A slow moving upper level disturbance and approaching weak cold front pulled deep moisture into the region resulting in widespread storms. Slow moving thunderstorms across Southeast Texas caused flooding.
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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 slow moving upper level disturbance and approaching weak cold front pulled deep moisture into the region resulting in widespread storms. Slow moving thunderstorms across Southeast Texas caused 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 May 28, 3:46 AM CST, 44 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
446 AM CDT WED MAY 28 2014
.SYNOPSIS...A CUT OFF UPPER LEVEL LOW DRIFTING SOUTHEAST OUT OF
NORTHEAST TEXAS AND EMBEDDED IN COMBINED MOISTURE FIELDS FROM THE
GULF AND THE PACIFIC WILL CONTINUE TO PULSE PERIODS OF
THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL. AS THIS LOW STALLS OVER
LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS...PERIODS OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH
HEAVY RAINFALL ARE LIKELY TO CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY.
&&
.SHORT TERM...UPPER LEVEL DIFLUENCE WILL CONTINUE ALONG WITH COLD
POOLING ALOFT ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW TO PRODUCE PERIODS OF
HEAVY RAINFALL. KEPT TEMPS BELOW GUIDANCE BY DAY DUE TO CLOUD
COVER AND RAINCOOLED AIR. HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT AND WET GROUNDS
DURING THE OVERNIGHTS SHOULD RESULT IN SOMEWHAT HIGHER COMPARED
WITH THE MOS. DUE TO THE PULSING NATURE OF THE PRECIP WENT CLOSER
TO THE MORE CONSERVATIVE NAM ON POPS...STILL LIKELY FOR MOST OF
THE AREA. MENTIONED HEAVY RAINFALL AS PRECIP WATER VALUES APPROACH
2 INCHES.
&&
.LONG TERM...RAINS SHOULD TAPER OF ON SUNDAY AS THE LOW EVENTUALLY
SPINS DOWN AND WEAKENS, REPLACED BY A WEAKNESS IN THE UPPER LEVEL
RIDGE AND EVENTUAL STRENGTHENING OF THE BERMUDA SURFACE RIDGE BY
MONDAY.
&&
.HYDROLOGY...EXPECTING UPWARDS OF 4 INCHES OF ADDITIONAL RAINFALL
THROUGH FRIDAY. MANY LOCATIONS HAVE RECEIVED OVER AN INCH ALONG
THE I-10 CORRIDOR. THE FLOOD WATCH WILL LIKELY BE EXTENDED BEYOND
THIS AFTERNOON. THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL LOOKS TO SHIFT TO THE EAST
OF THE AREA LATER ON THURSDAY. BEGINNING TO ISSUE RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS.
INITIALLY FOR THE VERMILION RIVER DUE TO ONGOING RAINFALL. MAY SEE
OTHERS ARE EXPECTED TO APPROACH OR SURPASS FLOOD STAGE IN A COUPLE
OF DAYS. SEE THE LATEST RIVER FLOOD STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS FOR DETAILS.
SWEENEY
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
KLCH 81 68 84 70 86 / 70 70 50 40 50
KBPT 82 67 84 71 87 / 70 60 50 30 50
KAEX 79 70 82 69 86 / 70 70 70 40 50
KLFT 79 71 82 71 86 / 70 70 60 40 50
&&
.LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
LA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: ACADIA...ALLEN...AVOYELLES...BEAUREGARD...
CALCASIEU...EAST CAMERON...EVANGELINE...IBERIA...JEFFERSON
DAVIS...LAFAYETTE...LOWER ST. MARTIN...RAPIDES...ST.
LANDRY...ST. MARY...UPPER ST. MARTIN...VERMILION...VERNON...
WEST CAMERON.
TX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: HARDIN...JEFFERSON...NORTHERN JASPER...NORTHERN
NEWTON...ORANGE...SOUTHERN JASPER...SOUTHERN NEWTON...TYLER.
GM...NONE.
&&
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&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 509 AM CDT WED MAY 28 2014 LAZ027>033-041>045-052>055-073-074-TXZ180-201-215-216-259>262- 291015- 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- 509 AM CDT WED MAY 28 2014 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 FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES TODAY AS A CUT OFF LOW CONTINUES TO MEANDER SOUTHEAST OUT OF NORTHEAST TEXAS AND SETTLING OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND LOUISIANA. AN ADDITIONAL TWO INCHES OF RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY ANOTHER TWO INCHES OF RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. THE UPPER LOW EVENTUALLY WEAKENS WITH LESSER AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL THIS WEEKEND. THE BERMUDA RIDGE SHOULD BUILD INTO THE AREA NEXT WEEK WITH DRY CONDITIONS STARTING MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. GMZ430-432-435-450-452-455-470-472-475-291015- 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- 509 AM CDT WED MAY 28 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWEST GULF OF MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WINDS AND SEAS WILL BE HIGHER NEAR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...OTHERWISE LIGHT SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE WITH SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD TAPER OFF BEYOND FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. SWEENEY
The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 75 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:28 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
KFDM TV in Beaumont relayed several reports of street flooding of secondary roads around Vidor from slow moving heavy thunderstorms.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2014
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: 515203.