Tornadoes · United States · Louisiana
2004 tornadoes in Louisiana
28 tornadoes touched down in Louisiana in 2004, 14 percent below the average of the record for the state. They killed 1 people and injured 32.
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 2004
January 25 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 25 | 6:47 AM CST | F2 | Lafayette Parish | 1.0 | 10 | 3 | $1.0 million |
April 29 2 tornadoes
May 12 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12 | 7:22 PM CDT | F0 | Jefferson Parish | 0.3 | 25 | $2,000 |
June 27 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 27 | 10:00 AM CDT | F1 | Washington Parish | 5.0 | 30 | $70,000 |
July 6 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 6 | 1:00 PM CDT | F0 | Terrebonne Parish | 0.2 | 25 | $10,000 |
October 9 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 9 | 4:48 AM CDT | F0 | Lafourche Parish | 0.1 | 20 | $10,000 |
November 1 2 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 1 | 5:30 PM CST | F0 | Jefferson Davis Parish | 0.5 | 10 | $30,000 | ||
| November 1 | 10:30 PM CST | F0 | Avoyelles Parish | 1.0 | 10 | $70,000 |
November 2 2 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2 | 9:05 AM CST | F0 | Terrebonne Parish | 0.1 | 20 | $2,000 | ||
| November 2 | 10:00 AM CST | F0 | Plaquemines Parish | 0.3 | 25 | $10,000 |
November 22 3 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 22 | 1:30 PM CST | F0 | Calcasieu Parish | 1.0 | 10 | $30,000 | ||
| November 22 | 2:05 PM CST | F0 | Jefferson Davis Parish | 1.0 | 10 | $30,000 | ||
| November 22 | 4:42 PM CST | F0 | Acadia Parish | 1.0 | 10 | $10,000 |
November 23 10 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 23 | 4:24 PM CST | F0 | Richland Parish | 0.5 | 25 | |||
| November 23 | 6:00 PM CST | F0 | Natchitoches Parish | 1.0 | 25 | $30,000 | ||
| November 23 | 6:08 PM CST | F1 | Vernon Parish | 1.0 | 100 | $200,000 | ||
| November 23 | 6:35 PM CST | F2 | Vernon Parish | 10.0 | 600 | 3 | $500,000 | |
| November 23 | 6:49 PM CST | F2 | Natchitoches Parish | 20.0 | 300 | 1 | $1.0 million | |
| November 23 | 6:50 PM CST | F1 | Vernon Parish | 14.0 | 150 | $100,000 | ||
| November 23 | 7:20 PM CST | F0 | Grant Parish | 12.0 | 75 | |||
| November 23 | 7:20 PM CST | F1 | Vernon Parish | 3.0 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| November 23 | 8:05 PM CST | F3 | LaSalle Parish | 15.0 | 300 | 1 | 20 | $5.8 million |
| November 23 | 8:30 PM CST | F0 | Grant Parish | 3.0 | 75 | $50,000 |
November 24 2 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 24 | 12:30 AM CST | F2 | Saint Tammany Parish | 4.0 | 50 | 4 | $750,000 | |
| November 24 | 4:50 AM CST | F1 | Jefferson Parish | 4.5 | 75 | $250,000 |
November 27 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 27 | 7:50 AM CST | F1 | Terrebonne Parish | 0.5 | 30 | $50,000 |
December 9 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 9 | 1:25 AM CST | F1 | Lafayette Parish | 7.0 | 50 | 1 | $250,000 |
Crossed into Louisiana
Tornadoes that touched down in a neighboring state and ran into Louisiana. They are counted under the state they began in.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 23 | 5:40 PM CST | F1 | Newton, TX to LA | 9.0 | 300 | $50,000 |
Nearby
Every tornado in Louisiana since 1950Warnings in force in LouisianaThe 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.