Louisiana, 2017

Tornado in Louisiana, July 15, 2017

July 15, 2017 · NWS LCH · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Numerous afternoon storms occurred across South Louisiana and one produced a landspout near Sulphur when a couple of outflow boundaries collided.

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.

Numerous afternoon storms occurred across South Louisiana and one produced a landspout near Sulphur when a couple of outflow boundaries collided.

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 Jul 15, 10:59 AM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 15, 10:59 AM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 15, 2:53 AM CST, 9 hours 21 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Lake Charles LA
353 AM CDT Sat Jul 15 2017

LAZ027>033-041>045-052>055-073-074-TXZ180-201-215-216-259>262-
160900-
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-
353 AM CDT Sat Jul 15 2017

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

Showers and thunderstorms are likely during the afternoon hours
today. In addition to gusty winds and frequent lightning,
thunderstorms will be capable of producing heavy rainfall and
localized flooding.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday

Showers and thunderstorms are likely during the afternoon hours
Sunday and Monday. In addition to gusty winds and frequent
lightning, thunderstorms will be capable of producing heavy
rainfall and localized flooding.

Chances for showers and thunderstorms will decrease Tuesday
through Friday but will still be possible each afternoon.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

GMZ430-432-435-450-452-455-470-472-475-160900-
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-
353 AM CDT Sat Jul 15 2017

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of Gulf of Mexico.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

Showers and thunderstorms will be possible across the coastal
waters, mainly during the morning and overnight hours. Any
thunderstorms will be capable of producing locally gusty winds and
possibly a waterspout in addition to lightning.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday

Showers and thunderstorms will be possible across the coastal
waters, mainly during the morning and overnight hours. Any
thunderstorms will be capable of producing locally gusty winds in
addition to lightning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 15, 8:55 AM CST, 3 hours 19 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 15, 11:38 AM CST, 36 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 15, 11:51 AM CST, 23 minutes before
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The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 29 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:14 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Calcasieu

When
July 15, 12:14 PM CST to 12:15 PM CST
Where
Calcasieu County, 4.2 mi NW of Brimstone to 4.24 mi NE of Edgerly
Rating
EF0
Path length
0.05 mi
Path width
10 yd
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
30.280, -93.460

According to multiple pictures on social media and reports a tornado briefly touched down in a field north of Sulphur. No damage occurred. The landspout developed after outflows collided.

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Louisiana in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Louisiana, 2017Warnings in Louisiana, July 2017

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 712368.