Thunderstorm Wind in Ascension Parish, Louisiana

Thunderstorm winds downed a tree on LA Hwy 44 south of Gonzales. Time estimated by radar.

A fairly typical summertime upper level pattern was in place with strong high pressure centered well west of the local area. That put southern Louisiana on the eastern periphery of this ridge in a region of northwestern upper level flow. That setup is often conducive for strong to severe thunderstorm development and what took place on August 15th. Thunderstorms initially developed in central Mississippi early afternoon. As the storms traveled southwestward, they moved into an environment with ample instability from strong daytime heating. The resultant cluster of storms organized into a line of strong to severe thunderstorms.