65
Recorded events
11
Direct deaths
51
Direct injuries
$48.4M
Property damage
Tornado in Madison Parish, Louisiana: 65 recorded events between 1971 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F5. That places the county #196 nationally and #12 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Madison Parish, Louisiana: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Madison Parish is the 1990s, when 18 of the county's 65 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 Madison Parish archive, tornado makes up 18.6% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #196 for this hazard and #12 within Louisiana, putting it in the 93.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Madison Parish with 16 recorded events, while Jul 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-02-21 | EF5 | 109.2 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 2010-04-24 | EF4 | 149.0 mi | 3,080 yd | Touched down here |
| 1999-01-21 | EF3 | 22.0 mi | 0 yd | Crossed in |
| 1992-11-21 | EF3 | 38.0 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1983-04-01 | EF3 | 4.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1983-11-19 | EF3 | 0.5 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-18 | EF3 | 5.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1983-04-01 | EF3 | 3.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-30 | EF2 | 17.3 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1996-04-22 | EF2 | 15.0 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 1971 | F5 | 11 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 24, 2010 | QUEBEC | EF3 | 0 | 16 | $35.0M |
| Dec 21, 1990 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Sep 5, 1973 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Jan 18, 1973 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Dec 21, 1990 | F2 | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Nov 26, 1988 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 19, 2025 | QUIMBY | EF1 | $130K |
| Dec 28, 2024 | TENDAL | EF1 | $5K |
| Dec 28, 2024 | ALTOONA | EF1 | $50K |
| Dec 14, 2022 | QUIMBY | EF1 | $250K |
| Nov 30, 2022 | THOMASTOWN | EFU | $0 |
| Nov 30, 2022 | TENDAL ARPT | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 30, 2022 | TALLA BENA | EF1 | $10K |
| Mar 30, 2022 | TALLULAH | EF2 | $200K |
| Mar 22, 2022 | THOMASTOWN | EF1 | $5K |
| May 4, 2021 | COLEMAN | EF1 | $55K |
Other hazards here
More from Madison Parish
- Thunderstorm Wind 170
- Hail 88
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado began along LA Highway 610 in eastern Franklin Parish where it snapped sporadic trees and downed a utility pole. It reached its peak intensity as it crossed into southwestern Madison Parish where it snapped several more trees. On Parker Rd, a home was shifted on its block foundation, with portions of the roof removed and most windows shattered. A car was crushed by a large tree at this location as well. The tornado crossed LA 610 again then Poland Rd and overturned an irrigation pivot. It then moved into the Big Lake Wildlife Management Area where it downed more trees as it crossed Mill Road. As it approached the Tensas River, it damaged multiple camp buildings off Sharkey Rd. A few roofs were peeled back, and some carports were blown away along with continued snapped and uprooted trees. The tornado crossed the Tensas River and ended shortly thereafter. The maximum estimated winds were 105 mph, EF-1, for this portion of the track. The total path length was 11.13 miles across the two parishes.
Eight 18-wheelers and several cars were blown off of Interstate 20 just east of Tallulah. Five power transmission towers were toppled. Many trees were uprooted or split. A large road sign and a television antenna were bent over by winds. Shingles were removed from a motel roof. Part of metal awning was torn off of a gas station roof. This tornado continued into Warren County Mississippi.
An EF-1 tornado touched down just south of the Hunters Bend area and moved northeast through the community. Several large trees were blown down across power lines and Hunters Bend Road near the start, with continued tree damage through the forest areas to the northeast. Trees were snapped and uprooted where the road turned north. Additional damage to a mobile home and several barns and outbuildings occurred at the east of of Dr. Thomason Road at the Tensas River. A 12×24 foot hunting shed was completely destroyed with debris blown north into the tree line. High resolution satellite imagery and accounts from area landowners indicated that the tornado continued east across Tensas River bend into National Wildlife Refuge land with damage at least 200 yards wide in that area. The tornado ended in a field south of Sharky Rd. Estimated peak wind speeds were 105 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Madison Parish, Louisiana?
65 tornado events are recorded in Madison Parish between 1971 and 2025, causing 11 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Madison Parish?
The strongest tornado on record in Madison Parish measured F5.
Where does the tornado data for Madison 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 Madison Parish, Louisiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/louisiana/madison-parish/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.