Tornadoes · United States · Louisiana

Tornadoes in Tensas Parish, Louisiana

29 tornadoes have crossed Tensas Parish since 1950, 45th of the 64 counties in Louisiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.6 years. They have killed 0 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
29
Deaths
0
Injuries
17
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, September 24, 2005

The strongest

  1. F3, Catahoula, Tensas and Madison parishes, LouisianaNovember 21, 1992F3, 38.0 mi (61 km)
  2. F3, Franklin and Tensas parishes, LouisianaJanuary 21, 1999F3, 22.0 mi (35 km)
  3. F3, Tensas Parish, LouisianaDecember 21, 1990F3, 18.0 mi (29 km)
  4. F3, Concordia and Tensas parishes, LouisianaSeptember 24, 2005F3, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  5. F3, Tensas Parish, LouisianaMay 18, 1983F3, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  6. EF2, Tensas and Claiborne parishes, Louisiana and MississippiApril 4, 2011EF2, 28.0 mi (45 km)
  7. F2, Catahoula, Franklin and Tensas parishes, LouisianaNovember 8, 2000F2, 25.0 mi (40 km)
  8. F2, Tensas Parish, LouisianaNovember 21, 1992F2, 16.0 mi (26 km)
  9. F2, Tensas Parish, LouisianaApril 1, 1983F2, 7.0 mi (11 km)
  10. F2, Tensas Parish, LouisianaMarch 7, 1995F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 19 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Tensas Parish. Each year links to every tornado in Louisiana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20193EF1
20171EF0
201111EF2
20091EF0
20061F0
200513F3
20011F0
20001F2
19991F3
199541F2
1992211F3
19902F3
19891F1
19861F1
19834F3
19811F0
19731F0
19701F1
196611F1

Every tornado that crossed Tensas Parish

29 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
December 16, 201911:08 AM CSTEF1Claiborne to MS11.7600$84,000
April 13, 20194:13 PM CDTEF1Tensas Parish5.0950$50,000
April 13, 20194:04 PM CDTEF1Tensas Parish17.31,230$70,000
April 2, 20175:41 PM CDTEF0Tensas Parish1.4100$2,000
April 4, 20113:43 PM CDTEF2Tensas Parish to MS28.08801$4.0 million
October 15, 200912:44 PM CDTEF0Tensas Parish0.875$60,000
May 10, 20064:35 PM CDTF0Tensas Parish2.050$60,000
September 24, 200512:44 AM CDTF3Concordia Parish14.01003$1.1 million
December 12, 20013:55 PM CSTF0Tensas Parish0.230$1,000
November 8, 20001:58 PM CSTF2Catahoula Parish25.0500$170,000
January 21, 19999:45 PM CSTF3Franklin Parish22.00$510,000
April 20, 19955:25 PM CDTF0Tensas Parish1.040
March 7, 19958:30 AM CSTF1Tensas Parish0.523
March 7, 19953:45 AM CSTF2Tensas Parish1.0401
March 7, 19953:16 AM CSTF2Tensas Parish1.040
November 21, 199210:18 PM CSTF2Tensas Parish16.0100$50,000 to $500,000
November 21, 19929:55 PM CSTF3Catahoula Parish38.020011$500,000 to $5 million
December 21, 19904:25 PM CSTF3Tensas Parish18.0300$5,000 to $50,000
December 21, 19902:14 PM CSTF1Tensas Parish1.073$500 to $5,000
March 4, 19895:30 PM CSTF1Tensas Parish3.050$5,000 to $50,000
April 12, 198612:50 AM CSTF1Tensas Parish0.3100
December 5, 19837:30 PM CSTF0Tensas Parish0.517under $50
May 18, 19837:26 PM CDTF2Tensas Parish0.150$50,000 to $500,000
May 18, 19836:42 PM CDTF3Tensas Parish9.0100$50,000 to $500,000
April 1, 19836:00 PM CSTF2Tensas Parish7.0150$500,000 to $5 million
June 23, 19814:00 PM CDTF0Tensas Parish0.117$50 to $500
November 27, 197312:28 PM CSTF0Tensas Parish2.060
January 29, 197010:25 AM CSTF1Tensas Parish2.050
March 3, 19663:00 PM GMT-6F1Tensas Parish1.02331$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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