407 AM CST TUE JAN 31 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWEST GULF OF MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
A tornado touched down near the Calcasieu River west of Oberlin along Highway 26, snapping at least a dozen pine trees. Before it dissipated, it peeled part of the roof of a small barn on Garcile Road north of Oberlin.
Trees were reported down along Highways 10 and 106.
The Evangeline Parish EM reported street flooding on the westbound lane of La Salle Street/Highway 167.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Louisiana in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Louisiana, 2012Warnings in Louisiana, February 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: 356063, 365911, 366094.