EF1 tornado in Washington Parish, Louisiana

An EF-1 tornado quickly spun up along a line of strong thunderstorms just east of Franklinton Louisiana. The tornado tracked southeastward through southern areas of Franklinton, causing moderate roof damage to a Floral Shop and damaging a business sign. As it crossed LA 16 it caused minor roof damage to homes and an apartment building while also causing a couple trees to fall on a home and shed. After the tornado crossed south of LA 1072 it caused moderate damage to a forecast, snapping about 40-50 small pine trees. This was the peak intensity of the tornado which was 105 mph. This tornado caused several uprooted and snapped trees along its path. Finally the tornado tracked further southeast, before dissipating east of LA 1072 north of Fussell Road.

Environmental conditions favorable for a QLCS (Quasi-Linear Convective System) tornado event developed across southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi during the afternoon and evening hours of March 11th. An upper-level storm system moving east from Texas overspread a very moist and increasingly unstable air mass in place across the region. At the same time, intense low-level wind shear and strong atmospheric spin developed as southerly winds strengthened ahead of an approaching line of storms with bowing segments.

The combination of rich Gulf moisture, strong low-level atmospheric spin, and a fast-moving line of thunderstorms created an environment supportive of embedded rotating circulations along the leading edge of the QLCS. As that line moved west to east across the local area, several rapidly developing tornadoes formed within these circulations. A total of 8 tornadoes were confirmed across southeast Louisiana, including 2 with path lengths exceeding 10 miles. Well over a dozen additional reports of damaging straight-line winds were also received.