A slow moving upper level low moved out of Texas and across Louisiana. Multiple tornadoes occurred when the disturbance passed.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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 low moved out of Texas and across Louisiana. Multiple tornadoes occurred when the disturbance passed.
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 17, 2:40 PM CST, 2 hours 1 minute earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lake Charles LA 340 PM CDT Sun May 17 2020 .SYNOPSIS... An upper level trough and associated surface front will move across tonight ending rain chances and bringing drier and less humid conditions into early next week. By mid week, a return to the muggies with small chances of diurnal showers. Rua && .DISCUSSION... An upper level trough extends from the upper midwest down into lower Texas with several vortices along it, including one across northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas. At the surface, a trough has moved to eastern portions of the forecast area, with west winds now at all observation sites except for sits along the Atchafalaya Basin. Then a cold front is located over northeast Texas associated with the upper level trough. Mainly light to moderate shower activity has been initiated with the lift and a moist air mass. The upper level trough and cold front will continue to move off to the east and through the forecast area during the evening to overnight period, with shower activity ending from west to east. Drier air will gradually move in behind the front providing for less humid conditions and sunny skies on Monday. An upper level low is expected to develop and deepen on the north end of the current upper level trough over the midwest and move into the southeast US by the end of Tuesday. This feature will send a backdoor like surface trough down toward the forecast area. Meanwhile, surface ridging across the northern Gulf will bring back southerly flow and an increase in moisture. Therefore, some isolate convection may form over the northeast section of the forecast area, mainly central Louisiana on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Later in the week into next weekend, global models are showing some differences and having a tough time on consistency. At this time will stick to the national blend, which has an almost summer like warm and very muggy conditions, with the potential for daytime diurnal convection. Rua && .MARINE... A modest westerly flow will develop this afternoon and evening as a weak surface trough moves across the coastal waters along with a few passing showers. Winds will become more northwesterly by early Monday behind a departing weak cold front. These light to modest offshore winds will be short lived, as high pressure begins to ridge across the northern Gulf and provides a return to onshore winds on Tuesday. Rua && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AEX 60 84 61 88 / 40 0 0 10 LCH 64 86 66 88 / 10 0 0 0 LFT 64 84 65 89 / 50 10 0 10 BPT 64 87 68 88 / 0 0 0 0 && .LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LA...None. TX...None. GM...None. && PUBLIC...07
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lake Charles LA 258 PM CDT Sun May 17 2020 LAZ027>033-041>045-052>055-073-074-TXZ180-201-215-216-259>262-182100- 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- 258 PM CDT Sun May 17 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Louisiana, south central Louisiana, southwest Louisiana, west central Louisiana and southeast Texas. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. GMZ430-432-435-450-452-455-470-472-475-182100- 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- 258 PM CDT Sun May 17 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Gulf of Mexico and the coastal lakes and bays of the Gulf of Mexico. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
304 PM CDT SUN MAY 17 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0648 AM TORNADO 3 SSE MAURICEVILLE 30.18N 93.86W
05/16/2020 ORANGE TX NWS STORM SURVEY
AN EF-1 TORNADO WITH MAX WIND SPEEDS OF 100 MPH TOUCHED
DOWN SOUTH OF MAURICEVILLE ALONG HWY 62, AND CONTINUED
NORTHEAST ACROSS FM1130 AND HWY 12 BEFORE ENDING ALONG
KAIYUTE ROAD. SEVERAL TREES WERE SNAPPED OR BLOWN DOWN
ALONG THE PATH.
&&
ERICKSONThe Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 52 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:42 UTC.
5 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A small tornado touched down near US Hwy 165, a little south of the airport. It moved along parts of Ward Rd. Several trees were snapped or uprooted along the path.
The tornado occurred in the Sabine Wildlife Refuge and affected only marsh.
Pictures and video of a tornado were received from Calcasieu Parish PD. The tornado remained in wooded areas.
Multiple videos were received from social media of a tornado near Mamou. The brief tornado remain in swamp.
An EF-3 tornado was documented in parts of Acadia and St. Landry Parishes. It began near Gobert Rd and Pitreville Hwy, and crossed Grand Marais Rd, Prudence Hwy, St. Margaret Rd, Lawtell Hwy, and N Beaugh St. One home was picked up off its pilings and thrown 50 yards to its south, destroying the home. Three people were inside. One person was killed, and the other two people are hospitalized with significant injuries. Nearby, 4 mobile homes were destroyed. Two were flipped in the air and seperated from the frame, another one rolled over on top of an SUV, and the fourth was|pulled off its blocks and had significant structural damage. Two grain dryers were destroyed at a farm, and an 18 wheeler used to transport crops was picked up and flipped onto the road. The tornado ended on the city limits of Church Point|where a large tree fell on a home. The max estimated wind speed was 150 mph.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado, Acadia | 2020-05-17 | 26 | Female | Mobile/Trailer Home | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Louisiana in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Louisiana, 2020Warnings in Louisiana, May 2020
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: 895545, 895547, 895548, 895550, 895549.