THE MAJOR TORNADO OUTBREAK ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS
AND SOUTHERN LOUISIANA - STORM ASSESSMENT
Robert B. Darby & Raymond J. Sondag *
Weather Forecast Office Lake Charles, Louisiana
INTRODUCTION
On the night of January 1-2, 1999, Southeast Texas and Southern Louisiana
experienced one of its biggest tornado outbreaks in recent history. Fourteen
tornadoes occurred across the area, one reaching F3 intensity on the
Fujita scale. Five F2 tornadoes also
occurred during the event. The last time an outbreak of this magnitude
occurred in Southeast Texas and Southern Louisiana was on November 7, 1957,
where eight tornadoes struck, five of which were F3 intensity or higher.
During the evening hours on January 1, 1999 a strong upper level disturbance
moved into Southeast Texas. In conjunction with this feature, a surface low
developed over North-central Texas with a strong cold front extending southward.
Ahead of the surface low, a low level jet developed with strong veering winds
in the lowest levels of the atmosphere. Warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico
moved onshore causing the atmosphere to become increasingly unstable. The
strong low level winds and increasing instabilities set the stage for a series
of strong rotating thunderstorms.
Below is a map of the tornado damage tracks across the Lake Charles warning
area. Click on each track to see a detailed description of the tornado and view
a high resolution map of the areas impacted. (The star symbols on the high
resolution maps indicate where damage occurred from the tornado.)
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MODERNIZATION PROGRAM
The National Weather Service (NWS) is fast approaching the completion of its
multi-billion dollar modernization program. This has led to the first
nationwide network of Doppler weather radars (WSR-88D) and a new
state-of-the-art computer system (AWIPS). This
network is used by the NWS to protect life and property by issuing timely and
accurate tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings. Unlike the old radar, the
WSR-88D has the ability to remotely measure wind speeds inside a thunderstorm.
This gives the forecaster an indication of whether the storm may become tornadic
or produce strong damaging winds. The tornado outbreak sited below is an
excellent example of the radar's ability to detect the potential for tornadic
storms and thus provide advanced warning to the public.
PRODUCTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES
The following are the products issued on January 1, 1999, advising the
public of the potential for severe weather.
0455 AM CST - Special weather statement
0458 AM CST - Flash flood statement
0223 PM CST - Special weather statement
0455 PM CST - Special weather statement
0737 PM CST - Special weather statement
Listed below are tornado warnings and statements issued on January 1-2, 1999
during the outbreak. The tornadic thunderstorms began during the late evening
hours on the 1st. and continued through the early morning hours of the 2nd.
1108 PM CST - Tornado warning - Hardin County
1144 PM CST - Tornado warning - Jefferson County
1213 AM CST - Severe weather Statement - Jefferson
County 1218 AM CST - Special marine
warning - High Island to Cameron out to 50 NM
1226 AM CST - Tornado warning - Jasper County
1235 AM CST - Tornado warning - Newton County
1251 AM CST - Tornado warning - Calcasieu Parish
1255 AM CST - Severe weather statement - Jasper and
Newton Counties 0110 AM CST - Severe
weather statement - Calcasieu Parish
0116
AM CST - Tornado warning - Beauregard Parish
0144
AM CST - Severe weather statement - Calcasieu and Beauregard Parishes
0153 AM CST - Tornado warning - Cameron Parish
0155 AM CST - Tornado warning - Calcasieu Parish
0206 AM CST - Tornado warning - Allen Parish
0214 AM CST - Severe weather statement - Cameron and
Calcasieu Parishes 0235 AM CST - Tornado
warning - Allen Parish
0238 AM CST -
Tornado warning - Jefferson Davis Parish
0258
AM CST - Severe weather statement - Jefferson Davis Parish
0304 AM CST - Tornado warning - Acadia Parish
0317 AM CST - Special weather statement - Southeast
Texas 0323 AM CST - Severe weather
statement - Jefferson Davis and Acadia Parishes
0332 AM CST - Tornado warning - Avoyelles Parish
0345 AM CST - Tornado warning - St. Landry Parish
0406 AM CST - Special marine warning - Cameron to
Lower Atchafalaya River out to 50 NM
0418
AM CST - Tornado warning - Lafayette Parish
0429
AM CST - Tornado warning - Vermilion Parish
0439
AM CST - Severe weather statement - Lafayette and Vermilion Parishes
0441 AM CST - Severe weather statement - Lafayette and
Vermilion Parishes (Corrected)
0453 AM CST
- Tornado warning - Iberia Parish
0520 AM
CST - Tornado warning - St. Mary Parish
0658
AM CST - Special weather statement - South-Central Louisiana
Of the 18 warnings issued, all verified with either a tornado touchdown or
damaging downburst winds. There was only one missed warning, where straight
line winds caused damage to a few homes and sheds in the communities of Anacoco
and Hornbeck in Vernon Parish. All of the tornadoes were radar indicated by the
WSR-88D radars in Lake Charles and Fort Polk, Louisiana. Average lead time on
the tornado warnings was an impressive 24 minutes. (Note: lead time is defined
as: the time between the issuance of the warning and actual tornado touchdown.)
However, because the majority of the tornadoes occurred in the middle of the
night, many residents were sleeping, without any knowledge of the imminent
danger. Persons who owned a NOAA Weather Radio, with an
alert feature, would have received the tornado warnings as soon as they were
issued by the NWS. This would have alerted them to seek shelter from the storms
before they hit. Unfortunately, one fatality occurred in a mobile home near the
community of Buna, Texas. Given the severity of the tornadoes and the time of
occurrence, it is fortunate that more people were not seriously injured or
killed.
SUMMARY
Storm data from this event will continue to be compiled and is subject to
change. Additions / revisions may be needed as more information is received.
Persons with additional information concerning the tornado event can contact the
NWS at the address listed below or call (318) 477-5285. An updated storm
assessment will be posted once the official survey has been completed.
Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank Roger Erickson
(Warning Coordination Meteorologist) and Tim Erickson (Meteorologist Intern) for
the tornado damage pictures and their extensive post-storm surveys after the
event.
* 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.
*Authors' current affiliation: National Weather Service, Tulsa OK |