Tornadoes · United States · Louisiana
2012 tornadoes in Louisiana
45 tornadoes touched down in Louisiana in 2012, 38 percent above the average of the record for the state. None of them killed anybody.
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 2012
January 25 9 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 25 | 1:33 PM CST | EF0 | Vernon Parish | 3.1 | 25 | $20,000 | ||
| January 25 | 2:01 PM CST | EF0 | Sabine Parish | 2.3 | 150 | $50,000 | ||
| January 25 | 2:14 PM CST | EF0 | Vernon Parish | 1.6 | 40 | $20,000 | ||
| January 25 | 3:02 PM CST | EF0 | Rapides Parish | 1.8 | 20 | $50,000 | ||
| January 25 | 3:15 PM CST | EF0 | Rapides Parish | 0.9 | 20 | $40,000 | ||
| January 25 | 3:52 PM CST | EF0 | Rapides Parish | 1.4 | 25 | $100,000 | ||
| January 25 | 4:27 PM CST | EF1 | Calcasieu Parish | 5.8 | 25 | $100,000 | ||
| January 25 | 6:21 PM CST | EF0 | Cameron Parish | 0.1 | 10 | $10,000 | ||
| January 25 | 7:58 PM CST | EF0 | Lafayette Parish | 0.1 | 10 | $75,000 |
January 26 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 26 | 7:25 AM CST | EF0 | Plaquemines Parish | 0.2 | 30 | $10,000 |
February 1 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 1 | 12:30 AM CST | EF0 | Allen Parish | 3.7 | 20 | $20,000 |
February 4 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 4 | 7:59 AM CST | EF1 | Beauregard Parish | 4.3 | 20 | $100,000 |
February 18 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 18 | 8:52 AM CST | EF0 | Vermilion Parish | 2.5 | 20 | $22,000 |
March 11 2 tornadoes
March 20 3 tornadoes
March 21 11 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 21 | 3:14 AM CDT | EF0 | Winn Parish | 0.4 | 50 | |||
| March 21 | 4:17 AM CDT | EF1 | Jefferson Davis Parish | 3.9 | 40 | $3.0 million | ||
| March 21 | 4:40 AM CDT | EF2 | Vermilion Parish | 4.2 | 20 | 1 | $2.5 million | |
| March 21 | 5:53 AM CDT | EF0 | Vermilion Parish | 0.9 | 20 | $75,000 | ||
| March 21 | 5:59 AM CDT | EF1 | Vermilion Parish | 1.2 | 20 | $75,000 | ||
| March 21 | 8:10 AM CDT | EF0 | St. Mary Parish | 0.7 | 20 | $100,000 | ||
| March 21 | 8:30 AM CDT | EF1 | Caldwell Parish | 4.0 | 400 | $500,000 | ||
| March 21 | 9:34 AM CDT | EF1 | Ascension Parish | 4.8 | 50 | $250,000 | ||
| March 21 | 10:05 AM CDT | EF1 | Livingston Parish | 0.6 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| March 21 | 12:16 PM CDT | EF0 | Saint Tammany Parish | 0.5 | 100 | $5,000 | ||
| March 21 | 12:35 PM CDT | EF0 | Saint Tammany Parish | 1.4 | 25 | $5,000 |
April 3 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 3 | 7:08 PM CDT | EF0 | Caddo Parish | 3.1 | 50 | $5,000 |
May 9 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9 | 2:40 PM CDT | EF1 | Jefferson Parish | 0.3 | 50 | $100,000 |
May 23 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 23 | 3:07 PM CDT | EF0 | Saint Bernard Parish | 0.2 | 33 | $20,000 |
June 30 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 30 | 12:00 PM CDT | EF0 | Cameron Parish | 1.4 | 50 |
July 13 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 13 | 3:10 PM CDT | EF0 | Lafourche Parish | 0.2 | 30 | 1 | $15,000 |
July 20 2 tornadoes
November 11 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 11 | 5:15 PM CST | EF0 | Caddo Parish | 7.1 | 25 |
December 10 2 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 10 | 6:48 AM CST | EF1 | East Baton Rouge Parish | 5.4 | 100 | $200,000 | ||
| December 10 | 8:50 AM CST | EF1 | Ascension Parish | 1.4 | 30 | $200,000 |
December 25 6 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 25 | 12:15 PM CST | EF0 | Vernon Parish | 0.2 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| December 25 | 12:43 PM CST | EF0 | Vernon Parish | 2.2 | 200 | $25,000 | ||
| December 25 | 12:45 PM CST | EF2 | Rapides Parish | 4.6 | 500 | 1 | $2.0 million | |
| December 25 | 12:50 PM CST | EF2 | Rapides Parish | 0.8 | 200 | $2.0 million | ||
| December 25 | 1:19 PM CST | EF1 | Catahoula Parish | 2.5 | 300 | $75,000 | ||
| December 25 | 6:20 PM CST | EF0 | Jefferson Parish | 0.8 | 25 | $10,000 |
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.