ACR PIC RPT ON AN ATIS BROADCAST PROB WHEN ARRIVING MSY; LA; IN A NIGHT OP. TSTM ACTIVITY AND LOW LEVEL WINDSHEAR EXPERIENCED FROM 50 MI N TO LNDG AT MSY. NO PRE WARNING FROM THE ATIS WX RPT OR ANY OF THE 3 FACILITIES THAT WERE CONTACTED REGARDING THIS SEVERE TERMINAL AREA WX FACTOR.

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LOCATION: MSY. FROM APPROX 180 MI N OF MSY; WE OBTAINED 10 MIN OLD ATIS; NO MENTION OF TSTMS OR PRECIP AT MSY ARPT OR VICINITY. UPON REACHING 30 MI FROM ARPT; SEVERAL CELLS WERE APPARENT NEAR THE MARKER AND BTWN IT AND THE FIELD. WE SUDDENLY FOUND OURSELVES; IN AMONG THEM; WITH NO WARNING AND NO MENTION FROM EITHER APCH CTL OR ATIS. QUERIED TWR; NO MENTION OF STORMS; THEIR LOCATION; INTENSITY OR MOVEMENT -- SIMPLY WINDS AT THE FIELD FROM 120 DEGS; 7 KTS. HVY PRECIP; FREQUENT CLOUD TO CLOUD AND CLOUD TO GND LIGHTNING WAS OBVIOUS ON FINAL. WE ASKED FOR AN EARLY TURN; INSIDE KINTE; TO AVOID A GROUP OF 3 CELLS WITH RED CTRS PARKED THERE. IT SEEMS SURPRISING BECAUSE THESE DAYS EVERYONE IS SO CAREFUL OF SEVERE CONVECTION AND WINDSHEAR THAT NO INFO WAS PASSED THROUGH ATIS; APCH OR CTR. WE ALSO NOTICED A 15-20 KT TAILWIND DOWN FINAL; WITH ONLY A 7 KT HEADWIND RPTED AT THE FIELD -- A SIGN OF A GOOD DEVELOPING SHEAR. THIS INCIDENT STANDS OUT IN ITS LACK OF INFO AVAILABLE FOR A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS WX SIT. AGAIN; WE HAD NO INFO UNTIL WE WERE IN AMONG THE DEVELOPING MESS.