77
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
44
Direct injuries
$68.7M
Property damage
Tornado in De Soto Parish, Louisiana: 77 recorded events between 1950 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #127 nationally and #6 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in De Soto Parish, Louisiana: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in De Soto Parish is the 2020s, when 19 of the county's 77 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the De Soto Parish archive, tornado makes up 12.4% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #127 for this hazard and #6 within Louisiana, putting it in the 95.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in De Soto Parish with 19 recorded events, while Aug is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-02-12 | EF4 | 82.6 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1950-02-12 | EF3 | 74.5 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1987-11-15 | EF3 | 48.0 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 2000-04-23 | EF3 | 19.3 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-03 | EF3 | 5.4 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
| 1984-05-02 | EF3 | 61.0 mi | 250 yd | Crossed in |
| 1965-02-11 | EF3 | 33.0 mi | 117 yd | Touched down here |
| 1952-03-10 | EF3 | 50.9 mi | 650 yd | Touched down here |
| 1950-02-12 | EF2 | 58.4 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-08 | EF2 | 25.0 mi | 900 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 16, 1987 | F3 | 1 | 23 | $25.0M | |
| May 30, 1950 | F1 | 0 | 13 | $25K | |
| Feb 17, 1976 | F2 | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Apr 12, 2020 | REEDS STORE | EF2 | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
| Apr 25, 2019 | PELICAN | EF1 | 0 | 1 | $30K |
| Apr 3, 1999 | LOGANSPORT | F3 | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| May 8, 1975 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $30 | |
| May 7, 1967 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $3K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 2024 | REEDS STORE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2024 | CARMEL | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2024 | SOUTH MANSFIELD | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2024 | BENSON | EF1 | $25K |
| Jul 8, 2024 | PELICAN | EF2 | $250K |
| Jul 8, 2024 | GRAND CANE | EF1 | $500K |
| Jul 8, 2024 | PELICAN | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2024 | LOLA | EF2 | $1.0M |
| May 31, 2024 | FRIERSON | EF1 | $0 |
| May 31, 2024 | FRIERSON | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from De Soto Parish
- Thunderstorm Wind 288
- Hail 192
- Flash Flood 55
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A high precipitation supercell produced a tornado as part of an outbreak of tornados across the region. Damage consisted of large pine and oak trees uprooted or snapped. A mobile home was split in half from a fallen oak. Most damage to residences were from fallen trees. A number of outbuildings were damaged by fallen trees and wind.
Numerous homes with moderate to severe damage. Some roofs removed or partially removed. Church steeple knocked over and portion of roof missing. Numerous trees uprooted or snapped. This tornado was associated with a supercell which developed over the area as a speed max moved out of Texas and into Louisiana. This is a continuation of the Shelby County, Texas tornado.
A high precipitation supercell produced a tornado as part of an outbreak of tornados across the region. Damage consisted of large pine trees snapped and oak trees blown down. Most damage to residences were from fallen trees. A number of outbuildings were damaged by fallen trees and wind. This tornado continued into Red River Parish, LA.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in De Soto Parish, Louisiana?
77 tornado events are recorded in De Soto Parish between 1950 and 2024, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in De Soto Parish?
The strongest tornado on record in De Soto Parish measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for De Soto Parish come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in De Soto Parish, Louisiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/louisiana/de-soto-parish/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.