Tornadoes · United States · Louisiana

Tornadoes in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana

43 tornadoes have crossed Lafayette Parish since 1950, 31st of the 64 counties in Louisiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 41. 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
43
Deaths
2
Injuries
41
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, October 29, 1974

The deadliest in Lafayette Parish

  1. F1, Lafayette Parish, LouisianaNovember 7, 19572 killed, 13 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Lafayette Parish, LouisianaOctober 29, 1974F3, 7.3 mi (12 km)
  2. F2, Lafayette and Saint Martin parishes, LouisianaNovember 21, 1953F2, 20.4 mi (33 km)
  3. F2, Lafayette Parish, LouisianaMarch 28, 1977F2, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  4. EF2, Lafayette and Vermilion parishes, LouisianaMay 15, 2008EF2, 7.6 mi (12 km)
  5. F2, Lafayette Parish, LouisianaJune 13, 1992F2, 6.0 mi (10 km)
  6. EF2, Lafayette Parish, LouisianaApril 14, 2018EF2, 4.1 mi (7 km)
  7. F2, Lafayette Parish, LouisianaJanuary 25, 2004F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  8. F2, Lafayette Parish, LouisianaJanuary 8, 1965F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  9. F2, Lafayette Parish, LouisianaDecember 6, 1969F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  10. F2, Lafayette Parish, LouisianaOctober 18, 1980F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 28 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Lafayette Parish. Each year links to every tornado in Louisiana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20181EF2
20172EF1
20121EF0
20111EF0
20083EF2
20071EF1
20061F0
200424F2
20023F0
19982F0
199711F1
199518F1
19922F2
19911F0
19892F1
19882F1
198313F1
198014F2
19781F1
197721F2
197544F1
197411F3
19692F2
19651F2
19641F1
19601F1
19571213F1
195312F2

Every tornado that crossed Lafayette Parish

43 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 14, 20186:37 AM CDTEF2Lafayette Parish4.1650$750,000
August 29, 20175:27 PM CDTEF0Lafayette Parish0.625
April 2, 20179:04 AM CDTEF1Lafayette Parish0.110$5,000
January 25, 20127:58 PM CSTEF0Lafayette Parish0.110$75,000
September 3, 20111:10 PM CDTEF0Lafayette Parish0.110
May 15, 20086:40 AM CDTEF1Lafayette Parish0.8100$3.0 million
May 15, 20086:35 AM CDTEF0Lafayette Parish0.725$100,000
May 15, 20086:15 AM CDTEF2Lafayette Parish7.6200$400,000
February 13, 200712:10 AM CSTEF1Lafayette Parish2.250$250,000
April 29, 20065:50 PM CDTF0Lafayette Parish0.210$50,000
December 9, 20041:25 AM CSTF1Lafayette Parish7.0501$250,000
January 25, 20046:47 AM CSTF2Lafayette Parish1.0103$1.0 million
October 3, 200211:55 AM CDTF0Lafayette Parish1.010$10,000
October 3, 200211:28 AM CDTF0Lafayette Parish1.010$1.0 million
October 3, 200211:06 AM CDTF0Lafayette Parish1.020$30,000
September 12, 19989:16 AM CDTF0Lafayette Parish1.030$50,000
September 11, 199811:30 PM CDTF0Lafayette Parish1.030$100,000
November 21, 199710:50 AM CSTF1Lafayette Parish3.02001$3.5 million
January 6, 199511:05 AM CSTF1Lafayette Parish5.0308$50,000 to $500,000
June 13, 19925:40 PM CDTF2Lafayette Parish6.060$50,000 to $500,000
January 12, 19926:30 AM CSTF1Lafayette Parish2.023$50,000 to $500,000
May 15, 19915:00 AM CDTF0Lafayette Parish0.220$50,000 to $500,000
May 18, 198912:15 PM CDTF1Lafayette Parish0.430$5,000 to $50,000
May 18, 198911:27 AM CDTF1Lafayette Parish0.430
October 2, 19884:50 AM CDTF0Lafayette Parish0.223$500 to $5,000
March 2, 19888:21 PM CSTF1Lafayette Parish0.873$5 million to $50 million
December 10, 19837:55 PM CSTF1Lafayette Parish0.51003$50,000 to $500,000
October 18, 19809:00 AM CDTF2Lafayette Parish0.1104$50,000 to $500,000
May 7, 19781:05 PM CDTF1Lafayette Parish0.110
June 6, 19774:40 PM CDTF1Lafayette Parish23.150$5,000 to $50,000
March 28, 19773:00 AM CSTF2Lafayette Parish12.01001$500,000 to $5 million
May 8, 19752:30 AM CDTF1Lafayette Parish0.5502$50 to $500
April 30, 19754:30 PM CDTF1Lafayette Parish0.5502$5,000 to $50,000
April 30, 19754:25 PM CDTF1Lafayette Parish0.110$50,000 to $500,000
January 7, 19757:30 PM CSTF0Lafayette Parish0.110$500 to $5,000
October 29, 19744:25 AM CSTF3Lafayette Parish7.31671$50,000 to $500,000
December 6, 196912:45 PM GMT-6F2Lafayette Parish0.533$500 to $5,000
July 10, 19691:40 PM GMT-5F1Lafayette Parish0.533
January 8, 19655:01 PM GMT-6F2Lafayette Parish1.033$500 to $5,000
August 14, 19644:30 PM GMT-5F1Vermilion Parish6.267
February 17, 19608:30 PM GMT-6F1Lafayette Parish10.6183$50,000 to $500,000
November 7, 195711:30 PM GMT-6F1Lafayette Parish2.050213$50,000 to $500,000
November 21, 195310:00 PM GMT-6F2Lafayette Parish20.43002$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Lafayette ParishThe forecast for Lafayette ParishThe live radar over Lafayette 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.