EF1 tornado in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana

The damage path of an EF-1 tornado was identified via high resolution satellite imagery over inaccessible rural marsh areas of Terrebonne Parish, southwest of Humphreys, LA. This tornado began southwest of Blue Bird Canal where a defined, but weak path of damage to marsh vegetation was evident. The marsh damage continued northeast across Blue Bird Canal, narrowly missing fishing camps, and was collocated with a strong tornado vortex signature on KHDC radar imagery. The tornado intensified as it crossed the Intracoastal Waterway and Lake Hackberry with numerous displaced trees evident along a canal and maximum path width around 250 yards. This was collocated with a tornado debris signature that was identified on Climavision V014 radar imagery. The tornado continued northeast and quickly weakened which is corroborated by KHDC and Climavision radar imagery. The tornado evidently lifted prior to reaching structures along Bayou Black Drive in Humphreys.

A more pronounced mid-level impulse moving through a very moist and weakly forced environment supported the development of several mini tropical-like supercells across southeast Louisiana and coastal Mississippi during the early morning hours of October 26th. These storms produced several tornadoes, including EF-0 and EF-1 tornadoes across Livingston, Terrebonne, Tangipahoa Parishes as well as Jackson County. Multiple tornado tracks occurred over marsh and other inaccessible areas where damage consisted primarily of vegetation scarring and displaced trees, and were verified using high-resolution satellite imagery in conjunction with coherent tornado debris signatures observed on radar. Stronger tornadoes caused snapped and uprooted trees, minor to moderate roof damage, and localized structural impacts, including damage to a residence, a manufactured home, and several commercial and multi-family buildings in Gautier, Mississippi. The storms generally moved northeastward and exhibited brief cycles of intensification and weakening before lifting as they approached larger bodies of water or less favorable environments.