Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Louisiana, April 13 to 14, 2018

An EF-1 tornado with estimated maximum winds of 105-110 mph touched down just north of the Calhoun community along Griggs Road and Highway 151, where it snapped and uprooted numerous trees and power lines. The tornado moved north northeast roughly along Highway 837, snapping numerous trees, which caused significant damage to several homes along Highway 837 and Richardson Road. A barn was heavily damaged and a mobile home was flipped over before the tornado lifted.

An EF-1 tornado with estimated maximum winds of 95-105 mph touched down just inside Southern Union Parish along Garland Gin Road, where it snapped several trees. It continued north northeast, snapping and uprooting more trees in a field along Garland Gin Road, before crossing Highway 15 and snapping additional trees along Williams Colony Road, Goldsmith Road, and Bridges Road. Some metal roof panels were removed off of an outbuilding along Bridges Road before the tornado lifted.

A video of a funnel cloud was taken from the Ruston Police Department over the northeast side of Ruston.

Trees were blown down along Highway 500 west of Georgetown.

A very brief EF-1 tornado with estimated maximum winds of 85-95 mph touched down along Laster Road where it snapped a few trees. The tornado then crossed Highway 143 and continued northeast, snapping and uprooting more trees before lifting along Highway 2.

Large trees and branches were blown down in the Haile community. Power was out as well. Report from Facebook.

An EF-2 tornado with estimated maximum winds of 110-115 mph touched down just south of Highway 506, snapping and uprooting trees. As the tornado moved to the north northeast, it tore through the Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge, snapping and uprooting numerous trees. Several outbuildings and campsites were severely damaged by falling trees just off of Childress Road. The tornado turned more northeast at Beaucup Road and Childress Road, before lifting just before Goldwing Lane.

This is a continuation of the Southern Harrison County Texas tornado. This EF-0 tornado, with estimated maximum winds near 80 mph, moved east where it snapped large tree branches from a few trees as it crossed Elysian Fields Road. This tornado continued east northeast where it uprooted a tree along Highway 79 that knocked down power lines, and snapped several large branches from trees along Shirley Francis Road. This tornado also uprooted trees and snapped large branches just southeast of Greenwood before lifting along Waterwood Drive.

A strong EF-1 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 105 mph touched down just west of Highway 3132 and Interstate 20 on Dixie Boulevard, where it uprooted a few trees. The tornado continued east northeast crossing Highway 3132 snapping several large branches from trees along and just north of the National Weather Service Shreveport office but across the northern fringes of the Shreveport Regional Airport, before crossing Hollywood Avenue and tearing off portions of the roofs of three hotels on Monkhouse Drive near Interstate 20. Portions of the roof off of the Shreveport Fire Department Station #16 near the entrance of the Shreveport Regional Airport was also ripped off, and several nearby trees were uprooted as well. The tornado paralleled Interstate 20 where it uprooted trees and damaged a few billboard signs. The tornado then shifted north northeast crossing Jewella Avenue near Jackson Street where it began to cause significant tree damage in this area. The tornado swelled to around 800 yards wide where it uprooted and snapped numerous trees along a 13 block path east northeast to the vicinity of the intersection of Hearne Avenue and Lakeshore Drive in the Queensborough neighborhood. Major structural damage occurred to a two-story home at the 2600 block of Stonewall Street when a large tree was uprooted and fell onto the home in Queensborough. Additional major structural damage occurred to the Galilee Learning Center at the 1600 block of Gary Street in Queensborough as well. The tornado continued northeast into Downtown Shreveport causing sporadic tree damage before crossing the Red River into Downtown Bossier City.

Large tree branches were blown down over a car on South Kirkwood Drive in Southern Hills.

A picture was posted to Facebook of a large tree that was blown down blocking Southland Park Drive and Alicia Lane in Southern Hills.

This is a continuation of the Caddo Parish tornado. This EF-1 tornado, with estimated maximum winds near 110 mph, crossed the Red River into Downtown Bossier City, where it uprooted a number of trees and broke several large branches between Bossier High School and Interstate 20. Debris from this tornado also shattered the windows at Moffitt Mazda on Old Minden Road. The tornado strengthened near the Heart of Bossier Shopping Center and Benton Road where it uprooted several trees as it moved east northeast towards Pierre Bossier Mall. It uprooted or snapped several trees along the south side of the mall and Interstate 20 in this area. The tornado knocked down the top half of the east-facing wall of a strip mall on the north side of Pierre Bossier Mall. The tornado shifted northeast where it paralleled the north side of East Texas Street where it continued to uproot and snap trees. There were a number of mobile homes that were damaged along East Texas Street (Highway 80) due to falling trees. The tornado was at its weakest point when sporadic tree damage was found as it crossed over Interstate 220 near Louisiana Downs. The tornado began to rapidly strengthen as it approached the Red Chute community where it knocked a large tree down onto a travel trailer in the Hillcrest Mobile Home Park, unfortunately killing a two year-old infant. The tornado did considerable tree damage as it crossed Bellevue Road just north of Highway 80, splitting trunks and uprooting trees as it reached its widest width of 1100 yards. The tornado continued northeast paralleling Adner Road while doing significant tree damage in the northern sections of the Country Place Subdivision near the Eastwood community. Additional tree damage occurred as the tornado crossed Winfield Road west of the community of Princeton just west of Princeton Elementary School. The tornado uprooted a few more trees north of Princeton along Highway 157 before finally lifting.

A total of 69 conventional and manufactured homes were affected by this tornado throughout Bossier Parish, with 25 of these classified as Affected, 33 with Minor Damage, 10 with Major Damage, and 1 as Destroyed.

An EF-0 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 80 mph touched down along Cozby Road just west of Highway 529 in far northeast Bossier Parish, and uprooted a number of trees near a cemetery along Highway 529 as it traveled northeast where it crossed Coile Road damaging several trees. The tornado then crossed Bodcau Road before moving over Bayou Bodcau into Northwestern Webster Parish.

This is the continuation of the Northeast Bossier Parish tornado. This EF-0 tornado, with estimated maximum winds near 80 mph, continued northeast traveling across Highway 2 in Sarepta uprooting a few trees, before eventually crossing Highway 371 just north of Sarepta where most of the damage occurred. Several trees were uprooted and snapped in this area especially along North Main Street, with a tree falling on a home, before the tornado lifted.

An EF-1 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 95 mph touched down just west of Shongaloo along Highway 2 where it uprooted several trees. It continued northeast causing sporadic tree damage along Highway 159. The tornado then intensified as it approached Highway 615, where it uprooted and snapped several trees and snapped numerous large limbs between the intersections of Highway 615 and Red Oak Road, and Highway 615 and Barge Road, before lifting just to the northeast.

Numerous trees were blown down on Sexton Road.

An EF-1 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 100 mph touched down along Highway 2 just west of Dogwood Road where it uprooted several trees and snapped several large branches. The tornado continued northeast where it uprooted and snapped a number of trees along White Oak Road near Kelly Road, eventually crossing the intersection of Ruple Road and Slaughter Road where it rapidly intensified. The tornado did considerable tree damage as it paralleled Slaughter Road and crossed the Louisiana and Northwest railroad track and Bayou D'Arbonne. It uprooted and snapped numerous trees in this area as it tracked northeast to Highway 520. At the intersection of Slaughter Road and Highway 520, it continued to uproot and snap trees as the tornado began to parallel Highway 520. The tornado began to weaken as it moved northeast along Highway 520, causing sporadic tree damage before lifting near Moore Lake.

An EF-2 tornado was estimated maximum winds near 115 mph touched down about 4 miles east of Bryceland and moved east along Jot 'Em Down Road, snapping and uprooting several trees. The tornado continued east, crossing Highway 147 near the Bienville/Lincoln Parish line, and eventually, Highway 507, where the most significant damage occurred just southwest of the intersection with Talbert Road. Two barns were completely destroyed, the tops of several hardwood trees were snapped, and three-quarters of a metal roof of a home was uplifted and blown into the trees, but all exterior walls were still left standing. The tornado continued moving east, snapping and uprooting trees before lifting along Mount Calm Road, just south of the Bienville/Lincoln Parish line.

An EF-1 tornado with estimated maximum winds between 95-105 mph touched down south of Grambling near the intersection of Null and Mondy Roads. The tornado moved east along Mondy Road, turning northeast crossing Tennessee Avenue, and across the Ruston County Club and the south and southeast sections of Ruston snapping and uprooting trees and several wooden power poles along its path. As the tornado entered the southeast sections of Ruston, numerous trees were snapped, falling on homes and vehicles along Highway 167 and Love Avenue. Another tree was snapped and fell onto a car on McAllister Street, with additional trees snapped and uprooted onto homes, power lines, and vehicles on Terrill Drive and Lewis Street before lifting near the intersection of Lewis and Richardson Streets.

A total of 99 conventional and manufactured homes were affected by this tornado throughout Lincoln Parish, with 39 of these classified as Affected, 34 with Minor Damage, 23 with Major Damage, and 3 as Destroyed.

Damaging straight-line winds tore a portion of a metal roof off of a mobile home on Beacon Light Road just east of Ruston. A metal carport canopy was also blown against the side of a nearby home, with several additional trees uprooted farther northeast along Beacon Light Road just southwest of McDonald Avenue.

An EF-1 tornado with estimated maximum winds between 95-105 mph touched down along Highway 80 just west of Choudrant, and moved east into the community of Choudrant, snapping several trees and large limbs. The tornado then turned northeast, crossing Interstate 20, and moved across Emory Road, snapping and uprooting several trees, before lifting near the intersection of Norris and Aulds Roads.

An EF-1 tornado with estimated maximum winds around 95 mph touched down along Roach Road less than a tenth of a mile west of the Ouachita Parish line, snapping a couple of pine trees before moving into Northwest Ouachita Parish.

This is a continuation of the EF-1 tornado from extreme Eastern Lincoln Parish. This EF-1 tornado, with estimated maximum winds between 95-105 mph, moved east along Jim Hinton Road, before crossing Highway 151. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted, with a large tree landing on the corner of a wooden home near the intersection of Hinton Road and Highway 151. The home suffered extensive roof damage from the falling tree. The tornado then moved northeast across Nick Spillers/Reggie Skains Road as it entered extreme Southern Union Parish. Several additional trees were snapped or uprooted before the tornado entered Union Parish.

The is a continuation of the Ouachita Parish EF-1 tornado. This EF-1 tornado, with estimated maximum winds between 95-105 mph, crossed Reggie Skains Road snapping several trees, and continued east across extreme Southern Union Parish just north of the Ouachita Parish line. The tornado crossed Highway 15 near the same location another EF-1 tornado that initially touched down just north of Calhoun tracked north from Ouachita Parish earlier that evening on April 13th. This tornado continued east along Highway 552 before lifting at the intersection of Highway 552 and Callaway Road. Most of the damage consisted of snapped and uprooted trees across extreme Southern Union Parish. One very large pecan tree estimated at 100 years old was lifted and dropped onto a home.

A few trees were uprooted along Horseshoe Lake Road.

A tree was uprooted, several farm outbuildings were damaged, and farm equipment was overturned.

The north-facing wall of the Southern Market Grocery Store lost the brick facade and some roof covering. The doors of this store were blown in.