WFO Lake Charles Hazmat Forecast Support
Montra Lockwood, Service Hydrologist
Kent Kuyper, Senior Forecaster
 

For the past few years, the NWS Lake Charles Weather Forecast Office (WFO) has become increasingly active in providing spot forecast support for HAZMAT events.  The WFO has been providing such support for controlled burns and wildfires through their fire weather program for the past several years. However, this support now extends to all types of HAZMAT events, from oil and gas well blowouts to the Space Shuttle Challenger loss to marine oil spill support.   

During the past year alone, the WFO has provided time critical environmental information and forecasts for six HAZMAT incidents.  These incidents have included a large oil spill in the northwest Gulf of Mexico, another large oil spill on the Calcasieu ship channel, two events involving the demolition and clean-up of debris left by Hurricane Rita, a gas plant fire, and the recovery of a tugboat after it collided with debris from Hurricane Rita and sunk to the gulf floor about 20 miles off the Louisiana coast.  Over 300 HAZMAT Spot Forecasts have been issued throughout this period in support of hazardous incident clean-up and recovery.

Around 500 man hours have been utilized by the WFO’s forecast and observation programs to support the HAZMAT recovery efforts.  Around 30 to 40 supplemental surface observations per day were received from oil rigs in the northwest Gulf of Mexico and compiled and transmitted via AWIPS by the data acquisition staff during these incidents.  Despite the extra effort on the part of the WFO staff, many of these forecasts have been produced as part of the daily routine duties without the need for extra staffing except during severe weather and flood events.

WFO Lake Charles has promoted HAZMAT forecasts to local, state, and federal government officials. State and local emergency managers have provided mutual aid radios to the Lake Charles office. These radios have been useful for communicating directly with on-scene coordinators during rapidly changing weather events.

The relationship between the Lake Charles office and its customers has been strengthened through this personalized support.  The WFO has received praise from several of its customers for providing this service.  Monica Allison of the U.S. Coast Guard stated (in reference to support during Hurricane Rita debris clean-up)  “The recent reports that I have been receiving from…Lake Charles have been outstanding…Your continued support of our operation, while it may seem trivial, is vital to our success and the health and safety of the crew working out of Gibbstown. In short, it is greatly appreciated.".