Tornadoes · United States · Louisiana

Tornadoes in Washington Parish, Louisiana

42 tornadoes have crossed Washington Parish since 1950, 3 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 32nd of the 64 counties in Louisiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 18. 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
42
Deaths
0
Injuries
18
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, March 20, 1983

The strongest

  1. F3, Washington Parish, LouisianaMarch 20, 1983F3, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  2. F2, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes, LouisianaApril 9, 1961F2, 23.6 mi (38 km)
  3. F2, Washington, Walthall and Marion parishes, Louisiana and MississippiNovember 15, 2006F2, 22.2 mi (36 km)
  4. EF2, Washington Parish, LouisianaNovember 1, 2018EF2, 10.9 mi (17 km)
  5. EF2, Washington Parish, LouisianaNovember 1, 2018EF2, 4.3 mi (7 km)
  6. F2, Washington Parish, LouisianaSeptember 17, 1968F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  7. F2, Washington Parish, LouisianaFebruary 21, 1961F2, 0.8 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 21 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Washington Parish. Each year links to every tornado in Louisiana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20263EF1
20251EF1
20212EF0
20193EF1
201822EF2
20112EF1
20083EF1
20072EF1
200641F2
20041F1
20031F1
20003F0
19902F1
19891F1
198412F1
19831F3
19822F1
197741F1
19681F2
196313F1
196129F2

Every tornado that crossed Washington Parish

42 tornadoes, newest first. The 3 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 15, 202612:45 AM CSTEF0Washington Parish11.8125
March 11, 20268:38 PM CDTEF1Tangipahoa Parish14.5200
March 11, 20269:04 PM CDTEF1Washington Parish5.1300
February 16, 202512:27 AM CSTEF1Washington Parish6.075$25,000
December 6, 20212:40 PM CSTEF0Washington Parish0.925
March 30, 20212:18 PM CDTEF0Washington Parish2.525
December 16, 20193:42 PM CSTEF1Tangipahoa Parish4.975
January 19, 20199:44 AM CSTEF1Washington Parish3.075
January 19, 20199:22 AM CSTEF1Tangipahoa Parish1.150
November 1, 20183:53 AM CDTEF2Washington Parish4.3275
November 1, 20183:36 AM CDTEF2Washington Parish10.91252
April 4, 20117:01 PM CDTEF1Washington Parish0.275$50,000
April 4, 20116:40 PM CDTEF1Washington Parish0.275$30,000
May 15, 20089:20 AM CDTEF1Washington Parish2.5100$100,000
February 17, 20085:05 AM CSTEF0Washington Parish0.315$20,000
February 17, 20084:25 AM CSTEF0Washington Parish0.115$8,000
October 17, 20075:55 PM CDTEF1Washington Parish0.225$15,000
October 17, 20075:45 PM CDTEF1Washington Parish0.225$30,000
November 15, 20062:50 AM CSTF2Washington Parish to MS22.24401$690,000
November 14, 20064:10 PM CSTF1Washington Parish0.550$20,000
November 14, 20064:00 PM CSTF1Washington Parish0.550$50,000
May 8, 200610:17 PM CDTF1Washington Parish0.330$10,000
June 27, 200410:00 AM CDTF1Washington Parish5.030$70,000
April 24, 20034:00 PM CDTF1Washington Parish to MS22.030$100,000
August 31, 20003:35 PM CDTF0Washington Parish0.220$1,000
August 30, 20005:30 PM CDTF0Washington Parish0.120
June 25, 20006:11 PM CDTF0Washington Parish0.130
April 14, 19903:15 PM CDTF1Washington Parish0.530$500 to $5,000
April 14, 19903:10 PM CDTF1Washington Parish0.530$500 to $5,000
September 2, 19895:05 PM CDTF1Washington Parish0.120$5,000 to $50,000
February 12, 19842:00 PM CSTF1Washington Parish0.5302$50,000 to $500,000
March 20, 19836:50 AM CSTF3Washington Parish2.0200$50,000 to $500,000
December 5, 19821:30 AM CSTF1Washington Parish1.050$50,000 to $500,000
March 31, 198212:45 AM CSTF1Washington Parish12.010$5,000 to $50,000
December 13, 19775:00 PM CSTF1Washington Parish0.527$500 to $5,000
September 5, 197712:30 AM CDTF1Washington Parish2.5231$50 to $500
May 31, 19778:30 PM CDTF0Washington Parish0.117$500 to $5,000
May 2, 19776:30 PM CDTF0Washington Parish0.123$50 to $500
September 17, 19683:30 PM GMT-5F2Washington Parish1.0100$500 to $5,000
January 11, 196311:45 AM GMT-6F1Washington Parish15.71003$5,000 to $50,000
April 9, 19615:00 AM GMT-6F2Tangipahoa Parish23.6100$50,000 to $500,000
February 21, 19614:05 AM GMT-6F2Washington Parish0.82839$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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