Home / Louisiana / Evangeline

F2 tornado in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana

Tornado October 29, 2002 · Evangeline Parish, Louisiana

Rating

10.5 mi

Whole path

50 yd

Path width

Deaths

Injuries

$210K

Damage as recorded

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Acadia Parish → St. Landry Parish → Evangeline Parish; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 50 yards (0.03 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F2 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F2 meant considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted; the scale paired it with winds of 113–157 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

The wider storm

The tornado in St. Landry Parish moved into Evangeline Parish, and picked up a mobile home over 100 yards, before it landed and completely fell apart. Two ladies in the home were killed instantly. Three other people in the home survived with broken bones and bruises. Debris was scattered over a quarter of a mile away from the mobile home. Several other mobile homes were damaged in this area, and many trees and power lines were blown down.

Began near Chataignier (30.5333, -92.2833).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5319530. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

Tornadoes near your address

See every tornado that passed near a place you know, measured to its path.