60
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
51
Direct injuries
$10.0M
Property damage
Tornado in Vernon Parish, Louisiana: 60 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #248 nationally and #16 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Vernon Parish, Louisiana: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Vernon Parish is the 2020s, when 13 of the county's 60 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 Vernon Parish archive, tornado makes up 14.9% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #248 for this hazard and #16 within Louisiana, putting it in the 91.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Dec is the peak month for tornado in Vernon Parish with 13 recorded events, while May 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-12-03 | EF4 | 85.5 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-12-16 | EF3 | 62.6 mi | 550 yd | Crossed in |
| 1975-04-29 | EF2 | 14.8 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1953-03-22 | EF2 | 234.7 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-22 | EF2 | 36.4 mi | 600 yd | Crossed in |
| 2004-11-23 | EF2 | 10.0 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 2004-11-23 | EF2 | 20.0 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2003-11-17 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
| 2003-11-26 | EF2 | 18.0 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1999-01-02 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 3, 1953 | F4 | 7 | 20 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 30, 1975 | F2 | 2 | 8 | $250K | |
| Dec 16, 2019 | ROSEPINE | EF3 | 1 | 0 | $1.0M |
| Oct 29, 1974 | F2 | 0 | 12 | $250K | |
| Nov 24, 2004 | SIMPSON | F2 | 0 | 3 | $500K |
| Sep 14, 1978 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Nov 19, 1991 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 14, 2026 | (POE)FT POLK AAF LEE | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 4, 2025 | NORTH FT POLK | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 4, 2025 | EVANS | EF1 | $20K |
| Dec 28, 2024 | FULLERTON | EF1 | $2K |
| Dec 28, 2024 | FULLERTON | EF1 | $5K |
| Dec 28, 2024 | COPPERS | EF0 | $10K |
| Dec 28, 2024 | PICKERING | EF1 | $5K |
| Dec 27, 2024 | FULLERTON | EF1 | $5K |
| Nov 20, 2023 | CORA | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 30, 2022 | HICKS | EF1 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from Vernon Parish
- Thunderstorm Wind 195
- Hail 110
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado began in Beauregard Parish and moved into Vernon Parish near the intersection of John Brewer and Borel Roads as an EF3 with winds estimated at 152 MPH. A fatality occurred on Borel Road as the tornado passed around 11:18 am CST. Extensive damage occurred to well built homes as well as mobile homes. This developing long track tornado continued moving northeast crossing Churchman Road where it ripped large open areas off home roofs. Winds were estimated at 135 mph. The tornado moved across forest areas of the southeast part of the Fort Polk Army Base. The tornado crossed into the east central part of Vernon Parish where trees and several homes were damaged around the Sandhill and Coral Roads area with winds estimated at 74 to 107 mph. The tornado moved in Rapides Parish 1 mile south of Highway 121. Roughly 26 structures were damaged along the path.
An EF-1 tornado touched down between the Leesville Airport and Lake Vernon Road. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down, uprooted or snapped off along West Hawthorne Road, Leesville County Club, Highway 117, LA Hwy 28, and Belview Road. Some of the trees fell on homes and vehicles. No one was seriously injured. The max estimated winds reached 105 mph.
A NWS storm survey team confirmed an EF 0 tornado touched down three miles east of the town of Pitkin. The tornado produced a damage path two miles long and 200 yards wide. The tornado snapped 20 to 40 pine trees along the path. A mobile home had a tree fall on it causing minor damage and a barn had a few sheets of roofing tin removed.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Vernon Parish, Louisiana?
60 tornado events are recorded in Vernon Parish between 1953 and 2026, causing 10 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Vernon Parish?
The strongest tornado on record in Vernon Parish measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Vernon 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 Vernon Parish, Louisiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/louisiana/vernon-parish/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.