Lightning struck a naphtha storage tank at Calcasieu Refining.
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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.
Lightning struck a naphtha storage tank at Calcasieu Refining.
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 Jun 3, 11:23 AM CST, 1 hour 32 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lake Charles LA 1223 PM CDT Sat Jun 3 2023 ...New AVIATION... .SHORT TERM... (Today through Monday night) Issued at 325 AM CDT Sat Jun 3 2023 Muggy conditions are noted across the forecast area this early morning with temperatures in the low to mid 70s with relative humidity above 85 percent. Latest GOES imagery noted precipitable water values between 1.4 and 1.6 inches which is between the norm and 75th percentile of SPC daily climo. At the upper levels, analysis shows the ridge that has been in place is weakening over the region. During the period a general weakness will be found at the mid and upper levels. This will allow for a series of upper level disturbances to move across. Meanwhile, adequate Gulf moisture will be in place with PWAT values roughly around the 75th percentile level. With daytime heating, air mass will also become moderately unstable. The upper level disturbances will be able to work with the moist and unstable air mass, along with daytime heating, to produce at least scattered showers and thunderstorms by the afternoon hours, that will last into the early evening hours. Over all instability and lapse rates will be modest with little shear that will help keep thunderstorm strength in check. Saying that, with a light pressure pattern and wind field, sea breeze and other mesoscale boundaries will be found, and any collision of these boundaries will allow for an uptick in storm strength with locally torrential downpours and gusty winds. During the late evening and overnight hours, conditions over land will stabilize with storms diminishing. There may be some localized patchy fog, especially over any place that may receive some decent rainfall. Rua && .LONG TERM... (Tuesday through Saturday) Issued at 325 AM CDT Sat Jun 3 2023 Much of the long term period will be characterized by scattered mainly daytime showers and storms, with otherwise warm and humid conditions continuing...aka typical SW LA and SE TX summertime. The region will be situated beneath a general weakness/trough in the mid to upper levels on Tuesday, and this will linger through midweek. A weak shortwave will slide south by late Wednesday into Thursday, merging with the broad trough aloft, and potentially ushering a weak surface front into the area toward the end of the week. With near to above normal moisture over the region and minimal inhibition, scattered showers and storms should initiate by late morning as daytime heating interacts with the sea/bay breezes and persist along outflows and other mesoscale boundaries through the day. Rain chances and overall convective coverage should diminish by Friday into Saturday as the trough over the region shifts southeast, and northwesterly flow aloft brings slightly drier air into the region. Temperatures through the week will remain close to climatological normals, with highs in the upper 80s to around 90 degrees outside of any showers and storms and lows from the upper 60s to lower 70s. 24 && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1219 PM CDT Sat Jun 3 2023 Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to begin developing across the region through the next couple of hours as daytime heating really gets going. Some of these storms will be capable of heavy rain and frequent lightning. Kept VCTS at all terminals to account for this, as timing/location will be too sporadic and hard to predict further. This convection should taper off around 00-02Z, with VFR conditions and light north winds continuing overnight into tomorrow morning. 17 && .MARINE... Issued at 325 AM CDT Sat Jun 3 2023 Weak pressure pattern over the northwest Gulf of Mexico will lead to mainly light winds through the weekend into Monday with light northerly winds with land breeze at night and the morning hours, with light southerly winds with a seabreeze during the afternoon into early evening hours. Low seas can also be expected. Weak surface high will ridge across the northern Gulf by Tuesday into the mid week. Light southerly winds will be the result, with again low seas. Main issue during the forecast period will be daily chances of showers and thunderstorms. Winds and seas will be higher near the storms, along with occasional cloud to water lightning. Rua && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AEX 92 66 92 67 / 40 20 30 10 LCH 90 69 90 69 / 40 30 40 20 LFT 93 72 94 72 / 40 20 30 10 BPT 92 71 91 70 / 30 20 50 20 && .LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LA...None. TX...None. GM...None. && SHORT TERM...07 LONG TERM....24 AVIATION...17
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lake Charles LA 414 AM CDT Sat Jun 3 2023 LAZ027>033-044-045-055-073-074-141>143-152>154-241>243-252>254- TXZ180-201-259>262-515-516-615-616-041100- Vernon-Rapides-Avoyelles-Beauregard-Allen-Evangeline-St. Landry- Lafayette-Upper St. Martin-Lower St. Martin-West Cameron- East Cameron-Northern Calcasieu-Northern Jefferson Davis- Northern Acadia-Upper Vermilion-Upper Iberia-Upper St. Mary- Southern Calcasieu-Southern Jefferson Davis-Southern Acadia- Lower Vermilion-Lower Iberia-Lower St. Mary-Tyler-Hardin- Northern Jasper-Northern Newton-Southern Jasper-Southern Newton- Upper Jefferson-Northern Orange-Lower Jefferson-Southern Orange- 414 AM CDT Sat Jun 3 2023 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Louisiana, south central Louisiana, southwest Louisiana, west central Louisiana and southeast Texas. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. A few thunderstorms during the afternoon and early evening may produce brief gusty winds, brief torrential rainfall, and cloud to ground lightning. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. There will be daily chances for showers and thunderstorms. A few thunderstorms during the afternoon and early evening may produce brief gusty winds, brief torrential rainfall, and cloud to ground lightning. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. GMZ430-432-435-436-450-452-455-470-472-475-041100- Sabine Lake-Calcasieu Lake-Vermilion and West Cote Blanche Bays- Atchafalaya and East Cote Blanche Bays- 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- Coastal waters from Cameron LA to High Island TX from 20 to 60 NM- Coastal waters from Intracoastal City to Cameron LA from 20 to 60 NM- Coastal waters from Lower Atchafalaya River to Intracoastal City LA from 20 to 60 NM- 414 AM CDT Sat Jun 3 2023 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Gulf of Mexico and the coastal lakes and bays of the Gulf of Mexico. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. A few thunderstorms may produce locally higher winds and seas along with occasional cloud to water lightning. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. There will be daily chances for showers and thunderstorms. A few thunderstorms may produce locally higher winds and seas along with occasional cloud to water lightning. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 10 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:56 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a tank at Calcasieu Refining Company igniting naphtha. The fire prompted evacuations for an area of 1.5 miles from the site including Graywood. A shelter in place was ordered for residents within 5 miles. The fire burned into the early morning of the next day.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Louisiana in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, June 2023
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: 1111074.