Louisiana, 2024

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Louisiana, December 26, 2024

December 26, 2024 · NWS SHV · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

An upper trough moving out of the Rockies aided in the development of a surface low along a frontal boundary over East Texas. Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms developed by early afternoon in an environment characterized by CAPE values around 1000 J/kg and strong low-level shear.

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
0
Property damage
$135,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS SHV wrote it up.

An upper trough moving out of the Rockies aided in the development of a surface low along a frontal boundary over East Texas. Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms developed by early afternoon in an environment characterized by CAPE values around 1000 J/kg and strong low-level shear. A couple of isolated supercells developed across Deep East Texas and Western Louisiana. At the same time, most of the thunderstorms congealed into a linear complex, which moved east across East Texas and Northern Louisiana.

What forecasters said that day

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 Dec 26, 5:33 PM CST, 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 26, 5:33 PM CST, 16 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 26, 3:04 PM CST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Dec 26, 3:07 PM CST, 2 hours 42 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Dec 26, 3:46 PM CST, 2 hours 3 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Dec 26, 4:31 PM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Dec 26, 5:22 PM CST, 27 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Dec 26, 5:24 PM CST, 25 minutes before
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The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 80 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:49 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Sabine

When
December 26, 5:49 PM CST to 5:53 PM CST
Where
Sabine County, 1.19 mi SSW of Zwolle Ammons Arpt to 0.75 mi ENE of Zwolle Ammons Arpt
Rating
EF1
Path length
1.85 mi
Path width
220 yd
Property damage
$35,000
Reported by
NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates
31.514, -93.709

A brief EF-1 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 100 mph touched down over the waters of Toledo Bend Reservoir, and moved northeast through a cove of the lake and ripped the sheet metal panels from several boat docks. The tornado flipped one floating boat house with the boat still inside its cradle. The tornado moved onshore, damaged a porch awning, and removed some metal roof panels from a couple of manufactured homes along Amanda Drive. Numerous large tree limbs were downed in this area, and a couple of hardwood and softwood trees were snapped. The tornado continued northeast along Yvonne Drive, crossed another cove of Toledo Bend Reservoir, and crossed Lee Street and Bull Run into a new subdivision of single family residences. One of these homes sustained minor roof damage, consisting of the loss of a few roof panels. The tornado crossed Highway 1215 and produced a significant swath of tree damage. Numerous hardwoods and softwoods were snapped and uprooted. One hardwood tree fell onto a home that was mostly constructed of metal, completely destroying it. This was also the most concentrated area of damage from this tornado. The tornado then began to weaken at this point as it crossed yet another cove of Toledo Bend Reservoir and moved back over land, uprooting a large pine tree and downing some small limbs before lifting along Flora Lane just north and west of Highway 1215.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sabine

When
December 26, 5:54 PM CST
Where
Sabine County, 1.37 mi ENE of Zwolle Ammons Arpt
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
31.540, -93.680

Trees and power lines downed south of Zwolle.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sabine

When
December 26, 6:09 PM CST
Where
Sabine County, 3.88 mi SSW of Belmont
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
31.670, -93.550

Trees and power lines downed east of Zwolle.

Thunderstorm Wind, Natchitoches

When
December 26, 7:51 PM CST
Where
Natchitoches County, 2.44 mi WSW of Oshkosh
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
32.020, -93.040

Trees and power lines downed west of Goldonna.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When
December 26, 7:59 PM CST
Where
Jackson County, 0.9 mi NW of Clay
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
32.440, -92.690

Storage building flipped over, single wide trailer moved off its blocks with awning removed and damage to green houses near the community of Clay off Highway 818.

Tornado, Jackson

When
December 26, 7:59 PM CST to 8:01 PM CST
Where
Jackson County, 0.84 mi W of Clay to 1.18 mi NNW of Clay
Rating
EF1
Path length
1.29 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates
32.429, -92.694

This brief and weak EF-1 tornado, with estimated maximum winds near 90 mph, began along Prosperity Church Road and ended after crossing Highway 818 just a mile and a quarter north northeast of where it began. Damage to structures was mainly limited to the end point along Highway 818 where several single wide manufactured homes sustained various levels of mostly minor damage. There was one mobile home receiving more appreciable damage as it was shifted several feet off of its concrete block foundation. The roof of this particular mobile home was also very compromised. There were other poorly anchored outbuildings in this general area that were either heavily damaged or thrown. At the start of the tornado, damage was limited to uprooted trees that fell in a convergent pattern typical to a tornadic circulation.

What these are

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.
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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Louisiana in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Louisiana, 2024Warnings in Louisiana, December 2024

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1229053, 1229043, 1229044, 1229045, 1229046, 1229054.