EF2 Tornado — Rapides, Louisiana

2012-12-25 · near Alexandria, Rapides, Louisiana

Event narrative

A NWS storm survey confirmed an EF 2 tornado touched down in the city of Alexandria. The tornado produced a damage path near 1 mile long and 200 yards wide. The tornado began in a residential area between Polk and White Streets downing trees onto homes and removing some roofing material. It ripped roofs off some businesses including around the Washington Square Complex. The tornado moved across Interstate 49 and dissipated between Lee and Saint James Streets where several more homes and a church lost some roofing material.

Wider weather episode

A warm front lifted out of the Gulf of Mexico early Christmas morning with mostly small hail in storms along the boundary, however one storm did become severe. A strong cold front pushed out of Texas and across Louisiana during late Christmas morning into the afternoon with Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes. Strong northwest winds behind the boundary created low tides along the coast.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (31.3000, -92.4530)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 421978. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.