Louisiana, 2013

Flash Flood in Louisiana, November 1, 2013

November 1, 2013 · NWS LCH · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy rain during Halloween caused flooding with some flash flooding lingering into the early morning of the first.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS LCH wrote it up.

Heavy rain during Halloween caused flooding with some flash flooding lingering into the early morning of the first.

What forecasters said that day

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 Oct 31, 11:01 PM CST, 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 31, 11:01 PM CST, 59 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 31, 4:32 AM CST, 19 hours 28 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
532 AM CDT THU OCT 31 2013

GMZ430-432-435-450-452-455-470-472-475-LAZ027>033-041>045-052>055-
073-074-TXZ180-201-215-216-259>262-011045-
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-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-
532 AM CDT THU OCT 31 2013

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

HEAVY RAIN WILL ACCOMPANY A SQUALL LINE AS IT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA
TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS IS OUT AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT WHICH WILL
ENTER THE AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST ABOUT SUNDOWN AND WILL BE MOVING THROUGH
LOWER ACADIANA AFTER MIDNIGHT. AROUND 5 INCHES OF RAIN HAS ALREADY
FALLEN OVER INTERIOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN
ISSUED FOR THAT AREA EXTENDING INTO CENTRAL LOUISIANA THROUGH THIS EVENING.

AN ADDITIONAL TWO TO FOUR INCHES OF RAIN IS EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT.
STORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SQUALL LINE COULD REACH SEVERE LIMITS
TODAY AND THIS EVENING. A FEW TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE AS
THERE IS ADEQUATE SHEAR IN THE LOW LEVELS.

A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT. A WIND ADVISORY HAS
BEEN ISSUED FOR THE COASTAL AREA EXTENDING INTO BEAUMONT, ORANGE,
AND LAFAYETTE. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT INCLUDING THE
COASTAL LAKES AND BAYS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

DRY CONDITIONS WITH GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS DIMINISHING INTO THE THE WEEKEND.
RAIN CHANCES BEGIN TO RAMP UP STARTING ON TUESDAY IN ADVANCE OF
ANOTHER PACIFIC FRONTAL SYSTEM LATER IN THE WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF SPOTTERS MAY BE REQUIRED WITH THE SQUALL LINE.

SWEENEY

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 16 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:04 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Vernon

When
November 1, 12:00 AM CST to 1:05 AM CST
Where
Vernon County, 4.77 mi NNW of Cravens to 3.49 mi NW of Cravens
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
31.030, -93.060

Heavy rain from slow moving storms produced flash flooding in portions of Fort Polk during Halloween. This caused Birds Creek to quickly rise closing some roadways. Water levels along the creek rose to around 2 feet over roads closing the road during the morning of October 31st and lasted into the early morning of November 1st.

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Louisiana in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, November 2013

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 480522.