Significant Weather Events

DeQuincy Tornado - December 20, 2011

During the early morning hours of December 20, 2011, a cold front moved across Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana producing isolated showers and thunderstorms ahead of it. By 5:00 AM, the activity had consolidated into a line of showers with embedded thunderstorms across Southeast Texas. The line continued to push east into Southwest Louisiana and by 8:00 AM extended across the CWA from Vernon parish Southwest into Jefferson County, Texas. At 8:24 AM, NWS radar at Lake Charles indicated rotation with a thunderstorm across northern Calcasieu and southern Bearegard parishes.

Reflectivity at 7:56 AM on the morning of the 20th.

Reflectivity and Velocity images just prior to tornado touchdown

A Tornado Warning was issued at 8:25 AM for Southern Bearegard and North Central Calcasieu parishes, including the city of DeQuincy. Shortly thereafter, WFO LCH received a report of weather related damage to DeQuincy Memorial Hospital via Facebook. Calls to the hospital confirmed the damage report and a storm surveyer was dispatched. The results of that survey are outlined below.

Damage Path of DeQuincy Tornado

NWS Storm Survey

Date: 12/20/2011

Time: 8:25 AM

Event: Tornado

Rating: EF 1 (86–110 MPH)

Location: ENE DeQuincy (Calcasieu)

Injuries: 0

Fatalities: 0

Damage path extended from one quarter mile Southwest of Bearegard Memorial Hospital to one half mile Northeast of the hospital. Damage included the roof blown off of West wing of Patient Care Center facility of DeQuincy Memorial Hospital, trees and powerlines downed as well as damage to three vehicles in the parking lot of the hospital.

Review by Calcasieu parish emergency managers estimated $750,000 worth of damage to DeQuincy Memorial Hospital and an additional $100,000 worth of damage to vehicles in the hospital parking lot.

Tornado damage at Bearegard Memorial Hospital

Photo Courtesy of Kent Kuyper, NWS LCH

Tornado damage at Bearegard Memorial Hospital

Photo Courtesy of Kent Kuyper, NWS LCH

The DeQuincy tornado was the 1,881st U.S. tornado reported in 2011, but the first confirmed during the month of December, 2011

No other reports were received during the event.

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