Damaging Wind in Louisiana, March 2, 1999

A thunderstorm complex blew through Ouachita Parish producing straight line wind damage from a downdraft dominant squall line. Damage path was along a narrow path that started in extreme northeast Monroe along Highway 80 and moved east southeast across Highway 594 ending just north of I-20. One strapped down mobile home was picked up and moved 25 feet off a cinder block foundation. One Texaco station had windows blown out and a storage shed destroyed. A car repair shop next to the station had wooden roof blown off to the east while the north and south cinder block walls collapsed. Nearly 10 cars were damaged at this location as well. The Ouachita Parish High School had the northwest corner of the gym roof removed and several areas of damage to the western portion of the roof occurred. A basketball game was in progress in the gym with 200 people attending. They took shelter in the school hallways. There were 2 injuries. All of the debris was blown from west to northwest to east southeast showing a divergent pattern.