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

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