March 2nd 1999 Tornado Outbreak Over Southeast Texas and Southern Louisiana

Robert B. Darby*  &  Roger N. Erickson

National Weather Service
Lake Charles, Louisiana

INTRODUCTION

On March 2, 1999, eight tornadoes touched down during the evening hours over Southeast Texas and Southern Louisiana. The strongest tornado occurred in the small community of Holly Springs, Texas in Jasper County. This tornado was later classified as an F3 on the Fujita scale.

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 damage, including radar imagery from the WSR-88D radars in Lake Charles (KLCH) and Fort Polk (KPOE), Louisiana. Each tornado track also includes a high resolution map of the areas impacted. (The star symbols on the high resolution maps indicate where damage occurred from the tornado.)

PRODUCTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES

The following are the products issued during the day on March 2, 1999, advising the public of the potential for severe weather that evening.

1016 PM CST - Special weather statement / Severe thunderstorm outlook
0247 PM CST - Special weather statement / Severe thunderstorm outlook

Listed below are the severe thunderstorm warnings, tornado warnings and statements issued during the event. The severe weather began during the early evening hours and ended around Midnight.

0538 PM CST - Severe thunderstorm warning - Newton
0608 PM CST - Tornado warning - Newton
0615 PM CST - Tornado warning - Jasper
0624 PM CST - Severe weather statement - Jasper / Newton
0630 PM CST - Severe weather statement - Jasper / Newton
0635 PM CST - Tornado warning - Beauregard
0644 PM CST - Tornado warning - Newton
0652 PM CST - Severe weather statement - Jasper / Newton / Beauregard
0654 PM CST - Severe thunderstorm warning - Vernon
0716 PM CST - Severe weather statement - Newton / Beauregard / Vernon
0726 PM CST - Tornado warning - Beauregard
0730 PM CST - Tornado warning - Calcasieu
0745 PM CST - Severe thunderstorm warning - Rapides
0758 PM CST - Severe thunderstorm warning - Allen
0803 PM CST - Tornado warning - Calcasieu
0819 PM CST - Severe thunderstorm warning - Vermilion
0832 PM CST - Severe thunderstorm warning - Cameron
0842 PM CST - Severe weather statement - Calcasieu
0843 PM CST - Severe thunderstorm warning - Lafayette
0905 PM CST - Special weather statement - Southeast Texas
0912 PM CST - Special marine warning - Cameron to the Lower Atchafalaya River
0913 PM CST - Severe weather statement - Lafayette
1050 PM CST - Severe thunderstorm warning - Upper St. Martin
1105 PM CST - Special marine warning - Cameron to the Lower Atchafalaya River
1116 PM CST - Severe thunderstorm warning - Iberia
1141 PM CST - Severe thunderstorm warning - St. Mary

Below is a listing of some of the newspaper articles, describing the tornadoes that occurred that evening:

Time is right for severe weather - By Chriscia Jackson - The Enterprise.
Holly Springs hit hardest by East Texas twisters - By Cathy Frye - The Enterprise.
Freight train sound warns of tornado's approach - Trevis R. Badeaux - The Daily Iberian.
City of Jeanerette begins cleanup after devastating tornado - Trevis R. Badeaux - The Daily Iberian.
Storm destroys 20 homes - By Ron Delhomme - St. Martin Bureau Editor.
Storm damages Krotz Springs area - By Phillip de Valcourt - Staff Writer.

If you have any additional weather information concerning the tornadoes on March 2, 1999, please e-mail us at the address listed below. We would like to hear your story!!!

Corresponding authors address: Robert B. Darby and Roger N. Erickson, NWSO 500 Airport Blvd. #115, Lake Charles, LA 70607; e-mail: Robert.Darby@noaa.gov or Roger .Erickson@noaa.gov.

*Author's current affiliation: National Weather Service, Tulsa OK