A warm front slowly lifted north over the area during the 21st and 22nd. Numerous showers and storms moved across the area with isolated severe hail and flooding reported.
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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 warm front slowly lifted north over the area during the 21st and 22nd. Numerous showers and storms moved across the area with isolated severe hail and flooding reported.
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 21, 6:24 PM CST, 25 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lake Charles LA 724 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2016 .DISCUSSION... Early evening update to increase PoPs for the evening hrs based on radar/satellite trends and recent HRRR/RAP guidance. Should these latter prove correct, then additional updates will be required to increase PoPs for the overnight hrs too. 13 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 645 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2016/ AVIATION...Have opted to maintain VCTS or VCSH at our terminals of BPT and LCH. Weak frontal boundary analyzed across coastal south-central Louisiana, then arcing northwest through southwest Louisiana into southeast Texas. Seeing decent moisture pooling with this feature as weak disturbances ride in on a westerly flow aloft. Will continue to monitor and may have to include some mention of convection over Acadiana. Expecting VFR to hold at all terminals through this TAF package with the exception of BPT where some MVFR ceilings should come into play overnight. PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 352 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2016/ DISCUSSION... Summer has arrived as temps around the region have climbed back into the upper 80s with a few locations reporting mid 80s. Radar has remain quiet across southeast Texas and southern Louisiana as storms along the central Texas coast lift northeast and near this region... but these storms are expected to end around sunset with the loss of heating. Tonight will be a bit muggy as temperatures fall back towards the upper 60s to lower 70s. A few areas to see a bit of fog overnight burning off around sunrise. Tomorrow the front or what is left of the front will drift back northward and into southeast Texas allowing the moisture profile to deepen. Several weak shortwaves moving through the ridge will support some storm activity in southeast Texas during the afternoon hours. A few more storms on tap for Monday as the boundary pulls further to the north and east opening up southwest Louisiana to the gulf moisture. The ridge aloft looks to begin to strengthen late Tuesday into Wednesday this will shut down most of the precip and in doing will allow for temps to climb a bit towards the end of the week. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AEX 66 86 66 86 / 10 10 0 30 LCH 69 84 69 85 / 20 20 10 30 LFT 69 86 69 86 / 20 10 10 20 BPT 71 85 71 86 / 50 30 10 40 && .LCH Watches/Warnings/Advisories... LA...None. TX...None. GM...None. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA 335 AM CDT SAT MAY 21 2016 LAZ027>033-041>045-052>055-073-074-TXZ180-201-215-216-259>262- 221100- 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- 335 AM CDT SAT MAY 21 2016 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 NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ALMOST DAILY LOW END CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND BRIEF DOWNPOURS WILL ACCOMPANY SOME OF THE STORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. GMZ430-432-435-450-452-455-470-472-475-221100- 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- 335 AM CDT SAT MAY 21 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF GULF OF MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE DURING THE MID WEEK AS LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS IN THE PLAINS. SMALL CRAFT EXERCISE CAUTION CRITERIA MAY BE REACHED FOR THE WATERS BEYOND 20 NM ON WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. RUA
The Houston radar (KHGX), 104 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:46 UTC.
1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
KBMT relayed a report of quarter size hail in Saratoga. A video was also posted to social media.
Radar estimated 1 to 6 inches of rain fell around the Hampshire - Fannett area. Pictures posted to social media showed flooded out roadways with water approaching some structures during the event.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2016
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: 636233, 636234.