National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Winter Hazards Across the North; Heavy Rainfall Across the Gulf Coast; Severe Weather Outlook

Moisture across the northern Plains, upper Great Lakes into northern New England will likely bring a period of snow, sleet and freezing rain through this weekend. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall continues along the Gulf Coast with areas of flooding. Fire weather conditions continue for the areas of the Plains, southern Appalachians into portions of Florida. Severe thunderstorm potential increasing. Read More >

Overview
The first tornado of 2013 in the Four State Region occurred during the night of January 12, 2013.  Meteorologists from the National Weather Service office in Shreveport surveyed damage from a strong EF1 tornado that began 7 miles southeast of Frierson in De Soto Parish.  The tornado snapped hardwood trees in this area and tracked northwest into Red River Parish.  Major damage was done to a home and trees on Parish Road 410 about 15 miles west-northwest of Hall Summit.  The tornado crossed Highway 1 about 15 miles southeast of the city limits of Shreveport causing substantial damage to two vehicles and two travel trailers at the Petro Hawk Natural Gas site off of Highway 1.  Two people inside one of the trailers sustained injuries.  The tornado dissipated as it approached the Red River.  Snapped tree trunks were frequently found throughout the damage path.  This damage is consistent with an EF1 tornado with maximum estimated winds near 110 mph.
 
Damage Map
Coming soon