Louisiana, 1989

Tornadoes and Hail in Louisiana, May 17, 1989

May 17, 1989 · NWS NEW · 12 events in 5 counties and zones

5 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 3 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
4
Property damage
$25,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

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

5 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Natchitoches

When
May 17, 3:35 PM CST
Where
Natchitoches County
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
31.730, -93.400

Tornado, Natchitoches

When
May 17, 3:59 PM CST
Where
Natchitoches County
Rating
F1
Path length
5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
31.600, -93.280

Tornado, Natchitoches

When
May 17, 4:05 PM CST
Where
Natchitoches County
Rating
F1
Path length
2 mi
Path width
40 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
31.650, -93.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Natchitoches

When
May 17, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Natchitoches County
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
31.770, -93.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Winn

When
May 17, 4:43 PM CST
Where
Winn County
Coordinates
31.920, -92.870

Tornado, Winn

When
May 17, 4:50 PM CST
Where
Winn County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
30 yd
Coordinates
31.750, -92.970

Tornado, Natchitoches

When
May 17, 4:55 PM CST
Where
Natchitoches County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
30 yd
Coordinates
31.550, -92.930

Hail, Winn

When
May 17, 9:40 PM CST
Where
Winn County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.080, -92.670

Hail, Jackson

When
May 17, 9:45 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
32.300, -92.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Caldwell

When
May 17, 10:00 PM CST
Where
Caldwell County
Coordinates
32.050, -92.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When
May 17, 10:15 PM CST
Where
Lincoln County
Coordinates
32.520, -92.630

Hail, Jackson

When
May 17, 11:10 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.180, -92.320

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

More

Every storm in Louisiana in 1989Every state in 1989This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Louisiana, 1989Warnings in Louisiana, May 1989

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: 10043385, 10043386, 10043387, 10043388, 10043389, 10043390, 10043391, 10043392, 10043393, 10043394, 10043395, 10043396.