A thunderstorm developed over South Lake Charles and slowly drifted east. While the storm developed a funnel cloud developed near the Lake Charles Regional Airport.
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The episode as NWS LCH wrote it up.
A thunderstorm developed over South Lake Charles and slowly drifted east. While the storm developed a funnel cloud developed near the Lake Charles Regional Airport.
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 Apr 10, 12:04 PM CST, 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 104 PM CDT FRI APR 10 2015 .AVIATION...BUSY WEATHER PATTERN WITH A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT NEARING THE I-10 CORRIDOR. MVFR WITH SOME IFR CIGS WITH TSTMS MOVING INTO THE LFT TERMINAL AREA. AEX LOOKS TO HAVE THE BEST CONDITIONS WITH MVFR AND ONLY A FEW WEAK SHOWERS IN THE COLDER AIRMASS NORTH OF THE FRONT. IMPROVING TO VFR THIS EVENING. THE REMAINDER OF THE TERMINALS RAIN ACTIVITY ENDING BY DARK COULD SEE LIFR CIGS LATER TNITE AS THE FRONT STALLS AND THEN RETURNS AS A WARM FRONT. 11 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1106 AM CDT FRI APR 10 2015/ DISCUSSION... CURRENT FCST IS ON TARGET WITH CONVECTION GRADUALLY INCREASING IN INTENSITY AND COVERAGE AS A CDFNT CONTINUES TO SAG TO THE SOUTH AND A SHORTWAVE TROF APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. 13 PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 713 AM CDT FRI APR 10 2015/ DISCUSSION... 12Z TAFS AVIATION... PATCHY DENSE FOG HAS DEVELOPED THIS MORNING ACROSS PARTS OF ACADIANA PRIMARILY IMPACTING ARA WHICH HAS SEEN QUARTER MILE VISIBILITIES OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF HOURS. EXPECT THE FOG TO BEGIN TO DISSIPATE THROUGH THE MORNING BUT IT WILL BE SLOW TO DO SO AS IT WILL BE ENCOMBERED BY THE LOW LEVEL CLOUD DECK A FEW HUNDRED FEET ABOVE IT. THE MAIN CONCERN TODAY WILL BE THE COLD FRONT WHICH IS JUST BEGINNING TO NUDGE ITS WAY INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA THIS MORNING. WHILE CONVECTION WITH THE FRONT IS CURRENTLY CONFINED TO THE NORTH OF AEX ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE BY MID TO LATE MORNING AND ALL SITES WILL BE DEALING WITH IT BEFORE THE DAY IS THROUGH. BASED ON SPEEDS ESTIMATED BY RADAR THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH AEX FIRST BY AROUND 14Z AND CONTINUE TO WORK ITS WAY SOUTHEAST REACHING BPT AND LCH BETWEEN 15Z AND 17Z AND LFT AND ARA BETWEEN 20Z AND 22Z. WHILE TAFS HAVE DEFINITIVE WIND SHIFTS ASSOCIATED WITH FRONTAL PASSAGE...TAKE NOTE THAT THE TIMES ASSOCIATED WITH THESE ARE LOW CONFIDENCE AS THE FRONT'S SPEED WILL EBB AND FLOW THROUGHOUT THE DAY BEFORE IT EVENTUALLY STALLS OUT JUST OFFSHORE. THEREFORE AMENDMENTS TO UPDATE THE TIMING OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 439 AM CDT FRI APR 10 2015/ DISCUSSION... THIS MORNING THE COLD FRONT WAS LOCATED ACROSS NORTHERN LOUISIANA INTO THE LAKES REGION OF LOUISIANA. RADAR DEPICTS A NARROW BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE VICINITY OF THE FRONT. IN ADDITION THE FRONT HAS BEEN MOVING SLOWLY OVERNIGHT. SHORT TERM GUIDANCE INDICATES THAT THE FRONT WILL MAKE IT TO AROUND I-10 BY 18Z AND INTO THE COASTAL WATERS AND ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL LA BY 00Z. DESPITE THE NARROW BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CURRENTLY ALONG THE FRONT...ALL THE HI-RESOLUTION GUIDANCE DEPICTS THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING AGAIN ALONG THE FRONT ONCE IT ENTERS SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHERN LOUISIANA AS ANOTHER SUBTLE SHORTWAVE TROUGH PASSES AND ENCOUNTERS DEEPER MOISTURE. IN ADDITION DIURNAL HEATING WILL HELP TO AID IN THE BUOYANCY AS WELL. CAPES LATE MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON ARE FORECAST TO BE GENERALLY IN THE 1500-2000 J/KG RANGE WITH LITTLE TO NO CAP. THUS WILL CONTINUE WITH LIKELY POPS TODAY...BUT TRY TO PUT A LITTLE MORE TIMING INTO THE GRIDS. WITH THE INCREASING INSTABILITY AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND FAVORABLE SPEED SHEAR A SEVERE STORM IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON...ALONG THE I-10 CORRIDOR WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND MARGINAL SEVERE HAIL. TORNADO RISK IS VERY LOW...BUT CAN NOT RULE IT OUT. SOME LINGERING POST FRONT SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE COASTAL AREAS TONIGHT...WITH MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA SEEING A BREAK IN THE ACTIVITY AS THE FRONT BECOMES STATIONARY. RETURN FLOW SETS UP ON SATURDAY AND THE FRONT WILL BEGIN TO RE-TREAT BACK AS A WARM FRONT. WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ONCE AGAIN BECOMING LIKELY BY THE AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY OVER THE SOUTHERN TWO THIRDS OF THE AREA. THERE COULD BE A LITTLE BREAK IN THE ACTIVITY SATURDAY NIGHT BEFORE A TROUGH/LOW BEGINS TO MOVE EAST ACROSS TEXAS ON SUNDAY INCREASING RAIN CHANCES ONCE AGAIN. WHICH LOOKS TO CONTINUE INTO MONDAY. THIS SUNDAY TO MONDAY TIME FRAME DOES POSE A HEAVY RAINFALL RISK AND WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS POTENTIAL. AN ACTIVE SOUTHERN JET AND PLENTIFUL MOISTURE WILL KEEP THE CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ELEVATED THROUGH LATE NEXT WEEK. MARINE... A COLD FRONT WILL ADVANCE INTO THE NEAR COASTAL WATERS AND STALL THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. THIS FRONT WILL BRING A CHANCE FOR A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WITH THIS ACTIVITY CONTINUING INTO SATURDAY. THE BOUNDARY WILL THEN LIFT NORTH AS WARM FRONT SUNDAY WITH A SOUTHERLY FLOW RETURNING. UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES MOVING ACROSS THE AREA WILL THEN KEEP A DAILY CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING THROUGH MID- WEEK. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AEX 74 58 77 64 / 60 10 30 30 LCH 79 62 78 66 / 70 20 60 50 LFT 81 63 79 66 / 70 30 60 50 BPT 79 64 78 67 / 60 20 60 50 && .LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LA...NONE. TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && AVIATION...13
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 551 AM CDT FRI APR 10 2015 GMZ430-432-435-450-452-455-470-472-475-LAZ027>033-041>045-052>055- 073-074-TXZ180-201-215-216-259>262-111100- SABINE LAKE-CALCASIEU LAKE-VERMILLION 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- 551 AM CDT FRI APR 10 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWEST GULF OF MEXICO...CENTRAL LOUISIANA...SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA... SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA...WEST CENTRAL LOUISIANA...EAST CENTRAL TEXAS AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA TODAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM LAKE CHARLES TO OPELOUSAS AND A MARGINAL RISK ELSEWHERE. THE THREATS TODAY ARE DAMAGING WINDS AND MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE FRONT PUSHES BACK NORTHWARD ACROSS THE REGION ON SATURDAY...MULTIPLE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH MID-WEEK...KEEPING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST. SOME AREA WILL LIKELY RECEIVE HEAVY RAINFALL AS WELL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 2 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:04 UTC.
1 funnel cloud, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A thunderstorm developed over South Lake Charles during the early afternoon. As the storm grew a funnel cloud developed just north of the Lake Charles Regional Airport. Numerous National Weather Service employees watched the funnel as it drifted east.
A slow moving thunderstorm developed over South Lake Charles and produced heavy rainfall. Flood water flooded at least one home on Sundale Drive near Common Street. Numerous roads were flooded along with cars stalled along Prien Lake, Derek, Kirkman, and Sale Roads and Streets. Storm Total from the event at the Lake Charles Regional Airport was 5.04 inches most of which fell in one hour.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Louisiana in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, April 2015
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: 566119, 566160.