Tornadoes · United States · Louisiana

1983 tornadoes in Louisiana

64 tornadoes touched down in Louisiana in 1983, 96 percent above the average of the record for the state. They killed 5 people and injured 139. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above.

1982 1984 The whole country in 1983

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2113 to 157 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3158 to 206 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5261 to 318 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Every tornado in Louisiana in 1983

January 31 7 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
January 31	5:41 PM CST	F1	Cameron Parish	1.0	20			under $50
January 31	6:00 PM CST	F2	East Feliciana Parish	3.0	50			$50,000 to $500,000
January 31	7:30 PM CST	F1	Calcasieu Parish	1.0	50			$5,000 to $50,000
January 31	9:00 PM CST	F3	Vermilion Parish	6.0	100	1		$50,000 to $500,000
January 31	9:30 PM CST	F3	Avoyelles Parish	5.0	100	1	2	$50,000 to $500,000
January 31	10:15 PM CST	F2	Saint Landry Parish	7.0	100			$5,000 to $50,000
January 31	11:30 PM CST	F2	West Baton Rouge Parish	0.5	33			$5,000 to $50,000

February 5 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
February 5	8:30 PM CST	F0	West Baton Rouge Parish	1.0	50			$5,000 to $50,000

February 9 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
February 9	5:30 PM CST	F3	Acadia Parish	3.0	150			$50,000 to $500,000
February 9	5:45 PM CST	F3	Acadia Parish	21.0	150		7	$500,000 to $5 million

March 4 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 4	6:30 PM CST	F2	LaSalle Parish	4.0	100			$50,000 to $500,000

March 5 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 5	4:30 AM CST	F1	Pointe Coupee Parish	3.0	100			$50,000 to $500,000

March 20 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 20	5:45 AM CST	F1	Tangipahoa Parish	0.3	33			$5,000 to $50,000
March 20	6:50 AM CST	F3	Washington Parish	2.0	200			$50,000 to $500,000

April 1 7 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 1	2:30 PM CST	F1	Webster Parish	1.0	20			$5,000 to $50,000
April 1	4:15 PM CST	F4	Ouachita Parish	9.0	1,000	2	20	$500,000 to $5 million
April 1	4:35 PM CST	F3	Caldwell Parish	6.0	250			$500,000 to $5 million
April 1	5:05 PM CST	F3	Franklin Parish	21.0	300		4	$500,000 to $5 million
April 1	5:25 PM CST	F3	Madison Parish	3.0	150			$500,000 to $5 million
April 1	5:45 PM CST	F3	Madison Parish	4.0	150			$500,000 to $5 million
April 1	6:00 PM CST	F2	Tensas Parish	7.0	150			$500,000 to $5 million

April 7 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 7	8:39 AM CST	F0	Acadia Parish	1.0	20			$50 to $500

April 22 3 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
April 22	6:10 PM CST	F1	Lafourche Parish	1.0	50		$5,000 to $50,000
April 22	7:15 PM CST	F2	Jefferson Parish	2.0	100	3	$50,000 to $500,000
April 22	9:10 PM CST	F1	Saint Bernard Parish	1.0	33		$5,000 to $50,000

May 18 6 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 18	6:42 PM CDT	F3	Tensas Parish	9.0	100	$50,000 to $500,000
May 18	7:00 PM CDT	F2	Madison Parish	0.1	50	$50,000 to $500,000
May 18	7:26 PM CDT	F2	Tensas Parish	0.1	50	$50,000 to $500,000
May 18	8:50 PM CDT	F2	Caldwell Parish	0.1	50	$5,000 to $50,000
May 18	9:00 PM CDT	F1	Franklin Parish	0.1	50	$500 to $5,000
May 18	9:40 PM CDT	F3	Madison Parish	5.0	100	$50,000 to $500,000

May 19 6 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 19	10:36 PM CDT	F3	Sabine Parish	3.0	150			$50,000 to $500,000
May 19	11:00 PM CDT	F3	Natchitoches Parish	2.0	200			$500,000 to $5 million
May 19	11:35 PM CDT	F3	Winn Parish	23.0	500		10	$5 million to $50 million
May 19	12:05 AM CDT	F3	LaSalle Parish	12.0	500	1	35	$5 million to $50 million
May 19	12:20 AM CDT	F3	Caldwell Parish	2.0	250		6	$50,000 to $500,000
May 19	12:35 AM CDT	F2	Franklin Parish	8.0	150			$5,000 to $50,000

May 20 3 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 20	6:30 AM CDT	F3	Avoyelles Parish	2.0	200	$5,000 to $50,000
May 20	1:13 PM CDT	F0	Calcasieu Parish	0.5	50	under $50
May 20	3:30 PM CDT	F3	Cameron Parish	5.0	200	$50,000 to $500,000

May 21 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 21	4:00 PM CDT	F1	Calcasieu Parish	0.1	50			under $50

May 22 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 22	3:15 AM CDT	F1	East Baton Rouge Parish	3.0	50			$5,000 to $50,000

June 16 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 16	6:30 PM CDT	F0	Allen Parish	0.5	50			under $50

August 1 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 1	8:10 PM CDT	F1	Livingston Parish	1.0	200			$500,000 to $5 million

September 3 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 3	7:05 PM CDT	F0	Tangipahoa Parish	2.0	200			$50,000 to $500,000

November 14 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
November 14	8:20 PM CST	F1	East Carroll Parish	2.0	150			$50,000 to $500,000

November 19 6 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
November 19	1:20 PM CST	F2	Lincoln Parish	1.0	100	3	$50,000 to $500,000
November 19	1:30 PM CST	F3	Union Parish	2.0	200		$500,000 to $5 million
November 19	4:15 PM CST	F0	Rapides Parish	0.3	50		$500 to $5,000
November 19	4:30 PM CST	F2	Richland Parish	3.0	100		$50,000 to $500,000
November 19	5:00 PM CST	F3	Madison Parish	0.5	100		$50,000 to $500,000
November 19	8:30 PM CST	F1	Ascension Parish	0.5	100	7	$5,000 to $50,000

November 23 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
November 23	5:15 AM CST	F1	Calcasieu Parish	1.0	100			$50,000 to $500,000

November 24 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
November 24	2:00 AM CST	F1	Vermilion Parish	0.5	50			$50,000 to $500,000

December 2 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
December 2	11:05 PM CST	F2	Ouachita Parish	2.0	50		10	$500,000 to $5 million

December 3 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
December 3	6:45 PM CST	F1	Saint Landry Parish	1.5	33			$500,000 to $5 million

December 5 3 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
December 5	6:00 PM CST	F1	Concordia Parish	2.0	33	$50,000 to $500,000
December 5	7:30 PM CST	F0	Tensas Parish	0.5	17	under $50
December 5	10:00 PM CST	F0	Rapides Parish	0.5	17	under $50

December 6 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
December 6	1:05 AM CST	F4	Saint John the Baptist Parish	7.0	200		25	$5 million to $50 million

December 10 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
December 10	7:55 PM CST	F1	Lafayette Parish	0.5	100		3	$50,000 to $500,000

December 11 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
December 11	12:30 AM CST	F1	Saint Helena Parish	0.5	200		4	$50,000 to $500,000
December 11	1:05 AM CST	F1	Tangipahoa Parish	2.0	150			$50,000 to $500,000

December 28 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
December 28	11:00 PM CST	F0	Saint Tammany Parish	3.0	50			$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Every tornado in Louisiana since 1950 Warnings in force in Louisiana The live radar over Louisiana

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.