Strong thunderstorms developed in a moderately unstable airmass across portion of west central and central Louisiana during the afternoon hours of May 16th. These storms produced mostly wind damage and also resulted in the injuries of two people from flying debris in Grant Parish, Louisiana.
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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.
The episode as NWS SHV wrote it up.
Strong thunderstorms developed in a moderately unstable airmass across portion of west central and central Louisiana during the afternoon hours of May 16th. These storms produced mostly wind damage and also resulted in the injuries of two people from flying debris in Grant Parish, Louisiana.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 16, 10:13 AM CST, 4 hours 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA 1113 AM CDT SAT MAY 16 2009 .DISCUSSION... SOMEWHAT OF A TRICKY FORECAST PERIOD FOR TODAY. CURRENTLY...A COLD FRONT STRETCHES FROM CENTRAL ARKANSAS...THROUGH SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA INTO NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS. THIS COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH OUR FOUR STATE AREA THIS EVENING...HOWEVER IT APPEARS THAT A SMALL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM HAS DEVELOPED ALONG THE FRONT IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA. THE PLACEMENT OF THIS LOW WILL DELAY THE FRONTAL PASSAGE A FEW HOURS...WHICH IN TURN SHOULD INCREASE OUR RAIN CHANCES. SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES ONLY SCATTERED HIGH CLOUDS OVER THE FORECAST REGION THIS MORNING...MAINLY OVER NORTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS. THE LACK OF THICK CLOUD COVER WILL ALLOW FOR INCREASED AFTERNOON HEATING. SINCE THE FRONT IS STALLED NORTH OF OUR AREA...HAVE RAISED AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES AREAWIDE...FROM 1 OR 2 DEGREES TO THE SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20...TO AS MANY AS 6 DEGREES TO THE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 3O. THIS INCREASED HEATING WILL ALSO HELP DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE...RESULTING IN AN INCREASED CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THEREFORE HAVE ALSO INCREASED RAIN CHANCES AREAWIDE. STILL DEBATING WHETHER OR NOT TO ISSUE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA...AND SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS. FORECAST RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE HIGH ENOUGH TO CAUSE WIDESPREAD FLOODING...HOWEVER SEVERAL AREAS HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED AS MUCH RAIN AS THEY CAN HANDLE. WILL DELAY THE DECISION UNTIL THE AFTERNOON FORECAST PACKAGE TO SEE HOW THINGS DEVELOP DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON. /18/ && .AVIATION... THE BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING SOUTHEAST ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHEAST TEXAS...SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS MORNING HAVE DIMINISHED. REMNANT CLOUD DEBRIS WILL BE FLOATING AROUND THROUGH MIDDAY BEFORE CU FIELD BECOMES ACTIVE AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT...CURRENTLY MOVING SOUTHEAST OUT OF OKLAHOMA. MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS WILL MOVE SOUTH WITH THE FRONT AND ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT INTO THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WILL LIKELY TEMPO IN THUNDER AT THE EAST TEXAS TAF SITES THIS AFTERNOON AS WELL AS SHV. WILL MONITOR MLU AND ELD CLOSELY THIS AFTERNOON AS THE FRONT APPROACHES FOR TS DEVELOPMENT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE TAPERING OFF OVER DEEP EAST TEXAS AND LOWER SECTIONS OF NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA DURING THE LATE MORNING TO MID DAY SUNDAY. /04/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SHV 84 61 70 52 78 / 50 80 30 0 0 MLU 85 61 67 49 77 / 50 80 40 10 0 DEQ 78 55 72 45 77 / 70 80 10 0 0 TXK 81 57 69 47 77 / 70 80 20 0 0 ELD 83 58 69 46 76 / 50 80 30 0 0 TYR 82 59 72 52 80 / 70 80 20 0 0 GGG 83 60 71 49 78 / 60 80 20 0 0 LFK 86 64 72 50 79 / 60 80 40 0 0 && .SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. LA...NONE. OK...NONE. TX...NONE. && 18/04
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA 1217 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2009 ARZ050-051-059>061-070-071-OKZ077-TXZ096-097-108>112-171730- SEVIER-HOWARD-LITTLE RIVER-HEMPSTEAD-NEVADA-MILLER-LAFAYETTE- MCCURTAIN-RED RIVER-BOWIE-FRANKLIN-TITUS-CAMP-MORRIS-CASS- 1217 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT...WHICH IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE INTERSTATE 30 CORRIDOR THIS EVENING. WHILE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME STRONG DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...THE GREATEST THREAT WILL BE FROM FLASH FLOODING. THE GROUND IN MOST LOCATION IS COMPLETELY SATURATED...AND MOST RIVERS AND STREAMS ARE NEAR OR ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. AS A RESULT...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN MAY CAUSE ADDITIONAL FLASH FLOODING THIS EVENING. AS THE COLD FRONT MAKES ITS WAY SOUTHWARD THIS EVENING...RAINFALL WILL BEGIN TO TAPER OFF. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ARZ072-073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-TXZ124>126-136>138-149>153- 165>167-171730- COLUMBIA-UNION AR-CADDO-BOSSIER-WEBSTER-CLAIBORNE-LINCOLN- UNION LA-DE SOTO-RED RIVER-BIENVILLE-JACKSON-OUACHITA-SABINE LA- NATCHITOCHES-WINN-GRANT-CALDWELL-LA SALLE-WOOD-UPSHUR-MARION- SMITH-GREGG-HARRISON-CHEROKEE-RUSK-PANOLA-NACOGDOCHES-SHELBY- ANGELINA-SAN AUGUSTINE-SABINE TX- 1217 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS...SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA... NORTHWEST LOUISIANA...EAST TEXAS AND NORTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED DURING THE EARLY EVENING NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 30 CORRIDOR...SOME OF WHICH MAY BECOME SEVERE...AS A COLD FRONT MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH THE FOUR STATE REGION. A FEW OF THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS CAPABLE OF DOWNING TREES AND POWERLINES. IN ADDITION...THE COLD FRONT MAY MOVE SLOWLY ENOUGH THAT THUNDERSTORMS BEGIN TO TRAIN ALONG THE BOUNDARY. AS A RESULT...A FEW LOCATIONS MAY EXPERIENCE LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. THE COLD FRONT WILL FILTER INTO THE I-20 CORRIDOR THIS EVENING AND THE THREAT FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BEGIN TO SUBSIDE DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS FOR THE AREAS NORTH OF I-20. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ONGOING OVERNIGHT ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-20. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OR POSSIBLE ORGANIZED BOWING SEGMENTS MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AS HIGH AS 60 MPH. EXPECT THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TO BEGIN TO PUSH OUT OF THE FOUR STATE AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS ON SUNDAY. THE REST OF THE NEW WEEK IS EXPECTED TO BE FAIR AND COOL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING AND DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF SUNDAY AS THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. 18
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
230 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1121 PM TORNADO 2 SSE HUTTIG 33.01N 92.17W
04/09/2009 UNION LA PARK/FOREST SRVC
WITH THE HELP OF THE US FOREST SERVICE..AN EF1 TORNADO
TRACK WAS DISCOVERED IN THE UPPER OUACHITA NATIONAL
WILDLIFE REFUGE FROM THE APRIL 9 AND APRIL 10 STORMS.
NUMEROUS LARGE TREES WERE SNAPPED AND UPROOTED FROM 3.75
MILES WEST OF THE RIVER TO THE RIVER IN A 150 YARD WIDE
PATH.
&&
04The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Emergency Manager reported damage to a home and a metal shop was destroyed with 2 vehicles damaged from flying debris. Two people in the destroyed shop were injured from the debris as well. The location was north of the Catahoula Ranger Office on Hwy. 8.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Louisiana in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, May 2009
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: 171862.