Louisiana tornadoes
Every recorded tornado since 1950 · 64 counties with a record
Louisiana has recorded 2,503 tornadoes from 1950 through 2025, about 48 a year since 2000, with 113 rated F3/EF3 or stronger (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). The deadliest was the October 3, 1964 tornado through Lafourche (22 deaths in Louisiana). Louisiana ranks 11th of 52 states and territories by count and 4th of 51 per square mile.
Tornadoes in Louisiana, 1950 to 2025
Tornadoes per year (SPC; a tornado that crossed a state line counts in each state it touched).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1996: tornado reports rose with NEXRAD Doppler radar, mid-1990s (SPC)
- Tornadoes
- 2,5031950 to 2025
- A year since 2000
- 48average
- Deaths
- 1792,953 injuries
- F3/EF3 or stronger
- 1135% of tornadoes
- Busiest year
- 202496 tornadoes
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025 (state segments). SPC severe weather database.
Are tornadoes common in Louisiana?
Louisiana averages about 48 tornadoes a year since 2000, 11th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2024 (96). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Louisiana records 579 tornadoes since 1950, 4th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA SPC, tornadoes 1950-2025, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Louisiana have the most tornadoes?
Per square mile, Jefferson Parish leads Louisiana: 62 days with a tornado record since 1950, 206.1 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Calcasieu Parish has the most tornado records (114 since 1950); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1950 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is tornado season in Louisiana?
Louisiana's tornadoes by month. The busiest month is April (467 tornadoes).
The values, month by month
Jan 190 · Feb 154 · Mar 257 · Apr 467 · May 346 · Jun 165 · Jul 92 · Aug 73 · Sep 135 · Oct 185 · Nov 251 · Dec 188 (records).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments by the month they began, 1950-2025.
What were the deadliest tornadoes in Louisiana?
| Date | Counties | Rating | Path in state | Killed | Injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-10-03 | Lafourche | F4 | 1.5 mi | 22 | 165 |
| 1950-02-12 | Shreveport · De Soto, Caddo, Bossier, Webster | F4 | 82.6 mi | 18 | 77 |
| 1971-02-21 | Delhi · Madison, East CarrollWhole track: LA, MS; 47 deaths | F5 | 31.7 mi | 11 | 18 |
| 1953-12-03 | Dry Prong to Tullos · Vernon, Rapides, Grant, LaSalle | F4 | 85.5 mi | 9 | 50 |
| 1999-04-03 | Shreveport · Caddo, Bossier | F4 | 19.3 mi | 7 | 102 |
| 1961-09-12 | Jonesboro · Jackson | F3 | 2 mi | 5 | 37 |
| 1950-02-12 | Zwolle to Mount Lebanon · Sabine, Natchitoches, Red River, Bienville | F3 | 74.5 mi | 5 | 25 |
| 1950-02-12 | Doyline to Haynesville · De Soto, Red River, Caddo, Bossier | F2 | 58.4 mi | 5 | 10 |
| 1952-04-04 | Sunset · St. Landry, St. Martin | F2 | 20.4 mi | 4 | 33 |
| 1957-11-07 | Cankton · Acadia, St. Landry | F3 | 9.2 mi | 4 | 10 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (state segments: deaths and path inside Louisiana), 1950-2025; counties are the first four the SPC lists for the segment. SPC severe weather database.
Where have the strongest tornadoes tracked in Louisiana?
- F2/EF2
- F3/EF3
- F4/EF4
- F5/EF5
- no end point filed
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, start and end points of each track; county lines: Census Bureau cartographic boundaries (2017), via us-atlas. SPC severe weather database. Census cartographic boundary files.
The strongest tornadoes in Louisiana
| Date | Counties | Rating | Path in state | Width | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-02-21 | Delhi · Madison, East Carroll | F5 | 31.7 mi | 500 yd | 11 |
| 1964-10-03 | Lafourche | F4 | 1.5 mi | 67 yd | 22 |
| 1950-02-12 | Shreveport · De Soto, Caddo, Bossier, Webster | F4 | 82.6 mi | 100 yd | 18 |
| 1953-12-03 | Dry Prong to Tullos · Vernon, Rapides, Grant, LaSalle | F4 | 85.5 mi | 300 yd | 9 |
| 1999-04-03 | Shreveport · Caddo, Bossier | F4 | 19.3 mi | 200 yd | 7 |
| 1983-04-01 | Collinston · Ouachita, Morehouse | F4 | 9 mi | 1,000 yd | 2 |
| 1978-12-03 | Shreveport · Bossier | F4 | 6.2 mi | 400 yd | 2 |
| 2010-11-29 | Winnfield · Winn | EF4 | 13.96 mi | 400 yd | 0 |
| 1983-12-06 | Laplace · St. John the Baptist | F4 | 7 mi | 200 yd | 0 |
| 1950-02-12 | Zwolle to Mount Lebanon · Sabine, Natchitoches, Red River, Bienville | F3 | 74.5 mi | 100 yd | 5 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database; F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after.
The longest tornado paths in Louisiana
| Date | Tornado and counties | Rating | Path in state | Width | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-03-22 | Simpson · Vernon, Natchitoches, Grant, Winn | F2 | 159.2 mi | 200 yd | 2 |
| 1953-12-03 | Dry Prong to Tullos · Vernon, Rapides, Grant, LaSalle | F4 | 85.5 mi | 300 yd | 9 |
| 1950-02-12 | Shreveport · De Soto, Caddo, Bossier, Webster | F4 | 82.6 mi | 100 yd | 18 |
| 1974-03-20 | Zwolle to Winnfield · Sabine, Natchitoches, Winn | F3 | 76 mi | 200 yd | 1 |
| 1950-02-12 | Zwolle to Mount Lebanon · Sabine, Natchitoches, Red River, Bienville | F3 | 74.5 mi | 100 yd | 5 |
| 2019-12-16 | Alexandria · Beauregard, Vernon, Rapides | EF3 | 62.61 mi | 550 yd | 1 |
| 1978-12-03 | Spearsville · Bossier, Webster, Claiborne, Union | F3 | 61.1 mi | 10 yd | 0 |
| 1984-05-02 | Stonewall to Bienville · Caddo, De Soto, Bossier, Bienville | F3 | 61 mi | 250 yd | 0 |
| 1950-02-12 | Doyline to Haynesville · De Soto, Red River, Caddo, Bossier | F2 | 58.4 mi | 100 yd | 5 |
| 1978-12-03 | Lisbon · Webster, Claiborne, Union | F3 | 56.2 mi | 300 yd | 2 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments: path length and width inside the state. SPC severe weather database.
Tornadoes in every Louisiana county
All 64 counties: tornadoes whose track touched each, and the strongest
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database: whole tornadoes whose track touched the county (any state segment listing it). SPC severe weather database.
Is Louisiana in Tornado Alley?
Tornado Alley has no official boundary; the Storm Prediction Center calls it a media nickname for the central U.S. area of relatively high tornado occurrence. By the record, Louisiana ranks 2nd of 50 states for tornadoes rated 1 or higher per square mile since 1950 (394 per 10,000 square miles), and it lies in the Southeast area often called Dixie Alley.
Tornado Alley, measured: the states by density and maps of where tornadoes began in two eras.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database and Online Tornado FAQ. SPC's tornado FAQ.
The costliest tornadoes in Louisiana
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-12 | TornadoBawcomville, Ouachita Parish An EF-3 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 140 mph touched down at the corner of Fern Street and Brown Street in the Brownsville-Bawcomville community. As it moved through this area, it downed and snapped hundreds of trees, many of which fell onto homes. As the tornado crossed Sandal Street, it caused minor ... | EF3 8.01 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $285M |
| 1993-04-08 | TornadoGrand Isle, Jefferson Parish An unusually strong, well organized cluster of thunderstorms moving east-northeast about 40 mph blew down about 14 utility poles 8 miles south of Leeville. A waterspout made landfall as a tornado near the middle of Grand Isle on the Gulf of Mexico side about 1320 CST. The tornado continued west-southwest across the ... | F2 6 mi x 250 yd | 3 | 39 | $102M |
| 2019-04-25 | TornadoBarnet Spgs, Lincoln Parish An EF-3 tornado with maximum estimated winds near 145 mph touched down just northeast of the intersection of Highway 80 and Highway 818 where several trees were uprooted. It continued northeast, crossing South Maple Street where the tornado intensified, resulting in widespread tree damage just south of Highway 3012 ... | EF3 11.15 mi x 1,000 yd | 2 | 2 | $58M |
| 2022-12-14 | TornadoGouldsboro, Orleans Parish The tornado entered into Orleans Parish from Jefferson Parish as it crossed the Westbank Expressway. Moving into Algiers, the tornado again caused significant structural damage along Tita St. One home was shifted from its foundation and began to roll over, being completely destroyed in the process. Three others ... | EF2 2.12 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 4 | $50M |
| 2010-04-24 | TornadoQuebec, Madison Parish The start of the long-track violent tornado began around 6 miles west of Tallulah, just to the south of I-20. This tornado did not waste any time becoming strong and quite wide as it downed a few high tension truss towers on the south end of I-20. As the tornado crossed the interstate, a tractor-trailer was flipped ... | EF3 12.35 mi x 1,500 yd | 0 | 16 | $49M |
| 2023-03-02 | TornadoNorton, Caddo Parish An EF-1 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 100 mph initially touched down along Wildoak Drive where it uprooted trees and downed branches. It continued to Waterford Drive and Ellerbe Road. There, it damaged a fence and downed a few tree limbs before crossing Ellerbe Road. The tornado then went on to uproot, ... | EF1 4.76 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 2 | $48M |
| 2022-03-22 | TornadoArabi, St. Bernard Parish A tornado moved into St. Bernard Parish from Orleans Parish near Friscoville Avenue at the Mississippi River. The most intense damage was from the riverbank to the canal in Arabi. It was a very narrow, intense tornado with two areas of concentrated EF3 damage. One was a house that was swept off its raised foundation ... | EF3 3.05 mi x 320 yd | 2 | 2 | $30M |
| 2019-12-16 | TornadoHineston, Rapides Parish The tornado moved into Rapides Parish from Vernon Parish crossing Highway 121 as an EF1. Large branches were snapped off. The tornado was about 230 yards wide as it crossed Hwy 1199 and Clint Louis Road. The tornado continued to uproot or snap trees and at this point was about 8 miles southwest of Alexandria. The ... | EF3 30.22 mi x 525 yd | 0 | 0 | $25M |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $250M, in the dollars of the day) holds: December 3, 1978 (tornado, Bossier Parish, 2 killed).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are tornadoes becoming more frequent in Louisiana?
Louisiana's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. The Storm Prediction Center notes that tornado reports rose especially around the installation of the NEXRAD Doppler radar network in the mid-1990s, so a rising count is partly better detection; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Louisiana | United States | Louisiana's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 122 | 4,837 | 2.5% |
| 1960s | 168 | 6,863 | 2.4% |
| 1970s | 278 | 8,633 | 3.2% |
| 1980s | 311 | 8,250 | 3.8% |
| 1990s | 384 | 12,205 | 3.1% |
| 2000s | 403 | 12,892 | 3.1% |
| 2010s | 510 | 12,232 | 4.2% |
| 2020-25 | 327 | 8,234 | 4.0% |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments.
The most recent tornadoes in Louisiana
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-23 | TornadoPlain Dealing, Bossier Parish | EF1 4.6 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K |
| 2026-06-19 | TornadoArabi, St. Bernard Parish | EF0 0.7 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $100K |
| 2026-06-18 | TornadoBoutte, St. Charles Parish | EF1 6.96 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | TornadoCrozier, Terrebonne Parish | EF0 1.48 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | TornadoTheriot, Terrebonne Parish | EF0 1.05 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | TornadoNorth Shore, St. Tammany Parish | EF1 9.7 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K |
| 2026-06-18 | TornadoNorth Shore, St. Tammany Parish | EF0 3.13 mi x 350 yd | 0 | 0 | $200K |
| 2026-06-18 | TornadoMandeville, St. Tammany Parish | EF1 1.84 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $40K |
| 2026-06-18 | TornadoNew Orleans, Orleans Parish | EF1 6.06 mi x 225 yd | 0 | 0 | $75K |
| 2026-06-18 | TornadoJefferson Parish | EF1 1.56 mi x 225 yd | 0 | 0 | $65K |
| 2026-06-18 | TornadoWest Bridge Jct, Jefferson Parish | EF0 3.16 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 2 | $200K |
| 2026-06-18 | TornadoNew Sarpy, St. Charles Parish | EF0 0.92 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for tornadoes in Louisiana
FEMA has declared 12 disasters in Louisiana for tornadoes, counting its incident type and declarations that name tornado in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 11 were major disasters, the latest on June 2, 2021.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-06-02 | DR-4606 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 7 |
| 2019-06-03 | DR-4439 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | 3 |
| 2017-02-11 | DR-4300 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds | 2 |
| 2009-12-10 | DR-1863 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 11 |
| 2007-02-23 | DR-1685 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | 3 |
| 1999-04-09 | DR-1269 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding | 5 |
| 1991-05-03 | DR-904 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | 38 |
| 1989-06-16 | DR-833 | Severe Storms & Tornadoes | 9 |
| 1987-11-30 | DR-804 | Tornadoes & Flooding | 10 |
| 1984-05-15 | EM-3090 | Severe Storms & Tornadoes | 1 |
| 1978-12-06 | DR-567 | Severe Storms & Tornadoes | 2 |
| 1975-06-06 | DR-470 | Heavy Rains, Tornadoes & Flooding | 12 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Jefferson Parish: the county's whole recordThe Louisiana county with the most tornadoes per square mile
- Tornadoes across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in LouisianaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Louisiana12,655 records
- Hail in Louisiana6,412 records
- Floods in Louisiana3,330 records