EF2 tornado in Union Parish, Louisiana

An EF-2 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 132 mph touched down on Cable Road southeast of Marion and continued to move northeast, crossing Boothville Road while snapping numerous tree branches and tree trunks, some of which covered the roadway. From there, the tornado reached Earnest Pace Road, where a trailer was lifted and blown off of its foundation, with associated debris also being blown across the road. Extensive vehicle damage was also noted in this area. The tornado continued to move northeast, producing damage along Jurd Pardue Road, where several homes also experienced damage to roofs and carports. The tornado then crossed Dean Church Road where the most extensive damage was found. A local shop collapsed and was then blown off of its foundation. This is where the estimated peak winds of 132 mph were found. The tornado then moved along Parish Road 2260, producing damage to another home's roof and nearby sheds before entering the Upper Ouachita Wildlife Refuge.

Additional damage was located using high-resolution Sentinel-2 satellite data, although this area was inaccessible by ground. Based on the satellite imagery, the tornado continued northeast and crossed the Ouachita River into Morehouse Parish.

A line of thunderstorms developed late in the morning on January 5th ahead of an eastward advancing cold front extending across eastern Oklahoma into northeast and central Texas. Ahead of the front, low-level moisture increased with southerly low-level flow across the Ark-La-Tex region. Surface dewpoints in the middle 60s were noted in surface observations from just south of Shreveport southward to the Gulf coast. As a warm front draped across southwest Arkansas into central Louisiana lifted northward through early afternoon, destabilization increased with north and eastward extent. Wind profiles and morning soundings showed strong vertical shear in place, with effective shear magnitudes greater than 35 knots aided by an intense low-level jet near 50 knots overspreading the region. This supported organized, rotating thunderstorms capable of damaging gusts and tornadoes. Numerous severe thunderstorms produced widespread damaging wind gusts in North Louisiana along with an isolated tornado in Union Parish.