Louisiana, 2023

Hail and Damaging Winds in Louisiana, June 12, 2023

June 12, 2023 · NWS SHV · 6 events in 2 counties and zones

Robust convection developed across northern and central portions of Louisiana with multiple multicellular structures and supercells ahead of a surface cold front. Surface temperatures in the 90s along with dew points in the 70s contributed to 4000 J/kg MLCAPE.

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
6

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 SHV wrote it up.

Robust convection developed across northern and central portions of Louisiana with multiple multicellular structures and supercells ahead of a surface cold front. Surface temperatures in the 90s along with dew points in the 70s contributed to 4000 J/kg MLCAPE. Strong mid-level flow also supported over 40 knots of effective bulk shear. As such, storms organized into multicellular clusters and transient supercells, with damaging gusts and large hail the main threats. Furthermore, MRMS MESH depicted storms with hail approaching 2 inches in diameter, with a couple of 1 inch hail/wind damage reports also received. Given the heated, well-mixed boundary layer (and associated 3500+ J/kg MLCAPE) preceding the storms, supercell structures persisted into the evening hours with a large hail/damaging gust threat.

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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 12, 12:12 PM CST, 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 12, 12:12 PM CST, 6 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 12, 11:48 AM CST, 30 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 12, 9:03 AM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 11:52 AM CST, 26 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 76 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:16 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sabine

When
June 12, 12:18 PM CST
Where
Sabine County, Pleasant Hill
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
31.820, -93.520

Trees and power lines downed in Pleasant Hill.

Thunderstorm Wind, Natchitoches

When
June 12, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Natchitoches County, 1.36 mi WSW of Robeline
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
31.670, -93.320

Trees and power lines downed on Highway 6 between Fort Jessup and Robeline.

Hail, Sabine

When
June 12, 1:18 PM CST
Where
Sabine County, 3 mi NNW of Loring
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
31.640, -93.640

Quarter size hail reported in Zwolle.

Hail, Natchitoches

When
June 12, 2:05 PM CST
Where
Natchitoches County, Clarence
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
31.820, -93.030

Quarter size hail reported at the Dollar General store in Clarence.

Hail, Sabine

When
June 12, 2:10 PM CST
Where
Sabine County, 4.51 mi NNE of Clare
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
31.390, -93.590

Quarter size hail reported along Highway 191.

Thunderstorm Wind, Natchitoches

When
June 12, 2:18 PM CST
Where
Natchitoches County, 2.24 mi NE of Clear Lake
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
31.900, -92.970

Several trees downed or twisted off along with power poles and lines downed northeast of Clarence.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Louisiana in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, June 2023

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: 1107593, 1107594, 1107588, 1107589, 1107592, 1107595.