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Thursday, April 9th 2009, marked the largest tornado outbreak in the Four State Region since the Easter Sunday outbreak of 2000. Despite the large number of tornadoes, which destroyed or severely damaged several homes across the region. No deaths were reported, but a few people were injured.
Survey teams from the NWS in Shreveport fanned out across the region to survey the damage across the region. Twelve tornado were confirmed, including a very rare EF2, anticyclonic in Southwest Arkansas. Most of the tornadoes were along and north of Interstate 20.
TOTAL TORNADO COUNT = 12
EF0 = 3
EF1 = 3
EF2 = 4
EF3 = 2
Tornado Table
Graphics
Damage Map
TOR. #
START POINT
END
POINT
RATING
PEAK WIND
START TIME
END TIME
LENGTH/
WIDTH
FATALITIES/
INJURIES
REMARKS
APRIL 9, 2009
#1
6 miles N of Hughes Springs, Morris County, TX
7 miles NE of Hughes Springs, Cass County, TX
EF1
90 mph
7:52pm CDT
7:59pm CDT
2.7 miles/
150 yards
None
This storm developed about 100 yards inside the Morris County line, very near the Cass County line, just west of County Line Road near FM 130 in eastern Morris County. The storm continued east across CR 2865, before lifting near FM 250 north of FM 130. Numerous trees were uprooted and snapped, with power lines downed as well.
#2
6 miles ENE of Eagletown, McCurtain County, OK
Continued into SW Pike County, AR
EF3
140 mph
8:01pm CDT
8:47pm CDT
35 miles/
0.5 mile
7 injuries
This tornado began in McCurtain County, OK, on the west side of West Line road, rolling a mobile home and demolishing and outbuilding. Several chicken houses were destroyed and several oak trees and power lines were downed as the tornado moved northeastward into Sevier County. At least 10 to 12 mobile homes were destroyed as the tornado moved across a mobile home community along U.S. Hwy 71 in the northern part of De Queen. Seven injuries were reported within this area. A security camera, located at the Sevier County jail, recorded footage of the tornado when it was located just west of the mobile home community.
Dierks Lake received significant damage near the Sevier/Howard County line. The Army Corps of Engineers offices had significant roof damage, with roofing material found in trees adjacent to the building. The tornado was strongest in Howard County, where the entire second story of a reinforced concrete building was decimated and strewn across the road. This is consistent with EF3 tornado damage.
#3
8 miles WNW of Linden, Cass County, TX
2 miles N of Bivins, Cass County, TX
EF2
125 mph
8:05pm CDT
8:31pm CDT
8 miles/
190 yards
None
The tornado touched down near CR 1459. Numerous trees were downed, with a tree crushing a truck, and another tree falling through the roof of a house. The tornado intensified along CR 1399, where a two-story home was nearly destroyed. The storm continued east across Hwy 8 about 2 mies north of Linden, where the roof of a two-story house was torn off, and a portable building behind the home was blown nearly 400 yards east across Hwy 8 into some nearby woods. The tornado lifted near the intersection of CR 2328 and Highway 43 about a mile and a half north of Bivins.
#4
8 miles NW of Nashville, Howard County, AR
1.2 miles N of Centerpoint, Howard County, AR
EF2
125 mph
8:34pm CDT
8:37pm CDT
2.5 miles/
0.5 mile
1 injury
This anticyclonic tornado initially touched down near an open field south of Centerpoint along Coonridge Road. Traveling slightly east of due north, the tornado snapped and uprooted numerous pine and oak trees. The most significant damage occurred at a single-family residence 0.75 mile north of the touchdown, where the house suffered a considerable amount of damage. The garage, roof, and many supporting walls were removed from the foundation. All windows not completely blown out by the storm were still shattered. A barn adjacent to the house had a considerable loss of roofing material, but although shifted off its foundation, remained largely intact. Trees and power lines were snapped or uprooted as the storm moved through the community of Centerpoint before lifting along Billings Road east of SR-4.
#5
5 miles SSE of Atlanta, Cass County, TX
2 miles west of Ravana, AR (in Cass County, TX)
EF0
75 mph
8:41pm CDT
8:47pm CDT
2.4 miles/
75 yards
None
The storm developed along CR 4670 about 5 miles NE of Bivins. Numerous trees were snapped or blown down as the storm continued east to Hwy 77 and lifted about a mile from the Texas/Arkansas/Louisiana state line.
#6
5 miles NNW of Rodessa, LA (in Miller County, AR)
2.5 miles NNE of Kiblah, Miller County, AR
EF3
135 mph
8:51pm CDT
9:07pm CDT
10 miles/
0.5 mile
None
This tornado began in southwestern Miller County along CR 80 snapping several pine trees about 2 miles south of Ravana. It moved toward the intersection of CR 31 and CR 32. Here, the tornado was at its widest and strongest, uprooting and snapping numerous pine and oak trees, some 2 to 3 feet in diameter. The storm completely destroyed and outbuilding and mobile home, placing roofing material in a tree approximately a half mile away. Mostly EF1 damage was noted elsewhere as the tornado continued moving east-northeast across southern Miller County. Numerous pine and oak trees were either snapped or uprooted, with pieces of roofing material ripped from well-constructed homes. The tornado passed near the intersection of US-71 and AR-549 near the community of Doddridge, before lifting approximately 2.5 miles NNE of Kiblah, AR.
#7
7 miles NW of Hallsville, Harrison County, TX
8 miles N of Hallsville, Harrison County, TX
EF1
100 mph
9:13pm CDT
9:23pm CDT
3.1 miles/
200 yards
None
This tornado touched down just west of Will Smith Road snapping and uprooting numerous trees along the road, with a tree landing atop a mobile home. The tornado continued east, crossing FM 450 near CR 4432 (Charles John Dr.) where several homes were damaged by falling trees, with their windows blown out. A couple of travel trailers were blown off their blocks, whle a 14x28 ft shop was shoved 2 feet of its foundation. The tornado lifted about 250 yards east of FM 450.
#8
6 miles NW of Waskom, Harrison County, TX
4 miles S of Haughton, Bossier Parish, LA
EF2
120 mph
9:48pm CDT
10:45pm CDT
38.5 miles/
500 yards
2 injuries
This tornado touched down about one-half mile west of FM 134, continued east across FM 9, and moved into Caddo Parish. Numerous trees were uprooted and snapped, especially east of FM 9 and across Hwy 169. This tornado followed North Lakeshore Drive, with numerous homes damaged, some of which had their roofs partially removed. In addition, one of the homes was moved off of its foundation.
Near I-220 and Blanchard Road, twelve empty railroad cars were blown off the track, with intermittent damage along Blanchard Road going into downtown Shreveport. Large tree limbs, power lines, and road signs were downed. The tornado crossed the Red River south of the Diamond Jacks Casino, where numerous homes were damaged due to trees between Arthur Ray Teague Parkway and Barksdale Blvd.
On Barksdale Blvd. itself, numerous power poles were downed, many businesses were damaged, and the west gate of Barksdale Air Force Base was also damaged. The tornado lifted in eastern Bossier Parish along Hwy 157 south of Haughton.
The most extensive damage was found in the Lakeview Subdivision on the north side of Cross Lake in Caddo Parish.
#9
2.5 miles NNE of Bolinger, Bossier Parish, LA
3 miles NNE of Bolinger, Bossier Parish, LA
EF0
65 mph
10:02pm CDT
10:04pm CDT
0.75 mile/
75 yards
None
Several trees were snapped or uprooted along Leila Road in northern Bossier Parish. No structural damage occurred as most of the trees were in forested areas.
#10
1 mile ENE of Heflin, Webster Parish, LA
3 miles E of Heflin, Webster Parish, LA
EF0
70 mph
11:04pm CDT
11:07pm CDT
2.25 miles/
100 yards
None
The tornado began near Hwy 531. Several trees were snapped off at the top while other were uprooted. The track ended along Moores Cemetery Road where additional treetops were snapped.
#11
4 miles S of Simmsboro, Lincoln Parish, LA
5 miles SW of Grambling, Lincoln Parish, LA
EF1
90 mph
11:33pm CDT
11:39pm CDT
4.4 miles/
150 yards
None
This tornado touched down along Hwy 508. Several trees were snapped or uprooted across the highway, and some minor roof damage occurred near the intersection of Hwy 508 and Mondy Road. Other trees were snapped and uprooted along Monday Road where it eventually lifted.
APRIL 10, 2009
#12
5 miles NW of Eros, Jackson Parish, LA
8 miles SW of West Monroe, Ouachita Parish, LA
EF2
115 mph
12:05am CDT
12:19am CDT
11.7 miles/
300 yards
None
This tornado began in a wooded area along and east of Olive Grove Road in Jackson Parish where several small pine trees were snapped. Farther east along Hwy 144 north of Eros, numerous large trees were snapped and a nearby home sustained roof damage. A barn in a field nearby also sustained significant roof damage. The tornado tracked east into Ouachita Parish, snapping and uprooting trees as well as causing minor roof damage to nearby homes along Guyton Loop Road. The tornado crossed Hwy 34, and moved onto Old Jonesboro Road where numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. One tree was physically moved 30 feet with the root ball intact, leaving a large hole in its original location. One mobile home was moved off of its foundation and several sheds and outbuildings were completely destroyed. Roof damage occurred to several homes along the street as well. The worst damage occurred to a home along Antioch Church Road, where the entire roof was peeled off and destroyed, leaving only the walls. This tornado lifted east of Simmie Woods Road.
Radar loop of the supercell that produced the long-track tornado through Harrison County and Caddo and Bossier Parishes. The tornado was located within the hook-like appendage on the south end of the supercell.
Radar loop of the tornado outbreak.
Radar imagery of the two storms that moved across Southwest Arkansas. Notice the storm that splits in Bowie County, TX. The left part of the storm moves to the northeast through Little River, Sevier, and Howard Counties at around 80 mph! Farther northward is a tornadic supercell which developed over McCurtain County, OK, and cut a track across northern Sevier and Howard Counties, before moving into Pike County. This storm exhibits the class "hook echo" on its southwest end, a feature common to tornadic thunderstorms.
Radar loop of storm-relative motion, which measures rotation in a thunderstorm relative to the radar. Green and blue colors indicate air indicate air moving toward the radar, while red and pink colors indicate air moving away from the radar. The brighter the color, the faster the air is moving. In this imagery, where the pinks and blues are very close together is where the tornado is occurring. Most tornadoes rotate counter-clockwise, as is the case with the northern storm. Air is moving toward the radar on the left side of the image, and moving away from the radar on the right side.
Now, look at the southern storm, which is moving rapidly from the bottom-left to the top-right of the imagery. Notice the blues are on the right side and the reds are on the left side. This is imagery of a rare clockwise-spinning, or anticyclonic, tornado.
This survey data is preliminary and subject to change as more information becomes available. Road accessibility and inconsistencies between mapping and GPS software may limit the accuracy of the tracks plotted on this map. Line widths are not representative of actual tornado widths. The information plotted on this map is intended for general reference use only.
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