Tornadoes and Hail in Louisiana, May 21, 1988

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Louisiana, May 21, 1988
Start: 1988-05-21T06:02
End: 1988-05-21T11:55
Location: Louisiana

May 21, 1988 · 20 events in 14 counties and zones

12 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado, 2 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: $800,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 20

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

12 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cameron

When: May 21, 6:02 AM CST
Where: Cameron County
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates: 29.800, -93.330

Tornado, Cameron

When: May 21, 6:06 AM CST
Where: Cameron County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 29.820, -93.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Cameron

When: May 21, 6:25 AM CST
Where: Cameron County
Coordinates: 29.820, -93.100

Tornado, Calcasieu

When: May 21, 6:35 AM CST
Where: Calcasieu County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.8 mi
Path width: 73 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 30.100, -92.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson Davis

When: May 21, 6:45 AM CST
Where: Jefferson Davis County
Measured: 76 kt (87 mph)
Coordinates: 30.220, -92.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson Davis

When: May 21, 7:05 AM CST
Where: Jefferson Davis County
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates: 30.220, -92.670

Tornado, Vermilion

When: May 21, 7:25 AM CST
Where: Vermilion County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 330 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 30.120, -92.130

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Landry

When: May 21, 7:30 AM CST
Where: St. Landry County
Coordinates: 30.530, -92.080

Tornado, Vermilion

When: May 21, 7:40 AM CST
Where: Vermilion County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Coordinates: 29.980, -92.230

Hail, Lafayette

When: May 21, 7:40 AM CST
Where: Lafayette County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 30.220, -92.020

Hail, East Baton Rouge

When: May 21, 8:28 AM CST
Where: East Baton Rouge County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 30.470, -91.170

Tornado, East Baton Rouge

When: May 21, 9:00 AM CST
Where: East Baton Rouge County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.8 mi
Path width: 73 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 30.580, -91.170

Thunderstorm Wind, West Feliciana

When: May 21, 9:00 AM CST
Where: West Feliciana County
Coordinates: 30.770, -91.380

Tornado, Livingston

When: May 21, 10:07 AM CST
Where: Livingston County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 30.500, -90.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Tangipahoa

When: May 21, 10:20 AM CST
Where: Tangipahoa County
Coordinates: 30.630, -90.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Terrebonne

When: May 21, 10:22 AM CST
Where: Terrebonne County
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates: 29.600, -90.720

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Tammany

When: May 21, 11:15 AM CST
Where: St. Tammany County
Coordinates: 30.680, -90.200

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Tammany

When: May 21, 11:30 AM CST
Where: St. Tammany County
Coordinates: 30.330, -89.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Orleans

When: May 21, 11:40 AM CST
Where: Orleans County
Coordinates: 29.950, -90.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: May 21, 11:55 AM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Coordinates: 29.680, -90.100

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Louisiana in 1988 Every state in 1988 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Louisiana, 1988 Warnings in Louisiana, May 1988

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10045470, 10045471, 10045472, 10045473, 10045474, 10045475, 10045476, 10045477, 10045478, 10045479, 10045480, 10045481, 10045482, 10045483, 10045484, 10045485, 10045486, 10045487, 10045488, 10045489.