Tornadoes · United States · Louisiana

Tornadoes in Red River Parish, Louisiana

25 tornadoes have crossed Red River Parish since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 51st of the 64 counties in Louisiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.0 years. They have killed 12 people and injured 39. 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
25
Deaths
12
Injuries
39
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, February 12, 1950

The deadliest in Red River Parish

  1. F3, Sabine, Natchitoches, Red River and Bienville parishes, LouisianaFebruary 12, 19505 killed, 25 injured
  2. F2, De Soto, Red River, Caddo and Bossier parishes, LouisianaFebruary 12, 19505 killed, 10 injured
  3. EF2, Red River and Bossier parishes, LouisianaJuly 8, 20242 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Sabine, Natchitoches, Red River and Bienville parishes, LouisianaFebruary 12, 1950F3, 74.5 mi (120 km)
  2. F3, Red River, De Soto and Natchitoches parishes, LouisianaApril 23, 2000F3, 19.3 mi (31 km)
  3. F2, De Soto, Red River, Caddo and Bossier parishes, LouisianaFebruary 12, 1950F2, 58.4 mi (94 km)
  4. EF2, Red River and Bossier parishes, LouisianaJuly 8, 2024EF2, 52.9 mi (85 km)
  5. EF2, Red River and De Soto parishes, LouisianaApril 6, 2018EF2, 10.1 mi (16 km)
  6. F2, Red River Parish, LouisianaJanuary 20, 1973F2, 7.7 mi (12 km)
  7. F2, Red River Parish, LouisianaApril 13, 1967F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  8. F2, Red River Parish, LouisianaApril 20, 1982F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
2024121EF2
20231EF0
20211EF1
20201EF1
20181EF2
20141EF1
201322EF1
20111EF1
20093EF0
20081EF0
20001F3
19991F0
19971F0
19961F1
19921F1
19822F2
19731F2
196711F2
195021035F3

Every tornado that crossed Red River Parish

25 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
January 10, 202612:04 AM CSTEF1Red River Parish0.484
July 8, 20242:15 PM CDTEF2Red River Parish52.980021$706,000
January 2, 20233:43 PM CSTEF0Red River Parish0.350$10,000
April 7, 20214:35 PM CDTEF1Red River Parish13.3300$50,000
April 12, 20209:57 AM CDTEF1De Soto Parish6.7300$25,000
April 6, 20187:31 PM CDTEF2Red River Parish10.11,800$225,000
September 2, 20142:09 PM CDTEF1De Soto Parish6.0350$250,000
July 27, 201312:33 AM CDTEF1Red River Parish10.01,760
January 12, 201311:30 PM CSTEF1De Soto Parish7.13002$120,000
April 26, 201110:55 PM CDTEF1Red River Parish3.5125$150,000
December 24, 20095:36 AM CSTEF0Red River Parish2.850
October 29, 20091:29 PM CDTEF0Red River Parish5.175
October 22, 200911:20 AM CDTEF0Red River Parish0.575
September 13, 20083:35 PM CDTEF0Red River Parish0.340
April 23, 20007:05 PM CDTF3Red River Parish19.3200$2.0 million
January 22, 19995:02 AM CSTF0Red River Parish10.70
November 28, 19975:15 PM CSTF0Red River Parish3.650
November 7, 19965:25 AM CSTF1De Soto Parish20.0150$100,000
November 3, 19923:52 PM CSTF1Red River Parish1.557
April 20, 19825:45 AM CSTF2Red River Parish0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 19, 19825:55 PM CSTF1Red River Parish0.110$50 to $500
January 20, 19735:45 PM CSTF2Red River Parish7.7100$5,000 to $50,000
April 13, 19671:50 PM GMT-6F2Red River Parish2.01001$5,000 to $50,000
February 12, 19502:00 PM GMT-6F3Sabine Parish74.5100525$50,000 to $500,000
February 12, 19501:20 PM GMT-6F2De Soto Parish58.4100510$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Red River ParishThe forecast for Red River ParishThe live radar over Red River 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.