Tornadoes · United States · Louisiana

2008 tornadoes in Louisiana

79 tornadoes touched down in Louisiana in 2008, 142 percent above the average of the record for the state. They killed 3 people and injured 10.

2007 2009 The whole country in 2008

The rating scale

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

EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 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.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 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 2008

January 10 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
January 10	1:10 PM CST	EF1	Pointe Coupee Parish	0.3	30			$1.5 million

February 5 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
February 5	11:17 PM CST	EF0	Catahoula Parish	1.5	50			$2,000

February 12 6 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Damage
February 12	12:40 PM CST	EF0	Plaquemines Parish	0.1	15
February 12	1:02 PM CST	EF0	Saint Martin Parish	0.3	10		$15,000
February 12	1:16 PM CST	EF0	Iberia Parish	0.2	10		$20,000
February 12	1:23 PM CST	EF0	Saint Helena Parish	0.2	20
February 12	1:45 PM CST	EF1	Tangipahoa Parish	0.8	20	1	$25,000
February 12	2:20 PM CST	EF0	Saint Charles Parish	0.1	20

February 16 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
February 16	6:30 AM CST	EF1	Pointe Coupee Parish	2.5	40			$150,000

February 17 5 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
February 17	1:30 AM CST	EF1	Saint Landry Parish	5.6	125	$125,000
February 17	3:42 AM CST	EF1	Saint Helena Parish	0.3	15	$30,000
February 17	3:55 AM CST	EF1	Tangipahoa Parish	2.0	15	$15,000
February 17	4:25 AM CST	EF0	Washington Parish	0.1	15	$8,000
February 17	5:05 AM CST	EF0	Washington Parish	0.3	15	$20,000

February 21 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
February 21	1:51 PM CST	EF0	Cameron Parish	0.1	10
February 21	2:18 PM CST	EF0	Calcasieu Parish	0.1	10
February 21	5:22 PM CST	EF0	Saint Landry Parish	0.5	50	$20,000
February 21	5:35 PM CST	EF0	Avoyelles Parish	0.7	50	$20,000

March 19 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 19	4:00 AM CDT	EF1	Jefferson Parish	1.3	20			$200,000

March 30 3 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
March 30	3:06 PM CDT	EF0	Natchitoches Parish	1.5	100	3	$750,000
March 30	5:31 PM CDT	EF0	Sabine Parish	0.8	50		$15,000
March 30	6:14 PM CDT	EF0	Natchitoches Parish	1.3	50		$1,000

April 4 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 4	10:08 AM CDT	EF1	Winn Parish	5.8	400			$25,000
April 4	10:21 AM CDT	EF1	Winn Parish	7.6	200		1

April 11 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 11	3:27 PM CDT	EF0	Evangeline Parish	8.4	50			$95,000
April 11	3:40 PM CDT	EF0	Saint Landry Parish	4.1	50			$60,000

May 2 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 2	3:51 PM CDT	EF0	Livingston Parish	0.1	20
May 2	8:01 PM CDT	EF0	Morehouse Parish	3.3	50

May 15 10 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
May 15	4:15 AM CDT	EF1	Beauregard Parish	4.9	50	2	$100,000
May 15	4:25 AM CDT	EF0	Beauregard Parish	0.3	25		$5,000
May 15	6:12 AM CDT	EF0	Vermilion Parish	0.3	25		$35,000
May 15	6:15 AM CDT	EF2	Lafayette Parish	7.6	200		$400,000
May 15	6:35 AM CDT	EF0	Lafayette Parish	0.7	25		$100,000
May 15	6:35 AM CDT	EF0	Vermilion Parish	5.5	50		$50,000
May 15	6:40 AM CDT	EF1	Lafayette Parish	0.8	100		$3.0 million
May 15	6:55 AM CDT	EF1	Saint Martin Parish	3.8	50	1	$1.5 million
May 15	9:00 AM CDT	EF1	Saint Tammany Parish	5.0	75		$50,000
May 15	9:20 AM CDT	EF1	Washington Parish	2.5	100		$100,000

August 8 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 8	1:10 PM CDT	EF0	Iberia Parish	0.6	20			$200,000
August 8	3:30 PM CDT	EF0	Cameron Parish	0.2	20			$50,000

September 1 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 1	8:07 PM CDT	EF0	Avoyelles Parish	0.1	25

September 2 6 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
September 2	2:32 PM CDT	EF0	Saint Tammany Parish	0.2	20	$15,000
September 2	5:10 PM CDT	EF0	Avoyelles Parish	0.1	25
September 2	5:40 PM CDT	EF1	Jefferson Parish	1.6	25	$1.7 million
September 2	7:08 PM CDT	EF0	Allen Parish	2.9	50	$30,000
September 2	8:15 PM CDT	EF0	Saint Tammany Parish	0.2	20	$100,000
September 2	10:25 PM CDT	EF1	Catahoula Parish	5.8	75	$600,000

September 3 7 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 3	2:57 AM CDT	EF2	Evangeline Parish	7.1	50	2	2	$300,000
September 3	4:37 AM CDT	EF1	Concordia Parish	1.8	50			$7,000
September 3	11:57 AM CDT	EF0	Acadia Parish	0.4	25			$10,000
September 3	1:50 PM CDT	EF1	Saint Landry Parish	0.4	25			$40,000
September 3	3:15 PM CDT	EF1	Rapides Parish	0.3	25			$40,000
September 3	5:22 PM CDT	EF1	Catahoula Parish	0.6	50			$400,000
September 3	6:10 PM CDT	EF1	Catahoula Parish	0.9	40			$150,000

September 12 5 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
September 12	6:30 AM CDT	EF0	Saint Landry Parish	0.3	10
September 12	4:25 PM CDT	EF2	Evangeline Parish	3.4	20	$200,000
September 12	4:41 PM CDT	EF0	Vermilion Parish	0.3	10
September 12	5:06 PM CDT	EF0	Vernon Parish	0.7	10
September 12	5:10 PM CDT	EF0	Vernon Parish	0.7	10

September 13 15 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
September 13	10:49 AM CDT	EF0	Webster Parish	0.5	75
September 13	12:16 PM CDT	EF0	Jackson Parish	0.8	40
September 13	12:20 PM CDT	EF0	Jackson Parish	3.1	50
September 13	12:23 PM CDT	EF0	Lincoln Parish	0.3	50
September 13	12:47 PM CDT	EF0	Lincoln Parish	0.3	40
September 13	12:53 PM CDT	EF0	Union Parish	0.3	40
September 13	1:05 PM CDT	EF0	LaSalle Parish	1.3	50	$30,000
September 13	1:20 PM CDT	EF0	Caldwell Parish	0.3	30
September 13	1:48 PM CDT	EF0	Caldwell Parish	0.3	50
September 13	2:08 PM CDT	EF0	Union Parish	3.5	50	$5,000
September 13	3:35 PM CDT	EF0	Red River Parish	0.3	40
September 13	4:09 PM CDT	EF0	Webster Parish	1.9	40
September 13	8:30 PM CDT	EF0	Natchitoches Parish	9.0	50
September 13	8:45 PM CDT	EF0	Winn Parish	6.5	30
September 13	11:37 PM CDT	EF0	Grant Parish	4.0	50

December 9 5 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
December 9	6:19 AM CST	EF0	Bossier Parish	0.3	75		$300
December 9	9:52 AM CST	EF1	Rapides Parish	6.1	200		$200,000
December 9	10:43 AM CST	EF1	Webster Parish	0.2	50		$200,000
December 9	11:16 AM CST	EF1	Rapides Parish	3.5	25		$300,000
December 9	12:15 PM CST	EF2	LaSalle Parish	18.1	300	1	$750,000

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.