Tornadoes and Hail in Louisiana, November 21, 1997

A severe thunderstorm produced a tornado as it moved into St. Tammany Parish. The tornado was first observed by the State Police on Interstate Highway 12 west of Covington. From data collected on a ground, damage survey by the National Weather Service, the tornado moved on a path slightly north of due east. The tornado moved across the downtown area of Covington and continued east for nearly 2 miles before lifting off the ground. Most of the damage along path indicated F1 damage, however, several areas near downtown Covington were classified as F2 damage. Parish officials reported 43 injuries were reported with tornado, though most were relatively minor. Six persons required and overnight stay in a hospital, including three pregnant women. Most of the damage to homes was due to large pine trees which had been toppled onto houses. In downtown Covington, a few large buildings lost roofs, had windows blown out, or suffered substantial damage. A large parish building suffered $500,000 damage. Media reports indicated cleanup would cost several million dollars. Just east of the downtown area, several cars were lifted and moved tens of feet by the tornado, and an empty tractor-trailer truck rig was blown over. Nearly 50 cars in a parking lot had their windows blown out by debris or by rapid pressure drop. The same parent thunderstorm spawned another tornado just south of Talisheek damaging a barn and a house. The damage path length at Talisheek was estimated. American Red Cross reports indicated 69 single family homes were destroyed or had major damage in St. Tammany Parish. Four public buildings were also heavily damaged.