A landspout tornado developed and moved across the National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, Louisiana on Thursday. Parts of the property were hit by this quickly-forming storm around 6:30 local time Thursday evening. Here is the official report from NWS Lake Charles.
The storm resulted in the NWS office issuing a spotter-confirmed tornado warning. In this case, the spotters were the National Weather Service Office meteorologists themselves. The storm was short-lived, but did some damage to some of the employees vehicles.
This thunderstorm was one-of-a-kind, in the case that it didn't come with widespread neighboring storms. Instead, this event unfolded amongst the heat and humidity of the Deep South and Southeast, of which will continue on Friday.
Heat indices will reach to 100-110 degrees on Friday afternoon across the Deep South. Heat alerts remain in effect. Take it easy across this area. Limit time outside and try to stay in air conditioning. A snapshot of the forecast shows only a few showers and thundershowers in the New Orleans, LA vicinity Friday.
Meanwhile in the Southeast, another hot day is on tap for Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Here, the heat index value will top 100 degrees by the afternoon.
The Southeast will experience a few more thunderstorms than the Deep South, developing around 1 p.m. ET Friday and getting most intense around peak heating, which is usually around 3-5 p.m. local.
We're in the very beginning of summer, which can be taxing in these hot locations. Day after day of hot weather can catch up with us, so find a cool spot in the shade or the pool, apply sunscreen, drink plenty of water, and wear a hat and sunglasses!