EF3 Tornado — Assumption, Louisiana

2016-02-23 · near Westfield, Assumption, Louisiana

Event narrative

A strong tornado touched down just southwest of Paincourtville and moved northeast. Near the junction of LA Hwy 1, LA Hwy 308, and LA Hwy 70, there was considerable damage to residential and commercial buildings consistent with an EF-2 to a two story apartment building, hardware store, and commercial business. The tornado reached maximum strength as it moved along LA 1/LA 308, causing major damage to an area of small frame houses and mobile homes. In this area, the 2nd floor of a well-constructed brick home was nearly removed. This damage was consistent with wind speeds near 140 mph, or EF-3. The tornado continued moving to the northeast and crossed into St. James Parish.

Wider weather episode

A strong cold front moved through the lower Mississippi Valley. Ahead of the front, widespread severe weather moved through Southeast Louisiana and Southern Mississippi during the morning and afternoon hours of February 23rd. A total of 13 tornadoes occurred in Southeast Louisiana and Southern Mississippi, 3 of which were classified as strong.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (29.9903, -91.0794)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 617674. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.