HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
324 PM CST THU JAN 21 1999

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN SECTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND PORTIONS OF CENTRAL LOUISIANA UNTIL 900 PM...

...CONDITIONS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER TONIGHT AND FRIDAY...

A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA THIS AFTERNOON. THIS IN CONJUNCTION WITH A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SET THE STAGE FOR SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY AFTERNOON FOR MOST OF THE AREA.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TO DEVELOP ACROSS NORTHERN SECTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSIFY IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA THROUGH THIS EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE.

IN ADDITION TO THIS ACTIVITY...A SQUALL LINE IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE COLD FRONT WHICH IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO WESTERN SECTIONS OF LOUISIANA LATE TONIGHT...MOVING THROUGH SOUTHCENTRAL LOUISIANA DURING THE MORNING HOURS ON FRIDAY. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY AS THEY MOVE EASTWARD THROUGH LOUISIANA.

RESIDENTS SHOULD MONITOR THIS SITUATION CLOSELY AND CHECK WITH MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE LATEST UPDATES...ESPECIALLY BEFORE RETIRING FOR THE EVENING. WEATHER RADIOS SHOULD BE SET TO ALERT.

ACTIVATION OF SKYWARN STORM SPOTTERS WILL MORE THAN LIKELY BE REQUIRED LATER TONIGHT.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL TELEVISION OR RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS CONCERNING THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SEVERE WEATHER THREAT. ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE OBTAINED THROUGH OUR HOME PAGE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/LCH.

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
748 PM CST THU JAN 21 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAKE CHARLES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
RAPIDES PARISH IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA

* UNTIL 835 PM CST

* AT 745 PM CST... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO 17 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ALEXANDRIA MOVING NORTH AT 40 MPH.

* THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR
ALEXANDRIA BY 800 PM CST

REMEMBER... A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. LARGE HAIL... DAMAGING WINDS... AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL MAY ALSO OCCUR. BE READY TO SEEK A PLACE OF SAFETY IF A WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA.

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
804 PM CST THU JAN 21 1999

...TORNADO WARNING CONTINUES FOR RAPIDES PARISH UNTIL 835 PM...

AT 800 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A TORNADO JUST SOUTH OF THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA. STORM MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTH AT 40 MPH. PERSONS IN THE ALEXANDRIA AREA SHOULD TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
823 PM CST THU JAN 21 1999

...TORNADO WARNING CONTINUES FOR RAPIDES PARISH UNTIL 835 PM...

AT 820 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A TORNADO IN NORTHEAST RAPIDES PARISH...JUST EAST OF BALL. PERSONS IN NORTHEAST RAPIDES PARISH SHOULD TAKE COVER NOW FROM THIS STORM.

Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale

F0 - F1 Weak Tornado

F2 - F3 Strong Tornado

F4 - F5 Violent Tornado

(F0) Gale tornado (40-72 mph) Light damage. Some damage to chimneys; break branches off trees; push over shallow-rooted trees; damage sign boards.

(F1) Moderate tornado (73-112 mph) Moderate damage. The lower limit is the beginning of hurricane wind speed; peel surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned; moving autos pushed off the roads.

(F2) Significant tornado (113-157 mph) Considerable damage. Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars pushed over; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated.

(F3) Severe tornado (158-206 mph) Severe damage. Roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forest uprooted; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown.

(F4) Devastating tornado (207-260) Devastating damage. Well-constructed houses leveled; structures with weak foundations blown off some distance; cars thrown and large missiles generated.

(F5) Incredible tornado (261-318 mph) Incredible damage. Strong frame houses lifted off foundations and carried considerable distance to disintegrate; automobile sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 meters(109 yds); trees debarked; incredible phenomena will occur.

(F6-F12) 319 mph to MACH 1, the speed of sound The maximum wind speeds of tornadoes are not expected to reach the F6 wind speeds.

(from J. Atmos. Sci., August 1981, pg 1517-1519)