Jambalaya
WFO Lake Charles
Winter 2006
Climo Corner
The following is for Lake Charles, LA. To view other cities
within our area, go
back to our website and click on the
“Climate” link
January Averages
February Averages
March
Averages
High Temp: 61 deg F High Temp:
65 deg F
High Temp: 71 deg F
Low Temp: 41 deg F Low Temp:
45 deg F
Low Temp: 51 deg F
Precipitation: 5.52" Precipitation:
3.28"
Precipitation: 3.54"
Hails and Farewells
Sadly, we
had to say farewell to Steven Duaime, one of our Electronics
Technicians. Steven has transferred from NWS Lake Charles to the much
different climate of NWS Flagstaff, Arizona. Steven was at the Lake
Charles office since June 2004. Although we will miss him greatly, we
wish him all the best in the future!
Meet the Staff
Meteorologist-in-Charge
Steve Rinard
Administrative Support Assistant
Lisa Bowers
Warning
Coordination Meteorologist Roger Erickson
Service
Hydrologist Montra Lockwood
Science and Operations
Office
Felix Navejar
Data
Acquisition Program Manager
Rick Gravitt
Information Technology Officer
Jay Morris
Electronics Systems Analyst Danny Dowden
Hydro-Meteorological Technicians
Todd Mogged
Jimmy Nunn
Electronics Technicians Ricky Guidry
Hank Hughes
Senior Forecasters
Lance Escudé
Kent Kuyper
Joe Rua
Louis Sparks
John Trares
Journeyman
Forecasters
Stephen Carboni
Donovan Landreneau
Mike Marcotte
Jim Sweeney
Mark Wiley
Meteorological Intern
Sam Shamburger
NOAA Weather Radio
The Lake Charles Weather office is responsible for five transmitters
on the NOAA Weather Radio network. Coverage areas and frequencies are
listed below.
Toledo Bend
transmitter
Frequency:
162.550 MHz
Transmitter Site: Toledo Bend Dam (Burkeville, TX)
Power: 1000 watts
Listening Area: Beauregard, Sabine, Vernon Parishes and Jasper, Newton,
Sabine, San Augustine Counties
Beaumont
transmitter
Frequency:
162.475 MHz
Transmitter Site: Beaumont, TX
Power: 1000 watts
Listening Area: Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newton, Orange Counties
Alexandria
transmitter
Frequency:
162.475 MHz
Transmitter Site: Jena, LA
Power: 1000 watts
Listening Area: Avoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, Grant, La Salle,
Rapides, Winn Parishes
Lake Charles
transmitter
Frequency:
162.40 MHz
Transmitter Site: Sulphur, LA
Power: 1000 watts
Listening Area: Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis
Parishes
Lafayette transmitter
Frequency:
162.55 MHz
Transmitter Site: Youngsville, LA
Power: 1000 watts
Listening Area: Acadia, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Mary, Upper
St. Martin, Vermilion Parishes
Weather Extremes
Hurricane Rita caused severe wind damage over much of Southeast Texas
and Southwest Louisiana. But what were some of the maximum wind gusts
recorded during the hurricane?
Listed below are some maximum wind gusts measured during Hurricane Rita:
Alexandria (AEX Int'l Airport)
62 mph
Beaumont (SE TX Reg'l Airport) 105
mph
Cameron (NOS tide gage)
112 mph*
Lafayette (LFT Reg'l Airport) 59
mph
Lake Charles (6 miles E of LCH Airport) 108 mph*
New Iberia (ARA Reg'l Airport)
59 mph*
Port Arthur (FCMP wind tower)
129 mph
* indicates last reading before
instrument failure
Seasonal Weather Review
By Lance Escudé,
Senior Forecaster
The Seasonal
Weather Review comes at you this issue with not one but two exciting
summaries of the area’s weather, consisting of summer 2005 and fall
2005. So let’s jump right in!
After a slightly cooler but much drier than normal spring in 2005, the climatological summer (June through August) saw typical drought conditions. The region-wide average temperature for the season was 82.9°, which was 1.4° above normal, while the average rainfall of 10.96” was 4.38” below normal. As expected, each month within the period was warmer and drier than normal. June’s average temperature was 81.6°, which was about a degree-and-a-half above normal. Temperatures got a little closer to normal in July (83.1°, which was 0.8° above normal), but reverted back to the warm side in August (84.0° or two degrees above normal). Only heavy downpours in Beaumont and Leesville in July kept the region from being below normal all three months during the period. June’s average rainfall was 2.25”, a whopping 3.23” below normal. Rainfall actually rose to above normal in July, with the average total of 5.27” being 0.14” on the wet side. But more drought-like conditions returned in August, with the average total of 3.44” being 1.30” below normal.
Like with the spring, the overall warm spot for the quarter was Lafayette, with an average temperature of 83.9°. Lafayette’s temperature of 85.0° in August was the warmest individual month during the period. Another repeat performance, the coolest location during the period was Leesville, with its 81.0° average temp. This was surely helped along by its reading of 79.0° in June, which was the coolest overall individual month. Alexandria was the closest to normal temperature-wise during the summer (0.4° above normal), while Lufkin and Lafayette tied for farthest from normal for the season (2.3° above normal).
Morgan City took the honor as wettest location, with a total rainfall for the season of 15.80”. However Beaumont saw the highest individual monthly total when 10.31” fell in July. Leesville was the one location to finish the season with above normal rainfall, with its total of 13.56” being 0.74” inches too much (the closest to normal for the period). The lowest total belonged to Lufkin (5.67”), although one could say the driest location was Lafayette. The Hub City’s total of 9.34” was 8.35” below normal, which produces a two-season rainfall deficit (including spring and summer) of 18.85”! Now that’s dry!!
The drought worsened as summer turned to fall across the region. The average temperature for the entire area for the climatological fall (September through November) was 71.2°, a reading 2.5° warmer than normal. Despite the presence of Hurricane Rita late in the month, September was a scorcher! The average temp for the month was 82.4°, which was 4.5° above normal. October was only a little above normal - the average temperature of 69.1° was about a half-degree too warm. But things “warmed up” again in November, where the average temp of 62.1° was 2.6° above normal. For the first time in months, September brought above normal rain to the area - thanks again to Rita. The average monthly rainfall total of 6.06” was just short of an inch (0.90” to be exact) above the norm. But the drought returned in a big way in October as the average total of an inch was 3.14” below normal. Things didn’t improve much in November - the average total of 2.70” was still 2.25” too low.
Lafayette finally lost its grip on being the region’s warm spot…but barely. Beaumont beat it out by a mere two-tenths of a degree for that honor, with an average temperature of 72.5°. Lufkin had the warmest individual month, in September (83.4°), while Alexandria recorded the coolest (60.3° in November). Thanks to these landmark months, Alexandria was also the closest to normal for the period (1.3° too warm), while Lufkin was the farthest (3.5° above normal).
Beaumont and Lake Charles, the two locations hit hardest by Rita, battled it out for wettest location of the season. In the end, Lake Charles won out with a total rainfall of 12.49”. The dry spot was Alexandria, with a total of 6.57”, which was also the farthest from normal (8.01” too low). Ironically, Lake Charles was the closest to normal, being only about two inches too dry. In another close battle, Beaumont got revenge on the Lake Area by claiming the wettest individual month (again) - 8.89” in September.
How did the
winter wind up across Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas? Find out
in the next Seasonal Weather Review!
Hurricane Rita Overview
By Sam Shamburger,
Meteorologist Intern
Hurricane Rita, one of several devastating hurricanes of the now
infamous 2005 hurricane season, made landfall across the Southwest
Louisiana coastline early on September 24, 2005 as a major
Category 3 hurricane. Just a few days before its landfall, this
large storm was the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the
Gulf of Mexico – a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of
175 mph and gusts to 230 mph.
Hurricane Rita was the strongest hurricane to strike Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana since Hurricane Audrey in June 1957. Due to Rita’s large and extensive wind field, the hurricane caused wind damage to trees, structures, and power lines in every county and parish in the NWS Lake Charles County Warning Area. In addition, every coastal county and parish was severely damaged by Rita’s storm surge – which even reached some counties and parishes well inland from the Gulf of Mexico.
Due to Hurricane Rita's large size, its winds covered an unusually large area when the storm made landfall. An approximately 130 mile swath along the coasts of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana likely experienced sustained hurricane force winds in association with Rita. Severe wind damage affected many areas, including the cities of Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange, and Lake Charles. The remainder of the area experienced tropical storm force wind gusts for numerous hours. As the hurricane moved inland across Southeast Texas, the hurricane-force wind field weakened and narrowed considerably. However, considerable wind damage still occurred across the Lakes region of Southeast Texas, including the cities of Jasper and Kirbyville.
Although Hurricane Rita’s winds
were the most widespread impact of the storm, the storm surge was
also extensive and completely destroyed some coastal communities
of Southwest Louisiana. The storm surge reached 15 feet across a
wide swath of Cameron Parish, with large battering waves on top of
the surge. This wall of water leveled the tiny community of Holly
Beach and severely damaged or destroyed large portions of Cameron,
Creole, Grand Chenier, and Hackberry.
U.S. Landfalling Hurricanes in 2005
by Donovan Landreneau, Journeyman Forecaster
The 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season was the most active of record
with 27 tropical cyclones, breaking the old record of 21 set in
1933. Of the 27 tropical cyclones, 15 became hurricanes, breaking
the old record of 12 set in 1969. Seven of the hurricanes became
major hurricanes, of which three (and perhaps four) Category 5
hurricanes. Hurricane Wilma
had the lowest minimum central pressure ever observed in an Atlantic
hurricane with 882 millibars, or 26.05 inches of mercury, breaking
the old record of 888 millibars in Hurricane Gilbert.
Nine named tropical cyclones affected the United States in 2005, of which six were hurricanes, and three were tropical storms. Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma made landfall as major hurricanes, a record for the United States in one season. Hurricanes Cindy and Ophelia affected the United States as category one hurricanes, with Ophelia’s eyewall staying just offshore the North Carolina coast. Tropical storms Arlene and Tammy made direct landfalls, with the periphery effects of Hurricane Emily bringing tropical storm conditions to extreme South Texas. Arlene made landfall as a tropical storm near Pensacola, Florida at 2:00 PM CDT on June 11th, and affected Southern Alabama with tropical storm conditions.
Cindy made landfall as a category one hurricane just southwest of Grand Isle, Louisiana at 10:00 PM CDT on July 5th. Cindy weakened to a tropical storm before making a second landfall near Ansley, Mississippi at 4:00 AM CDT on July 6th.
Dennis made landfall as a category three hurricane near Santa Rosa Island, Florida at 2:30 CDT on July 10th, with category one hurricane conditions experienced across Southern Alabama.
Emily made landfall as a category three hurricane near Boca Madre, Mexico around 6:30 AM CDT on July 20th, and affected extreme South Texas with tropical storm conditions.
Katrina became a hurricane as it made landfall over Miami, Florida at 6:30 PM EDT August 25th, and spread category one hurricane conditions over extreme South Florida through the early morning hours of August 26th. Katrina went on to become a strong category five hurricane across the Southeastern Gulf of Mexico on August 28th. Katrina made landfall as a category three hurricane near Buras, Louisiana at 6:10 AM CDT, and just east of Slidell, Louisiana near the Pearl River at 9:45 AM CDT on August 29th, spreading hurricane conditions well inland across Southern and Central Mississippi.
Ophelia indirectly affected coastal North Carolina and the Outer Banks as a category one hurricane September 14-15th.
Rita brought category one hurricane conditions to the Florida Keys, with strong tropical storm conditions to South Florida. Rita went on to become a strong category five hurricane across the Southeastern Gulf of Mexico on September 21st & 22nd. Rita made landfall as a category three hurricane between Johnson’s Bayou, Louisiana and Sabine Pass, Texas around 2:30 AM CDT September 24th.
Tammy made landfall as a tropical storm near Jacksonville, Florida around 7:00 PM EDT on October 5th, and affected most of South Georgia with tropical storm conditions into the morning of October 6th.
Wilma made landfall as a category three hurricane near Cape Romano, Florida at 6:30 AM EDT on October 24th, moved across extreme south Florida, and exited as a category two hurricane near Jupiter around 11:00 AM EDT.
The next page will illustrate the tracks of all 27 tropical cyclones
to affect the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico during 2005,
along with detailed storm statistics as of January 31, 2006.
Clear-Air Turbulence and
Thunderstorms
By Mark Wiley,
Journeyman Forecaster
Most pilots assume that clear-air turbulence is only a wintertime phenomenon. Though winter is the peak of clear air turbulence, it can happen any time of the year and may even be caused by thunderstorms. All pilots know one of the by-products of thunderstorms is intense turbulence. And though thunderstorms and clear-air turbulence are not generally thought to be associated with one another, there is a type of clear-air turbulence that can be produced from thunderstorms called “convectively induced turbulence” (CIT).
Besides the immediate and obvious threat from thunderstorms, their rapid development can produce other unexpected hazards as well. Thunderstorms produce gravity waves that spread out in all directions from the thunderstorm. And it’s from these gravity waves that convectively induced turbulence originates.
There have been reports of turbulence encounters as high as 15,000 feet in the clear air above thunderstorm clouds and horizontally as far away as 100 miles from the storm due to convective induced turbulence. This turbulence can be amplified if it occurs near the tropopause level because the tropopause will “trap” the gravity wave as it spreads outward from the thunderstorm.
Before pilots start avoiding individual thunderstorms by the distances described above, they should know that turbulence doesn’t occur in the same way or the same distance away from each thunderstorm. And unfortunately, there’s no operational tool currently available that measures and predicts any type of turbulence, including CIT.
Pilots should be particularly aware of their environment relative to thunderstorms by actively using their on-board radar. Some of the more serious CIT encounters have occurred when a flight is in the clear on top of a cirrus cloud and a developing thunderstorm punches up from underneath. The experience is analogous to hitting a speed bump on a road while traveling at 60 mph.
During the
late spring and summer months, scattered thunderstorms are just about a
daily occurrence across southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana. Suffice
it to say that when in a thunderstorm environment, even when not in
clouds, there may be light, moderate, or even greater turbulence due to
CIT. If you do unexpectedly run into this type of turbulence, don’t
forget to send a PIREP to alert others to this potentially dangerous
condition.
What is a Drought?
by Kent Kuyper, Senior Forecaster & Montra Lockwood, Service Hydrologist
A drought is defined as a prolonged period where little or no rainfall occurs over an area. Although this definition appears straight forward, understanding when a drought is developing and how severe the drought will become involves different factors. These factors include how well the environment is handling the lack of rainfall, and the time of year that the event is occurring.
Seasonal differences are perhaps the most definitive aspects in the development and intensification of a drought. During the winter, the region may go several months without any measurable rainfall. However, that does not mean the area is experiencing a drought. During the winter, the amount of moisture exchanged between the atmosphere and the soil and plants is considerably less. The evaporation rate, which is the measure of moisture dispersed into the atmosphere, decreases during the winter. Limited sunshine due to the shorter winter days and cooler temperatures are contributing factors to the lower evaporation rates. Other variables include wind speed and relative humidity. Typical evaporation rates are around 0.05 inches per day in the winter, while in the summer, the rate of water loss per day averages 0.35 inches.
For example, the average rainfall during the month of June in Lake Charles is around six inches. With a typical summertime evaporation rate of 0.35 inches per day, the total loss of water due to evaporation for the month of June would be 10.5 inches. Therefore, given a normal amount of rain for the month, a deficit of four and a half inches of water will occur. Ideally, during the winter, the necessary moisture to balance the summer deficit would be accumulated. Beginning the summer at or above the normal rainfall is most beneficial.
Finally,
during a drought in the summer, temperatures are typically several
degrees above normal. Increased moisture, via rain, clouds, or wet
ground, allows the temperature to moderate. Without these factors,
temperatures will be warmer.
Drought Conditions Continue
by Montra Lockwood, Service Hydrologist & Joe Rua, Senior Forecaster
The latest
drought monitor from late January indicates moderate drought conditions
persist across Southeast Texas and Southwest and Central Louisiana. In
the month of January, very few systems were strong enough to produce
showers and thunderstorms with any significant rainfall across the
region. Therefore, January rainfall totals were below normal. This is
on the heels of a very dry year in 2005.
In fact, 2005 was the driest year on record for Alexandria, Louisiana. Furthermore, it was the fifth driest on record for New Iberia and Lafayette. Meanwhile, the 2005 precipitation totals for Lake Charles and Beaumont broke into the top 20 list for driest years with both having their eighteenth driest year on record.
As of late January, New Iberia was on pace to have its driest January on record. Meanwhile, Beaumont was on pace to have its eighth driest January and Lake Charles to have its ninth driest January.
FIRE DANGER IMPACTS
The Keetch-Byram Index shows the risks of fire danger are low with levels
from less than 200 to 300. According to local media, burn bans have
been temporarily lifted in Southeast Texas.
AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS
The crop
moisture index has only slightly improved. However, many crops have
already been damaged due to the lack of rainfall over the past year.
The department of agriculture has designated several Texas counties and
Louisiana parishes disaster areas due to the drought.
HYDROLOGIC IMPACTS
Reservoir levels continue to run from around 5 feet below normal
pool levels at Steinhagen Lake and Sam Rayburn Reservoir and about 9
feet below normal at Toledo Bend Reservoir. The low levels at
Toledo Bend have caused a reduction in power generation.
Streamflows on rivers across Southeast Texas and Southwest, Central, and
South Central Louisiana are also below normal.
OUTLOOK
Medium range
forecasts through early February indicate near normal temperatures
with slightly below normal precipitation. However, long term
outlooks through April show relatively near normal temperatures and
precipitation. Therefore, the latest seasonal drought outlook
through April shows some improvement in the drought conditions.
Winter Weather
Definitions
FREEZE WATCH - when first freeze of the season is possible, or when
temperatures may reach the mid 20’s or lower
FREEZE WARNING -
when first freeze of the season is expected, or when
temperatures in the mid 20’s or below will occur
WIND CHILL ADVISORY -
wind chills are expected
between 0F and 13F
WIND CHILL WARNING -
wind chills are expected to be below
0F
WINTER STORM OUTLOOK -
winter storm conditions
are possible in a few days
WINTER STORM WATCH -
when ice or sleet
accumulations of ¼ inch or greater, snow accumulations of 2 or more
inches in 12 hours, or blizzard conditions are possible in the next 48
hours
WINTER STORM WARNING -
when Winter Storm Watch
conditions are expected in the next 24 hours
Contact Info
General
Forecast Information (337)
439-0000
Tour Information (Roger Erickson) (337)
477-0354 or
email Roger.Erickson@noaa.gov
Newsletter
Info (Sam Shamburger) (337) 477-5285 or
email Sam.Shamburger@noaa.gov
Last updated 2/7/06