Tornadoes · United States · Louisiana · 2026
EF0 tornado, Cheneyville, Louisiana, February 14, 2026
This EF0 tornado ran 2.0 miles across Rapides Parish on February 14, 2026, touching down at 9:20 PM CST and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody.
Preliminary. This is NWS LCH's damage survey, filed in the Damage Assessment Toolkit as Cheneyville Tornado. The rating, the path and the casualties are the survey's and can change while it is revised. The Storm Prediction Center compiles the official record of 2026 from these surveys and publishes it in the spring of 2027; this page moves to that tornado's permanent address when it does.
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 mphthis tornado
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.
The survey
- Rating, as surveyed
- EF0, preliminary
- Date
- February 14, 2026
- Touchdown
- 9:20 PM CST (03:20 UTC)
- Lifted
- 9:25 PM CST (03:25 UTC)
- On the ground
- 5 minutes
- Path length
- 2.0 miles (3.3 km)
- Path width
- 50 yards (46 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Rapides Parish
- Touchdown point
- 31.039, -92.295
- Lift-off point
- 31.021, -92.322
- Highest wind the damage implies
- 80 mph
- Surveyed by
- NWS LCH
- The office's name for it
- Cheneyville Tornado
- Survey last edited
- February 16, 2026
- Record number
- None yet. SPC numbers 2026 in the spring of 2027.
What the survey found
Tornado touched down east of Hwy 71 and continued northeastward towards Bayou Rd. Damage to a few outbuildings occurred, with one sustaining significant damage. Additional damage to trees and one mobile home had its roof peeled off.
Written by NWS LCH in the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit. A survey is revised as better evidence arrives.
The damage survey
11 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS LCH, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 90 mph.
- This is near the start of the Mayo Ridge Tornado along Highway 13. A few pine trees were snapped. We will need to look at satellite to see where this tornado begins since it’s back in a wooded area with no road access.
- Outbuilding with roof damage.
- Evidence of weak tornado damage crossing Wilson Campbell Rd. Trees and outbuilding damage.
- Roughly 5 outbuildings significantly damaged or destroyed. Also a few pine trees snapped at the trunk. This is the most likely spot where the parent tornado crossed Mayo Rd.
Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
What the Weather Service recorded
A strong shortwave moved across Louisiana creating a line of thunderstorms that produced severe weather across the area. A total of 13 tornadoes occurred along this line of storms.
A tornado touched down east of Hwy 71 and continued northeastward towards Bayou Rd. Damage to a few outbuildings occurred, with one sustaining significant damage. Additional damage to trees and one mobile home had its roof peeled off. Max estimated winds were 80 mph.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
23 minutes of warning. NWS LCH issued a tornado warning for this county at 02:57 UTC, 23 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 03:45 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 00:54 UTC and running to 03:57 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:54 UTC | 03:57 UTC | Tornado Watch | LCH |
| 01:58 UTC | 02:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH |
| 01:59 UTC | 02:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH |
| 02:05 UTC | 02:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | LCH |
| 02:13 UTC | 02:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | LCH |
| 02:21 UTC | 02:34 UTC | Tornado Warning | LCH |
| 02:25 UTC | 03:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | LCH |
| 02:37 UTC | 03:35 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH |
| 02:40 UTC | 03:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | LCH |
| 02:57 UTC | 03:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | LCH |
| 03:10 UTC | 03:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | LCH |
| 03:32 UTC | 03:56 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH |
| 03:37 UTC | 03:54 UTC | Tornado Warning | LCH |
Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.
The forecast that day
The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 00:27 UTC.
SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.
The air that afternoon
The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.
Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), 00:00Z
3.3 hours before the tornado, 132 km from the path. February 15, 2026.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -115 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 418 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1153 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 56 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 28 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 286 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 304 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.6
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.2 K/km
The surface observations
Marksville (MKV), 24 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01:35 UTC | 70 | 61 | 150° 8 kt | 1009.1 | ||
| 01:55 UTC | 69.4 | 62 | 150° 10 kt | 1008.8 | ||
| 02:15 UTC | 69.4 | 63 | 160° 14 kt | 18 | 1008.1 | |
| 02:35 UTC | 69.4 | 63.3 | 160° 11 kt | 22 | 1007.8 | |
| 02:55 UTC | 69.4 | 63.7 | 150° 13 kt | 20 | 1007.5 | |
| 03:15 UTC | 69.4 | 64.4 | 160° 12 kt | 24 | 1006.4 | |
| 03:35 UTC | 69.8 | 64.8 | 150° 14 kt | 23 | 1005.1 | |
| 03:55 UTC | 64.8 | 61 | 240° 14 kt | 29 | 1007.1 | -TSRA BR |
| 04:15 UTC | 61.7 | 59 | 270° 10 kt | 21 | 1009.1 | -RA BR VCTS |
| 04:35 UTC | 61 | 59.5 | 270° 8 kt | 1008.8 | -TSRA BR | |
| 04:55 UTC | 60.8 | 59.4 | 260° 7 kt | 1008.5 | -RA BR VCTS | |
| 05:15 UTC | 60.8 | 59.7 | 250° 6 kt | 1009.5 | -RA BR |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 03:19 UTC.
Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track
Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.
What was reported nearby
Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02:36 UTC | TORNADO | 6 Wsw Union Hill | Vernon, LA | Report of trees down and multiple power poles snapped along Venoy Thompson Rd. Likely start of tornado as a TDS was noted on the next scan. |
| 02:41 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Wsw Union Hill | Rapides, LA | Tornado touched down near Bunion Marcle Rd then continued eastward across Freedom Rd, completely destroying 4 outbuildings. |
| 02:44 UTC | TORNADO | 8 Sse Colfax | Grant, LA | Shortly before 9PM CST on February 14th, 2026, a line of severe thunderstorms was moving east towards Grant Parish. Around 8:44 pm CST rotation along the line developed rapidly just east of the Red River and West of Loui |
| 02:45 UTC | TORNADO | 8 Sse Colfax | Grant, LA | Corrects previous tornado report from 8 SSE Colfax. Shortly before 9PM CST on February 14th, 2026, a line of severe thunderstorms was moving east towards Grant Parish. Around 8:45 pm CST rotation along the line developed |
| 02:47 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Calcasieu | Rapides, LA | Photos received of downed trees and a displaced and destroyed outdoor shed. Associated with a couplet on radar. Possible tor. |
| 02:47 UTC | TORNADO | 1 W Union Hill | Rapides, LA | Pine Tree damage and uprooted. Large branches 1-3 inches in diameter broken off. Tree damage to a residence. |
| 02:51 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Ne Calcasieu | Rapides, LA | Photo of tree snapped in the Elmer community. Associated with a couplet on radar, possible tornado. |
| 02:55 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Union Hill | Rapides, LA | Trees Down across the roads. |
| 02:57 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Wnw Beaver | Allen, LA | Report of multiple trees down along Hwy 10 just east of Oakdale. Damage associated with a couplet feature. Possible tornado. |
| 03:05 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 W Ball | Rapides, LA | Report of large tree blown down in the Timber Trails area. |
| 03:11 UTC | TORNADO | 3 S Turkey Creek | Evangeline, LA | Tornado touched down somewhere in the woods west of Veterans Memorial HWY then continued northeast to HWY 167 where it dissipated. Several pine trees were snapped at their trunks, a few outbuildings were destroyed or had |
| 03:12 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Nw Pine Prairie | Evangeline, LA | Tornado started in the wooded areas southeast of the Crooked Creek Reservoir where an area of trees were snapped. To the east, a private drive sustained varying degrees of damage to roughly six outbuildings including a p |
| 03:18 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Ene Pine Prairie | Evangeline, LA | Photo of multiple large sections of aluminum siding blown into trees in Bayou Chicot area. Trees blown down. |
| 03:20 UTC | TORNADO | 2 N Cheneyville | Rapides, LA | Tornado touched down east of Hwy 71 and continued northeastward towards Bayou Rd. Damage to a few outbuildings occurred, with one sustaining significant damage. Additional damage to trees and one mobile home had its roof |
| 03:21 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nnw Cheneyville | Rapides, LA | Roof blown off home. |
| 03:23 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Wsw Pineville | Rapides, LA | Photo of tree blown over onto powerline resulting in a fire. |
| 03:23 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Nw Pine Prairie | Evangeline, LA | Numerous trees and power lines down. Minor damage to a home. Possible tornado. |
| 03:26 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Nw Cheneyville | Rapides, LA | 10 plus power poles snapped. |
| 03:28 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Nw Bunkie | Avoyelles, LA | There is a concentrated area of damage east of HWY 71 where a tornado touched down. It progressed northeastward across the highway, where it caused additional minor damage to fences and trees before dissipating in an ope |
| 03:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Cottonport | Avoyelles, LA | Photo of damage to front of home. The entire build porch knocked onto the ground. Time estimated by radar. Associated with couplet on radar. |
| 03:39 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Cottonport | Avoyelles, LA | Numerous reports of trees down, powerlines down, and damage to homes throughout the Cottonport community. Possible tornado as a couplet was moving over the area. |
| 03:47 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Ball | Rapides, LA | Trees down. |
| 03:59 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Bordelonville | Avoyelles, LA | Delayed report. Photos received from media of tree damage from thunderstorm winds. Time estimated by radar. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2026 tornado in LouisianaEvery tornado in Louisiana since 1950Warnings in force in Louisiana nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of February 14, 2026
19 more have been surveyed in the United States that day, so far.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 14 | 6:03 PM CST | EF1 | Shelby, TX | 1.1 | 275 | |||
| February 14 | 8:10 PM CST | Unrated | Vernon Parish, LA | 2.6 | 0 | |||
| February 14 | 8:41 PM CST | EF1 | Rapides Parish, LA | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| February 14 | 8:44 PM CST | EF0 | Grant Parish, LA | 0.4 | 150 | |||
| February 14 | 8:47 PM CST | EF0 | Rapides Parish, LA | 1.6 | 40 | |||
| February 14 | 8:55 PM CST | EF1 | Calcasieu Parish, LA | 1.1 | 50 | |||
| February 14 | 9:05 PM CST | EF1 | Allen Parish, LA | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| February 14 | 9:11 PM CST | EF1 | Evangeline Parish, LA | 3.3 | 100 | |||
| February 14 | 9:12 PM CST | EF1 | Evangeline Parish, LA | 0.4 | 75 | |||
| February 14 | 9:28 PM CST | EF0 | Avoyelles Parish, LA | 0.3 | 50 | |||
| February 14 | 10:03 PM CST | EF0 | Acadia Parish, LA | 0.1 | 30 | |||
| February 14 | 10:06 PM CST | EF1 | Acadia Parish, LA | 0.3 | 70 | |||
| February 14 | 10:11 PM CST | EF1 | Saint Landry Parish, LA | 0.8 | 100 | |||
| February 14 | 10:54 PM CST | EF1 | Wilkinson, MS | 8.2 | 100 | |||
| February 14 | 11:09 PM CST | EF0 | East Feliciana Parish, LA | 3.6 | 100 | |||
| February 14 | 11:12 PM CST | EF1 | Amite, MS | 5.5 | 175 | |||
| February 14 | 11:27 PM CST | EF1 | Amite, MS | 12.5 | 200 | |||
| February 14 | 11:44 PM CST | EF0 | Amite, MS | 1.9 | 50 | |||
| February 14 | 11:46 PM CST | EF1 | Lincoln, MS | 6.9 | 800 |
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. A survey can be revised, so the rating, the path and the casualties can all still change.
Sources
NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit, the record the survey teams file from the damage, and NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Neither is the official database for 2026, which SPC publishes in the spring of 2027.