Three Inland Lakes and Bays Marine Zones were added October 1, 2008

On Wednesday, October 1, 2008, marine warnings, watches, advisories, and forecasts issued by the Weather Forecast Office in Lake Charles, LA were improved to include major inland lakes and bays. The new marine zones that were added within the Lake Charles area of responsibility are Sabine Lake, Calcasieu Lake, and Vermilion Bay. Click here to view the Service Change Notice on this action.

Here are a few reasons why the National Weather Service in Lake Charles made these changes:

1) Both the Calcasieu River & Lake (The Calcasieu Channel) and the Sabine River & Lake (The Sabine Channel) inland lakes are major transportation waterways for industrial and recreational vessels vital to the economy of Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas.

2) Sea heights across Vermilion Bay are usually significantly less than Atchafalaya Bay and areas further offshore due to Marsh Island blocking most swell and wave action from the Gulf of Mexico.

Thus, the need to separate these areas into separate marine zones for warnings, watches, advisories, and forecasts.

Below is a map of the new coastal marine zones distribution, with the new zones in red. To view a more detailed map of the new marine zones, click over the red zones.