42
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
46
Direct injuries
$4.8M
Property damage
Tornado in Jackson Parish, Louisiana: 42 recorded events between 1953 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #567 nationally and #29 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Jackson Parish, Louisiana: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Jackson Parish is the 2010s, when 9 of the county's 42 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 Jackson Parish archive, tornado makes up 12.2% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #567 for this hazard and #29 within Louisiana, putting it in the 80.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Mar is the peak month for tornado in Jackson Parish with 10 recorded events, while Jun 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-09-12 | EF3 | 2.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-02 | EF2 | 14.8 mi | 1,928 yd | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-09 | EF2 | 12.6 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1986-11-07 | EF2 | 9.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-18 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1984-05-02 | EF2 | 15.0 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
| 1977-03-28 | EF2 | 6.1 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 1968-03-11 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 67 yd | Touched down here |
| 1953-04-29 | EF2 | 11.5 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1953-05-16 | EF2 | 22.5 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 1961 | F3 | 5 | 37 | $250K | |
| Jan 2, 2023 | WYATT | EF2 | 0 | 3 | $850K |
| Mar 18, 1986 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 17, 1953 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Apr 24, 2000 | CHATHAM | F1 | 0 | 1 | $175K |
| Feb 23, 1962 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $250 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 27, 2024 | CLAY | EF1 | $100K |
| Jan 2, 2023 | WYATT | EF2 | $850K |
| Mar 30, 2022 | VERNON | EF1 | $10K |
| Mar 30, 2022 | VERNON | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 30, 2022 | HODGE | EF1 | $1K |
| May 8, 2019 | CLAY | EF0 | $25K |
| May 8, 2019 | CLAY | EF1 | $50K |
| May 8, 2019 | WESTON | EF1 | $1.0M |
| May 8, 2019 | JONESBORO ARPT | EF1 | $0 |
| May 8, 2019 | JONESBORO ARPT | EF1 | $60K |
Other hazards here
More from Jackson Parish
- Thunderstorm Wind 168
- Hail 110
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF-1 tornado with maximum estimated winds near 110 mph that was embedded within a squall line touched down on Poda Road where several trees were snapped. The tornado continued east, crossing Dewberry Road and Northstar Lane where numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. The tornado then crossed Caney Lake Reservoir and into Jimmie Davis State Park, where it snapped and uprooted numerous hardwood and softwood trees. Some of the trees fell into multiple campers and approximately three-fourths of the cabins in the park. The tornado lifted as it exited the north end of the State Park.
This storm developed in a wooded area along and east of Olive Grove Road in Jackson Parish where several small pine trees were snapped. Further east along Hwy 144 north of Eros, numerous large trees were snapped and a nearby home sustained roof damage. A barn in a field nearby also sustained significant roof damage. The tornado tracked east into Ouachita Parish, snapping and uprooting trees as well as causing minor roof damage to nearby homes along Guyton Loop Road. The tornado crossed Hwy 34, and moved onto Old Jonesboro Road where numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. One tree was physically moved 30 feet with the root ball intact, leaving a large hole in its original location. One mobile home was moved off of its foundation and several sheds and outbuildings were completely destroyed. Roof damage occurred to several homes along the street as well. The worst damage occurred to a home along Antioch Church Road, where the entire roof was peeled off and destroyed, leaving only the walls.
An EFI tornado occurred from one mile west northwest of Jonesboro to one mile north of Jonesboro. Damage consisted of several trees and power lines uprooted along the path. Portions of the Jonesboro Hodge High School was hit by the storm where portions of the school's roof was peeled off. Some windows at the school were also broken out. Some buildings adjacent to the school were destroyed. Two homes on Templeton Road were damaged. One lost a roof while the other was damaged by an uprooted tree.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Jackson Parish, Louisiana?
42 tornado events are recorded in Jackson Parish between 1953 and 2024, causing 5 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Jackson Parish?
The strongest tornado on record in Jackson Parish measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Jackson 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 Jackson Parish, Louisiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/louisiana/jackson-parish/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.