Tornadoes in De Soto Parish, Louisiana

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.

Tornadoes

77

Deaths

24

Injuries

241

F4 and above

1

Worst on record

F4, February 12, 1950

1. F4 Shreveport–Barksdale tornado, LouisianaFebruary 12, 195018 killed, 77 injured
2. F2, De Soto, Red River, Caddo and Bossier parishes, LouisianaFebruary 12, 19505 killed, 10 injured
3. F3, Shelby, Panola, De Soto and Caddo counties, Texas and LouisianaNovember 15, 19871 killed, 116 injured

1. F4 Shreveport–Barksdale tornado, LouisianaFebruary 12, 1950F4, 82.6 mi (133 km)
2. F3, De Soto, Caddo, Bossier and Bienville parishes, LouisianaMay 2, 1984F3, 61.0 mi (98 km)
3. F3, De Soto, Caddo, Bienville and Webster parishes, LouisianaMarch 10, 1952F3, 50.9 mi (82 km)
4. F3, Shelby, Panola, De Soto and Caddo counties, Texas and LouisianaNovember 15, 1987F3, 48.0 mi (77 km)
5. F3, De Soto, Caddo and Bossier parishes, LouisianaFebruary 11, 1965F3, 33.0 mi (53 km)
6. F3, Red River, De Soto and Natchitoches parishes, LouisianaApril 23, 2000F3, 19.3 mi (31 km)
7. F3, De Soto Parish, LouisianaApril 25, 1982F3, 7.0 mi (11 km)
8. F3, De Soto Parish, LouisianaApril 25, 1982F3, 7.0 mi (11 km)
9. F3, Shelby and De Soto counties, Texas and LouisianaApril 3, 1999F3, 5.4 mi (9 km)
10. F2, De Soto, Red River, Caddo and Bossier parishes, LouisianaFebruary 12, 1950F2, 58.4 mi (94 km)

Warnings in force in De Soto ParishThe forecast for De Soto ParishThe live radar over De Soto ParishEvery county in Louisiana

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.

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.