EF1 tornado in Ascension Parish, Louisiana

An NWS storm survey team determined that an EF-1 tornado with peak winds of 90 mph embedded in a line of storms touched down along Highway 1 in far western Ascension Parish just after midnight on February 15th. Here, the tornado mainly snapped large branches and small tree trunks. The tornado continued eastward causing minor tree damage as it crossed Hwy 405 and the Mississippi River. More damage to large branches and tree tops was observed along River Rd north of Darrow. The tornado continued to move east-southeast over inaccessible areas until it reached Ruffin Martinez Rd and Highway 22. More large branches were snapped here as it continued moving to the east-southeast towards Walter Hill Rd. The tornado then crossed the Mississippi River a 2nd time and remained over either open fields or a refinery. The tornado reached peak intensity as it approached Highway 70 where it snapped a few tree trunks. The tornado then continued over the marsh east of Highway 70 where it likely lifted near the Ascension/St. James Parish line.

A line of strong to severe thunderstorms developed during the evening of February 14, 2026, ahead of a cold front and moved eastward across southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi overnight, maintaining organization as a QLCS with embedded circulations. The environment featured a moist and unstable airmass with increasing low-level shear, supporting the development of multiple brief tornadoes and widespread damaging winds. The first impacts occurred across southwest Mississippi late in the evening where several EF-1 tornadoes caused numerous snapped and uprooted trees, downed powerlines, and minor structural damage. As the line progressed into southeast Louisiana between late evening and the early overnight hours, additional EF-0 and EF-1 tornadoes were confirmed across East Feliciana, Ascension, St. James, Tangipahoa, Washington, Lafourche, and St. Tammany Parishes, generally producing tree damage with localized impacts to homes and infrastructure, including roof damage, a flipped RV, and snapped power poles. Widespread straight-line winds accompanied the convective line, with gusts frequently reaching 50 to 60 mph, resulting in numerous reports of downed trees, broken limbs, minor structural damage, and isolated industrial impacts, including damage to a fiberglass cooling tower in Ascension Parish. The line continued east into coastal Mississippi during the early morning hours of February 15, producing additional brief tornadoes and wind damage, while marine observations across adjacent coastal waters recorded thunderstorm wind gusts generally between 35 and 45 knots with isolated higher values.