The National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Lake Charles, LA and the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center (LMRFC) in Slidell, LA announce a change in forecast services along the Calcasieu River in northeast Calcasieu Parish. Beginning November 6th, these offices will provide river stage forecasts for the Calcasieu River at White Oak Park. This move will allow forecast services at Old Town Bay to be discontinued.
On November 6th, the transition in services from the Old Town Bay site to the White Oak Park site will provide improved data observations and forecast warning services to locations previously served by Old Town Bay. Flood stage at the White Oak Park location is set at 2 feet, with moderate flood stage at 4 feet and major flood stage at 6 feet. The gage height difference for White Oak Park is about 2.1 feet lower from Old Town Bay as it is reporting water level in relation to sea level (NAVD88). Thus, while the value of the water level reading is changing, the impacts will stay the same.
The gage at White Oak Park is owned and operated by the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury and reports data more frequently, especially in flooding situations. This change has been coordinated with local parish stakeholders.
To get the latest information on the Calcasieu River at White Oak Park and other river forecast points, please visit our website at water.weather.gov and on the map click the state of Louisiana or select Louisiana under the United States menu option, or click on Lake Charles LA from the NWS Weather Forecast Offices menu option. The Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service page provides current and forecast river information, warnings, gage locations, impacts, and historical crest information for 46 points in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.
WFO Lake Charles provides all the weather services for 22 counties and parishes in southeast Texas, southwest and central Louisiana. The WFO collects hydrometeorological data, prepares and disseminates weather forecasts, river and flood forecasts and warnings; and issues severe weather watches and warnings to the public. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov/lakecharles.
The LMRFC prepares river stage forecasts for the major rivers and creeks in the lower Mississippi River Valley. The river forecast center’s area of responsibility includes most of Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana, and parts of surrounding states including Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and northeast Texas.
Additional information is available at https://www.weather.gov/lmrfc/.
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