Louisiana, 2013

Flash Flooding in Louisiana, September 20, 2013

September 20, 2013 · NWS SHV · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A long wave trough moved into the Southern Plains during the afternoon, evening and overnight hours of September 20th. This trough was able to tap not only Gulf Of Mexico Moisture, but Eastern Pacific Moisture as well due to moisture associated with Hurricane Manuel off the coast of Baja California.

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
2

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 SHV wrote it up.

A long wave trough moved into the Southern Plains during the afternoon, evening and overnight hours of September 20th. This trough was able to tap not only Gulf Of Mexico Moisture, but Eastern Pacific Moisture as well due to moisture associated with Hurricane Manuel off the coast of Baja California. Disturbances rotated out of the Mexican Plateau and into the region from the south and west, providing the lift needed for widespread showers and thunderstorms across the region. Some of this activity trained over the same general area during the overnight hours and produced very heavy rainfall rates. Widespread 2-4 inches of rainfall were the result with isolated higher amounts approaching 8 inches. Despite drought conditions across the region, rates were such that the water produced strong runoff and some flooding was noted.

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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 20, 2:18 PM CST, 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 20, 2:18 PM CST, 42 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 20, 10:51 AM CST, 4 hours 9 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
1151 AM CDT FRI SEP 20 2013

ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-OKZ077-
TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-211700-
SEVIER-HOWARD-LITTLE RIVER-HEMPSTEAD-NEVADA-MILLER-LAFAYETTE-
COLUMBIA-UNION AR-CADDO-BOSSIER-WEBSTER-CLAIBORNE-LINCOLN-
UNION LA-DE SOTO-RED RIVER-BIENVILLE-JACKSON-OUACHITA-SABINE LA-
NATCHITOCHES-WINN-GRANT-CALDWELL-LA SALLE-MCCURTAIN-BOWIE-
FRANKLIN-TITUS-CAMP-MORRIS-CASS-WOOD-UPSHUR-MARION-SMITH-GREGG-
HARRISON-CHEROKEE-RUSK-PANOLA-NACOGDOCHES-SHELBY-ANGELINA-
SAN AUGUSTINE-SABINE TX-
1151 AM CDT FRI SEP 20 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
ARKANSAS...SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
NORTHWEST LOUISIANA...SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...EAST TEXAS AND
NORTHEAST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

HEAVY RAINFALL ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCE...COMBINED
WITH AMPLE PACIFIC MOISTURE...COULD CONTRIBUTE TO LOCALIZED FLASH
FLOODING ACROSS POOR DRAINAGE AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS AROUND THE
FOUR STATE REGION TODAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY.
AT THIS TIME...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

THE ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL...AMATEUR RADIO
OPERATORS...AND STORM SPOTTERS IS NOT ANTICIPATED. HOWEVER...FIRST
RESPONDERS NEED TO FOLLOW THIS ONGOING WEATHER EVENT CLOSELY DUE
TO THE POSSIBILITY OF LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING.

05

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 20, 1:15 PM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
215 PM CDT FRI SEP 20 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0158 PM     FLASH FLOOD      LINDALE                 32.51N  95.41W
09/20/2013                   SMITH              TX   BROADCAST MEDIA

            ROAD GIVEN WAY ON CR 474 CAR STUCK NOSE FIRST IN THE
            WATER

&&

EVENT NUMBER SHV1300353

25
Local storm report, Sep 20, 1:59 PM CST, 1 hour 1 minute before
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Special weather statement, Sep 20, 2:23 PM CST, 37 minutes before
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Local storm report, Sep 20, 2:29 PM CST, 31 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Sep 20, 2:51 PM CST, 9 minutes before
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Local storm report, Sep 20, 2:54 PM CST, 6 minutes before
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The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 13 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Bossier

When
September 20, 3:00 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Bossier County, 0.56 mi S of Bossier City to 0.17 mi SE of Bossier City
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Broadcast Media
Coordinates
32.512, -93.721

Street flooding was reported on Barksdale Boulevard and on Old Minden Road at Preston Boulevard. Streets were briefly closed and barricaded.

Flash Flood, Caddo

When
September 20, 3:00 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Caddo County, 0.96 mi W of Dixie Gardens to 1.19 mi WNW of Dixie Gardens
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
32.452, -93.716

High water was reported on Roma Drive near Youree Drive in Southeast Shreveport.

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, September 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 469754, 469756.