STORM
ASSESSMENT OF THE
ALEXANDRIA TORNADO
Robert B. Darby & Raymond J. Sondag *
Weather Forecast Office Lake Charles, Louisiana
INTRODUCTION
During the evening hours of January 21, 1999, a strong tornado hit the
Central Louisiana city of Alexandria, which is located in Rapides Parish. The
tornado caused considerable damage to the south part of the city and was later
classified as an F2 tornado on the
Fujita scale.
Earlier that day a strong upper level trough of low pressure moved into Central
Texas.
In response to this feature, a surface low pressure system developed over
Southern Oklahoma with a dry line extending into far Eastern Texas, along the
Sabine River. Ahead of the dry line, a strong low level wind developed, with 50
knots measured at 2000 ft. The wind profile was strikingly similar to the
pre-atmospheric conditions that led to the
January 1-2, 1999 tornado
outbreak across Southeast Texas and Southern Louisiana.
As a result, scattered showers and thunderstorms developed during the early
evening hours over Central Louisiana and intensified rapidly. One of these
thunderstorms produced the tornado that moved over Alexandria.
Below is a map of the city of Alexandria with the tornado damage track.
Click on the track to see a high resolution map of the areas directly impacted.
The star symbols on the maps indicate where damage occurred from the tornado.
PRODUCTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES
The following are the products issued, leading up to and during the tornado
on January 21, 1999.
0324 PM CST - Hazardous Weather Outlook
0748 PM CST - Tornado Warning - Rapides Parish
0804 PM CST - Severe Weather Statement - Rapides
Parish 0823 PM CST - Severe Weather
Statement - Rapides Parish
A tornado warning was issued by the National Weather Service in Lake Charles
at 748 PM CST for Rapides Parish. The tornado touched down on the south side of
town at approximately 802 PM CST. Warning lead time on the tornado was 14
minutes. Numerous residents heard the warning and were able to seek shelter
from the tornado. Persons who owned a
NOAA Weather Radio, with an
alert feature, received the tornado warning immediately after its issuance.
Given the intensity of the tornado and its path through the highly populated
area, it is fortunate that more people were not seriously injured or even
killed.
RADAR IMAGES, DESCRIPTION AND DAMAGE:
Alexandria Tornado - Map of tornado
path
Date / Time |
Lead Time |
Parish |
Path Length |
Path Width |
F-Scale |
City |
802 PM CST |
14 Minutes |
Rapides |
2 miles |
1/4 mile |
2 |
Alexandria |
WSR-88D Radar Images
Below are the some of the products from the WSR-88D radar in Fort Polk,
Louisiana. These products were taken just before and during the tornado.
0756 PM - KPOE - Four panel base reflectivity
/ VIL product 0756 PM - KPOE -
Four panel storm relative velocity / composite
reflectivity product 0801 PM - KPOE -
Four panel base reflectivity / VIL product 0801
PM - KPOE - Four panel storm relative velocity / composite
reflectivity product 0806 PM - KPOE -
Four panel base reflectivity / VIL product 0806
PM - KPOE - Four panel storm relative velocity / composite
reflectivity product
Tornado Damage:
The tornado initially touched down southwest of Highway 71, taking a
northeast track through the MacArthur-Lee business district area in the south
part of Alexandria. Winds were estimated between 120 and 130 mph during the
most intense part of the tornado. There was extensive structural damage to
homes and businesses all along the tornado's path. The first known damage
occurred on Temple Street, where a small shed was destroyed and several roofs
suffered shingle damage. The tornado continued northeast, moving over Maywood
Street causing significant roof damage to several homes. The strongest winds
occurred just northeast of Maywood Street. Numerous large trees, some more than
6 feet in diameter, were sheared off several feet above the ground. One large
tree landed on a house destroying one room.
Just west of Highway 71 on Random Street, almost every house received
damage. The one injury occurred on this street, when a man driving home had a
tree land on his truck. He sustained minor to moderate injuries. The tornado
continued northeast, moving over Highway 71 and hitting many businesses in the
MacArthur-Lee area. The damage was mainly confined to roofs, signs and store
front windows. Just east of the Louisiana State University - Alexandria, a car
wash was completely destroyed. A strip mall nearby also lost its roof.
The tornado continued it northeast track hitting a mobile home. The home
was rolled over and debris was blown for over a half a mile away. A radio
tower and several satellite dishes were also damaged northeast of this area on
Duhon Lane. The tornado then lifted and dissipated, sparing the east side of
the city from further damage. Click here
to read the articles published on the tornado from the Alexandria newspaper.
(Courtesy of the Alexandria Daily Town Talk / Stories by Jules Miller and Dusty
Shenofsky.)
Large fallen tree on home.
|
Another view of fallen tree on
home and tree tops snapped. |
Very large trees snapped in
half.
|
Another view of the snapped
trees. Note the tree base width. |
Tree and roof damage.
|
Mobile home destroyed.
|
Another view of destroyed
mobile home. |
Mobile home debris and boat
strewn by the tornado. |
Acknowledgments: The authors would again like to thank Roger
Erickson (Warning Coordination Meteorologist) for the tornado damage pictures
and the post-storm survey.
* Corresponding authors address: Robert B. Darby and Raymond J.
Sondag, NWSO 500 Airport Blvd. #115, Lake Charles, LA 70607; e-mail:
Robert.Darby@noaa.gov or
Raymond.Sondag@noaa.gov.
Persons in the Alexandria area with additional tornado information can
contact the NWS at the address listed above or call (337) 477-5285. We would
like to hear your story.
*Authors' current affiliation: National Weather Service, Tulsa OK |