March 9, 2019: Tornadoes in Northwest Louisiana

Overview

A line of strong to severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a dryline during the early morning hours across East Texas and Southeast Oklahoma. Several reports of wind damage were received from across the area, especially around the Umpire and Athens areas in Northern Howard County, Arkansas. As the storms moved into Northwest Louisiana, a supercell developed, which produced three tornadoes across the northern portions of Caddo, Bossier, and Webster Parishes. Two of the tornadoes, one near Mira, LA, and Interstate 49, and another in Springhill, LA, was recorded on video by several residents. Near Mira, about 40 people were at a gas station and took shelter in the freezer as the tornado passed just to the south.

After the storms passed, meteorologists from the National Weather Service in Shreveport deployed to survey the damage. The conclusions of the team are noted below. This information should be considered preliminary and subject to change as more information becomes available.

TOTAL TORNADO COUNT = 3

EF1 = 3

Table & Map

Tornado #1: Northern Caddo Parish

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START POINT	2 miles NW of Vivian, Caddo Parish, LA
END POINT	3 miles E of Mira, Caddo Parish, LA
RATING / PEAK WIND	EF1 / 100 mph
DATE	March 9, 2019
START TIME	10:45am CST
END TIME	11:05am CST
LENGTH/ WIDTH	8.49 miles/ 100 yards
FATALITIES/ INJURIES	None
Summary: This tornado began northwest of Vivian off of Old Atlanta Road, where it downed trees. Along LA Hwy 1, it damaged the roof of a metal outbuilding and snapped and uprooted approximately 20 trees. More trees were snapped and uprooted as the tornado crossed Interstate 49, trees were downed along Scott's Slough Road, and the tornado liftied near the Red River. This tornado was documented by several mobile phones, including an account of 40 people at a gas station that took shelter in the freezer as the tornado approached and passed just south. Many thanks to the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office for their assistance locating damage and providing guidance during the survey.

Tornado #2: Northeast Bossier Parish

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START POINT	2 miles SW of Carterville, Bossier Parish, LA
END POINT	1 mile E of Carterville, Bossier Parish, LA
RATING / PEAK WIND	EF1 / 105 mph
DATE	March 9, 2019
START TIME	11:13am CST
END TIME	11:17am CST
LENGTH/ WIDTH	2.87 miles/ 100 yards
FATALITIES/ INJURIES	None
Summary: The supercell that produced this tornado, also produced Tornado #1. This tornado began in a forest southwest of Carterville near the corner of LA Hwy 157 and Red Land Road. It completely destroyed a metal outbuilding and removed most of the roof of another. The tornado snapped and uprooted approximately 200 trees as it cross Mott Road and then lifted. Much appreciation to the Bossier Officer of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for relaying the locations of damage

Tornado #3: Springhill, LA

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START POINT	0.52 miles W of Springhill, Webster Parish, LA
END POINT	0.25 miles E of Springhill, Webster Parish, LA
RATING / PEAK WIND	EF1 / 105 mph
DATE	March 9, 2019
START TIME	11:24am CST
END TIME	11:28am CST
LENGTH/ WIDTH	0.77 miles/ 75 yards
FATALITIES/ INJURIES	None
Summary: The supercell that produced this tornado, also produced Tornadoes #1, and #2. This tornado began near Park Loop on the west side of Springhill, where it uprooted trees and damaged the roof of an outbuilding on the grounds of Brown Middle School and continued on to damage the covered porch and roof of a single family home. It crossed South Main Street and downed power lines near the Panda Garden before going over the Piggly Wiggly and Lumberjack Lanes. Behind the bowling alley, the tornado downed another 30 trees in a neighborhood between South Park Drive and Center Park Drive in Springhill before lifting. Much appreciation to the Webster Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for providing location information via maps and relaying pictures and video in social media.

Click here to download the survey KMZ file.

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.

For official post-storm information, use Storm Data from the National Centers for Environmental Information.

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