EF2 Tornado — St. John the Baptist, Louisiana

2016-02-23 · near Montegut, St. John the Baptist, Louisiana

Event narrative

A strong tornado touched down in the LaPace area, just south of Airline Hwy near a church, removing much of its roof covering. It moved northeast through a retail area causing damage consistent with an EF-1 before moving through several densely populated subdivisions. In the Carrollwood subdivision, mostly superficial roof and tree damage was observed. It strengthened as it moved into the Riverland Heights subdivision, moving roughly parallel to Greenwood Drive where many homes suffered roof damage and a few lost portions of the roof structure. It continued intensifying as it moved into the Cambridge area. Here, a few homes and duplexes suffered partial to total loss of roof structure and decking, along with partial collapse of exterior walls consistent with estimated winds around 120 mph. The tornado was strongest in the Palmetto and Indigo Estates areas. Near the intersection of Nicole and Gail Streets, 2 single story homes suffered complete roof loss as well as total failure of most exterior walls. A third home lost about half of its second floor. Damage in this area was consistent with strong EF-2 winds near 130 mph. The tornado then weakened as it crossed Interstates 10 and 55. It continued to cause tree damage until it reached the intersection of Frenier Rd and US Hwy 51, where it lifted.

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 → (30.0732, -90.5067)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 617675. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.