April 13-14, 2018: Tornado Outbreak

Summary:

This tornado began just north of the Calhoun community along Griggs Road and Highway 151 North, where it snapped and uprooted numerous trees and power lines. The tornado moved north-northeast roughly along Highway 837, snapping numerous trees, which caused significant damage to several homes along Highway 837 and Richardson Road. A barn was heavily damage and a mobile home was flipped before the tornado lifted.

This tornado was visually confirmed by a NOAA WP-3D Orion Hurricane Hunter Aircraft operating in the area as part of the VORTEX-SE research project. Video of this tornado was also posted by members of the public on Facebook.

Summary:

This tornado began along Garland Gin Road, where it snapped several trees. It continued north-northeast, snapping and uprooting more trees in a field along Garland Gin Road. The tornado crossed Highway 15 and moved north-northeast, snapping more trees along Williams Colony Road, Goldsmith Road, and Bridges Road before lifting.

The cyclic supercell that produced this tornado also produced Tornado #1.

Summary:

A very brief tornado began along Laster Road where it snapped a few trees. It crossed Highway 143 and continued northeast, snapping and uprooting more trees before lifting along Highway 2.

This tornado was visually confirmed by a NOAA WP-3D Orion Hurricane Hunter aircraft operating in the area as part of the VORTEX-SE research project.

Summary:

This tornado began along Linville Road where it snapped several trees. It continued north where it snapped and uprooted numerous trees near Cedar Hill Cemetery, then crossed Cedar Hill Road where portions of a tin roof were peeled back from a metal barn and a nearby poorly constructed metal barn was destroyed. It continued north were it snapped several utility poles and a large swath of trees, at which point the tornado was at its strongest and widest. It crossed Kirby Road where it caused significant roof damage to two large chicken houses, uprooted and snapped several more trees. Intermittent damage was found as it continued north before the tornado lifted just north of Highway 278 northwest of Umpire. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted here before the tornado finally lifted a few miles south of Gatlin Road.

Summary:

This tornado touched down just south of Highway 506 snapping and uprooting trees. As the tornado moved to the north-northeast, it tore through the Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge snapping and uprooting trees. Several outbuildings and campsites were severely damaged by falling trees just off of Childress Road before lifting just before Goldwing Lane.

Summary:

Straight-line winds associated with a severe thunderstorm blew down numerous trees. Damage occurred to several homes, mainly from falling trees. Several  barns were damaged by these winds on County Roads 483 and 481. Additional damage was noted to awnings and carports in the area.

Summary:

Straight-line winds associated with a severe thunderstorm snapped a few trees and downed numerous large branches along Highway 59 just north of Henderson and County Road 212. A metal roof was lifted off of a barn along County Road 212.

Summary:

A tornado touched down along Brown Road, just east of Highway 259, snapping and uprooting trees as it moved off to the northeast along Lloyd and Northridge Road. One tree landed on a shed on Lloyd Circle. Farther to the northeast along Dunn Bottoms Road, the tornado snapped and uprooted several more trees and lifted the roof off of a hay storage shed. This tornado lifted just south of Highway 154.

Summary:

Straight-line winds associated with a severe thunderstorm moved northeast across Simpson Lake. Most of the damage occurred in the Eagle Landing subdivision. Several trees were uprooted and a few others were snapped. Three homes and several outbuildings were damaged by falling trees. A large tree smashed a truck, as well. A dock was also lifted onto the shore and flipped.

Summary:

A tornado touched down along FM 9 near FM 451 where it broke several large branches from a few trees here. It continued east-northeast just north of CR 1220 where it continued to break large branches from trees. It blew the roof off a small barn before it crossed into Caddo Parish.

It broke several large branches from a few trees where it crossed Elysian Fields Road. The tornado continued east-northeast where it uprooted a tree along Highway 79 that knocked down power lines. It continued northeast where it broke several large branches from trees along Shirly Francis Road. The tornado uprooted trees and broke large branches just southeast of Greenwood before lifting.

Summary:

A tornado touched down just west of Highway 3132 along Dixie Boulevard where it uprooted a few trees. It continued east-northeast crossing Hwy 3132 breaking several large branches from trees. The tornado tracked only a few hundred yards from the NWS-Shreveport office on the west side of Shreveport Regional Airport.

The tornado did roof damage to three hotels near the Monkhouse exit along I-20. The tornado paralleled I-20 where it uprooted trees and damaged a few billboard signs.

The tornado shifted north-northeast crossing Jewella Avenue near Jackson Street, where it began to do significant tree damage. The tornado grew to around 800 yards wide in this vicinity where it uprooted and snapped numerous trees along a 13-block path east-northeast to the vicinity of the Hearne Avenue and Lakeshore Drive.

The tornado continued northeast into Downtown Shreveport doing sporadic tree damage before crossing the Red River into Downtown Bossier City. The tornado uprooted a number of trees and broke several large branches between Bossier High School and I-20.

The tornado strengthed near the Heart of Bossier shopping center and Benton Road where it uprooted several trees as it headed east-northeast towards Pierre Bossier Mall. It uprooted or snapped several trees along the south side of the mall and I-20 in this area. The tornado also knocked down the top half of the east-facing wall of a strip mall on the north side of Pierre Bossier Mall.

The tornado shifted northeast where it paralleled the north side of East Texas Street, where it continued to uprooted and snap trees. There were a number of mobile homes that were damaged along East Texas Street/Highway 80 due to falling trees. The tornado was at its weakest point as it did sporadic tree damage as it crossed I-220 near Louisiana Downs.

The tornado began to rapidly strengthen as it approahced the Red Chute area where it knocked a large tree down onto a travel trailer in the Hillcrest Mobile Home and RV Park killing a two-year old infant.

The tornado did considerable tree damage as it crossed Bellevue Road just north of Highway 80, splitting trunks and uprooting tees as it reached its widest width of 1100 yards. The tornado continued northeast paralleling Adner Road while doing significant tree damage in the northern sections of the Country Place subdivision near Eastwood.

The tornado continued northeast doing more tree damage as it cross Winfield Road west of the community of Princeton just west of Princeton Elementary School. The tornado uprooted a few more trees north of Princeton along Highway 157 before lifting.

The same storm also produce Tornado #7 in this event.

Summary:

A tornado touched down along Cozby Road just west of Highway 529 in far northeast Bossier Parish. The tornado uprooted a number of trees near a cemetery along Hwy 529 as it traveled northeast where it crossed Coile Road damaging several trees. The tornado continued northeast traveling across Highway 2 in Sarepta uprooting a few trees here. The tornado continued northeast crossing Highway 371 just north of Sarepta where it did most of its damage. Several trees were uprooted and snapped in this area, especially along North Main Street before the tornado lifted.

Summary:

A tornado touched down along just west of Shongaloo along Highway 2 where it uprooted several trees. It continued northeast causing sporadic tree damage along Highway 159. The tornado continued northeast where it did considerable tree damage along Highway 615 and Red Oak Road, and Highway 615 and Barge Road where it uprooted and snapped several trees in this area before lifting just to the northeast.

Summary:

A tornado touched down along Highway 2 just west of Dogwood Road where it uprooted several trees and knocked down several large branches. The tornado continued northeast where it uprooted and snapped a number of trees along White Oak Road near Kelly Road. The tornado continued northeast to the intersection of Ruple Road and Slaughter Road where it rapidly intensified.

The tornado did considerable tree damage as it paralleled Slaughter Road as it crossed the Louisiana and Northwest railroad track and Bayou D'Arbonne. It uprooted and snapped numerous trees in this area as it tracked northeast to Highway 520.

At the intersection of Slaughter Road and Highway 520, it continued to uproot and snap trees as the tornado began to parallel Highway 520. The tornado began to weaken as it moved northeast along 520 causing sporadic tree damage before lifting near Moore Lake.

Summary:

An EF2 tornado moved east along the parish line between Lincoln and Bienville Parishes. It began 4 miles east of Bryceland along Jot Em Down Road. Most of its damage consisted of snapped and uprooted hardwood and softwood trees. It crossed Highway 147 moving east.

The most significant damage was along Highway 507 just southwest of the intersection with Talbert White Road. Two barns were completely destroyed, the tops of several hardwood trees were snapped, and 75 percent of a the metal roof of a home was uplifted and blown into the trees. All exterior walls of the home remained standing.

The tornado continued moving east, snapping and uprooting trees before dissipating along Mount Calm Road, just south of the Bienville/Lincoln Parish line.

Summary:

This tornado touched down along Highway 167 just north of Wingfield Lake Road and quickly intensified over the Faircrest community. The tornado reached its maximum intensity and width along Peace and Mount Union Roads. It uprooted and snapped numerous trees in this location and damaged the roofs of several homes. It rolled and destroyed a travel trailer and did roof damage to a number of mobile homes as well.

The tornado traveled northeast and did sporadic tree damage along Iron Mountain Road and uprooted a few trees along Patterson Loop Road and Hibanks Road. The tornado re-strengthened as it crossed Highway 82 and uprooted and snapped several trees near the Hope Landing organization just west of Spencer Lane. The tornado did minor tree damage just north of this location before lifting.

Summary:

This tornado began south of Grambling near the intersection of Null and Mondy Roads. The tornado moved east along Mondy Road, turned northeast crossing Tennessee Avenue, continued across the Ruston Country Club, and moved across the south and southeast sides of Ruston snapping and uprooting trees along its path. The tornado dissipated along Lewis Street south of Highway 146. Significant structural damage occurred to several homes from falling trees. After the tornado dissipated, a swath of straight-line wind damage with peak winds estimated at 90 mph was found along Beacon Light Road, where more trees were uprotted and a couple of metal roofs were peeled away from homes.

The storm that produced this tornado also produced Tornado #12.

Summary:

A tornado touched down along Nick Springs Road just east of Spencer Lane. It uprooted and snapped trees here along with breaking several large branches. The tornado continued northeast and intersected Lawson Road where it rapidly intensified to its strongest and widest point. It did considerable tree damage here and damaged the roofs of a number of homes, mobile homes, and barns in this location. Widespread tree damage was found here that included numerous uprooted and snapped trees.

The tornado continued northeast where it uprooted several trees along Frisby Road; a number of trees landed on homes in this location. The tornado then continued northeast where it uprooted a number of more trees along Rhodes Chapel Road before lifting to the northeast of here.

Summary:

This tornado began along U.S. Highway 80 just west of Choudrant. The tornado moved through the community of Choudrant, then turned northeast, crossed Interstate 20, moved across Emory Road, and lifted at the intersection of Norris and Aulds Roads. All of the damage consisted of snapped and uprooted trees.

The storm that produced this tornado also produced Tornadoes #12 and #14

Summary:

This tornado started along Roach Road very close to the Lincoln/Ouachita Parish line. The tornado moved east into Ouachita Parish, crossed Highway 151, turned northeast into Union Parish, and crossed Reggie Skains Road.

The tornado continued east and crossed Highway 15 and moved along Highway 552 before lifting at the intersection of Highway 552 and Callaway Road. Most of the damage consisted of snapped and uprooted trees. One very large pecan tree estimated at 100 years old was lifted and dropped onto a residence.

This tornado crossed Highway 15 at nearly the same point as Tornado #2 earlier in this outbreak. Therefore, it was nearly impossible to distinguish between the two separate paths when examining the damage along Highway 15 down to its intersection with Williams Colony Road.

This same parent thunderstorm also produced Tornadoes #12, #14, and #16.

Summary:

Glass doors were blown in on the Southern Market grocery store, and the north-facing exterior wall lost its brick facade and some roof covering. In addition, a tree was uprooted and some farm outbuildings sustained minor damage across U.S. Highway 165, just southwest of the grocery store. A metal privacy fence was also destroyed directly behind the grocery store.