Tornadoes · United States · Louisiana

Tornadoes in Orleans Parish, Louisiana

24 tornadoes have crossed Orleans Parish since 1950, 54th of the 64 counties in Louisiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.2 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 89. 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
24
Deaths
3
Injuries
89
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, March 22, 2022

The deadliest in Orleans Parish

  1. EF2, Orleans Parish, LouisianaFebruary 13, 20071 killed, 10 injured
  2. F2, Orleans and Jefferson parishes, LouisianaMarch 10, 19711 killed, 7 injured
  3. EF3 Arabi tornado, LouisianaMarch 22, 20221 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3 Arabi tornado, LouisianaMarch 22, 2022EF3, 11.5 mi (18 km)
  2. EF3, Orleans Parish, LouisianaFebruary 7, 2017EF3, 10.1 mi (16 km)
  3. F2, Jefferson and Orleans parishes, LouisianaOctober 3, 1964F2, 14.2 mi (23 km)
  4. EF2, Jefferson, Saint Bernard and Orleans parishes, LouisianaDecember 14, 2022EF2, 10.6 mi (17 km)
  5. F2, Orleans and Jefferson parishes, LouisianaMarch 10, 1971F2, 7.5 mi (12 km)
  6. EF2, Orleans Parish, LouisianaFebruary 13, 2007EF2, 6.5 mi (10 km)
  7. F2, Orleans Parish, LouisianaJuly 17, 1953F2, 6.4 mi (10 km)
  8. F2, Orleans and Jefferson parishes, LouisianaFebruary 2, 2006F2, 5.5 mi (9 km)
  9. F2, Orleans Parish, LouisianaJune 22, 1981F2, 2.3 mi (4 km)
  10. EF2, Orleans Parish, LouisianaFebruary 13, 2007EF2, 1.3 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 20 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Orleans Parish. Each year links to every tornado in Louisiana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20222112EF3
20211EF0
20191EF1
2017133EF3
201612EF0
20101EF0
20072125EF2
20061F2
20031F0
20001F0
19951F1
19911F1
19811F2
197713F1
1971217F2
196415F2
19621F1
19572F0
195312F2
19511F1

Every tornado that crossed Orleans Parish

24 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
December 14, 20223:49 PM CSTEF2Jefferson Parish10.620010$150 million
March 22, 20227:21 PM CDTEF3Arabi tornado11.532012$33 million
May 12, 20212:05 AM CDTEF0Orleans Parish5.3125$125,000
July 10, 20198:02 AM CDTEF1Orleans Parish0.450$300,000
February 7, 201711:12 AM CSTEF3Orleans Parish10.160033
August 4, 20163:30 PM CDTEF0Orleans Parish0.5502
July 6, 20109:44 AM CDTEF0Orleans Parish0.125$10,000
February 13, 20073:10 AM CSTEF2Orleans Parish1.350110$1.0 million
February 13, 20073:03 AM CSTEF2Orleans Parish6.55015$2.0 million
February 2, 20062:39 AM CSTF2Orleans Parish5.5150$100,000
June 30, 200312:45 PM CDTF0Orleans Parish0.230$10,000
August 10, 20005:12 PM CDTF0Orleans Parish0.120
April 11, 19958:45 AM CDTF1Orleans Parish0.320
April 19, 19912:30 PM CDTF1Orleans Parish0.230$5,000 to $50,000
June 22, 19812:45 PM CDTF2Orleans Parish2.320$5,000 to $50,000
July 29, 197712:45 PM CDTF1Orleans Parish4.61003$5,000 to $50,000
December 6, 19711:30 PM CSTF1Orleans Parish0.550$5,000 to $50,000
March 10, 19712:00 AM CSTF2Orleans Parish7.530017$500,000 to $5 million
October 3, 196410:00 AM GMT-5F2Jefferson Parish14.2835$500,000 to $5 million
March 31, 19627:00 AM GMT-6F1Orleans Parish1.030$500 to $5,000
July 13, 19571:50 PM GMT-5F0Orleans Parish0.533$500 to $5,000
June 27, 19577:00 AM GMT-5F0Orleans Parish0.527$5,000 to $50,000
July 17, 195312:20 PM GMT-5F2Orleans Parish6.4332$50,000 to $500,000
November 1, 19517:00 AM GMT-6F1Orleans Parish0.3100$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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