Tornadoes · United States · Louisiana

Tornadoes in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana

32 tornadoes have crossed Claiborne Parish since 1950, 40th of the 64 counties in Louisiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.4 years. They have killed 5 people and injured 17. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    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.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    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.

  7. 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.

Now

Tornadoes
32
Deaths
5
Injuries
17
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, December 3, 1978

The deadliest in Claiborne Parish

  1. EF2, Bossier, Webster and Claiborne parishes, LouisianaJanuary 11, 20203 killed
  2. F3, Webster, Claiborne, Union and Union parishes, Louisiana and ArkansasDecember 3, 19782 killed, 4 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Bossier, Webster, Claiborne and Union parishes, LouisianaDecember 3, 1978F3, 61.1 mi (98 km)
  2. F3, Webster, Claiborne, Union and Union parishes, Louisiana and ArkansasDecember 3, 1978F3, 60.0 mi (97 km)
  3. F3, Webster and Claiborne parishes, LouisianaApril 25, 1982F3, 23.0 mi (37 km)
  4. F3, Claiborne Parish, LouisianaApril 3, 1999F3, 14.5 mi (23 km)
  5. F3, Claiborne Parish, LouisianaApril 3, 1999F3, 8.5 mi (14 km)
  6. F2, Webster, Claiborne and Union parishes, LouisianaMay 7, 1978F2, 44.9 mi (72 km)
  7. EF2, Bossier, Webster and Claiborne parishes, LouisianaJanuary 11, 2020EF2, 31.8 mi (51 km)
  8. F2, Claiborne Parish, LouisianaJanuary 12, 2005F2, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  9. F2, Claiborne Parish, LouisianaApril 23, 1985F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Claiborne Parish. Each year links to every tornado in Louisiana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20241EF1
202013EF2
20192EF1
20181EF1
20152EF1
20111EF1
20091EF0
2005112F2
20041F1
20031F1
20011F1
19992F3
19981F1
19921F1
19901F1
19853F2
19842F1
198211F3
19791F1
1978324F3
19751F1
19701F1
19521F1

Every tornado that crossed Claiborne Parish

32 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 4, 202510:06 AM CSTEF1Claiborne Parish1.8300$100,000
July 8, 20244:37 PM CDTEF1Webster Parish4.8400$25,000
January 11, 20201:24 AM CSTEF2Bossier Parish31.83003$1.3 million
December 16, 201910:10 AM CSTEF1Bossier Parish26.2250$520,000
November 26, 20196:20 PM CSTEF1Claiborne Parish0.6115$25,000
April 14, 20181:11 AM CDTEF1Claiborne Parish6.81,000$15,000
December 27, 201511:10 PM CSTEF1Claiborne Parish0.221
April 24, 201510:40 PM CDTEF1Claiborne Parish9.3820$30,000
April 26, 20119:45 PM CDTEF1Claiborne Parish to AR26.5100$20,000
October 29, 20096:49 PM CDTEF0Claiborne Parish5.175
January 12, 200510:58 PM CSTF2Claiborne Parish15.025012$4.0 million
April 29, 200412:05 PM CDTF1Claiborne Parish7.075$30,000
May 13, 20039:53 PM CDTF1Webster Parish7.425
November 26, 20014:55 PM CSTF1Webster Parish17.040$45,000
April 3, 19995:13 PM CSTF3Claiborne Parish14.5600$3.5 million
April 3, 19994:58 PM CSTF3Claiborne Parish8.5200$1.5 million
April 8, 19987:43 AM CDTF1Claiborne Parish0.2400$70,000
November 3, 19923:24 PM CSTF1Claiborne Parish1.540$5,000 to $50,000
February 15, 19902:58 PM CSTF1Claiborne Parish0.830$500 to $5,000
April 30, 19857:28 PM CDTF1Claiborne Parish3.0200
April 23, 19855:15 PM CSTF1Claiborne Parish2.0150
April 23, 19854:30 PM CSTF2Claiborne Parish5.0200
April 8, 19841:30 PM CSTF1Claiborne Parish0.110$500 to $5,000
March 27, 19846:05 PM CSTF1Claiborne Parish2.0150$5,000 to $50,000
April 25, 198210:45 PM CDTF3Webster Parish23.05001$50,000 to $500,000
April 11, 19793:00 PM CSTF1Claiborne Parish2.0100$50,000 to $500,000
December 3, 19783:38 AM CSTF3Webster Parish to AR60.030024$50,000 to $500,000
December 3, 19782:30 AM CSTF3Bossier Parish61.110
May 7, 19781:20 AM CDTF2Webster Parish44.910$500,000 to $5 million
March 28, 19755:53 PM CDTF1Claiborne Parish3.650$5,000 to $50,000
April 25, 19708:57 PM CSTF1Claiborne Parish24.4833$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 195211:00 PM GMT-6F1Claiborne Parish2.067$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Claiborne ParishThe forecast for Claiborne ParishThe live radar over Claiborne ParishEvery county in 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.