Shreveport-Bossier City tornado
During the afternoon of April 3, 1999, a violent tornado struck the northern neighborhoods of Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana. The most severe damage caused by the tornado was assessed by the National Weather Service in Shreveport, Louisiana, which rated the event as an F4 on the Fujita scale.
What was the ShreveportBossier City tornado?
The ShreveportBossier City tornado struck northern Louisiana on the afternoon of April 3, 1999. The violent storm moved through neighborhoods in Shreveport and Bossier City, causing extensive destruction. The National Weather Service assessed the damage and assigned the event an F4 rating on the Fujita scale. This weather event produced significant structural damage along a path crossing through two different parishes. It remains a notable example of the severe weather that impacted the region during that spring.
What was the ShreveportBossier City tornado wind speed?
The provided text does not explicitly state the specific maximum wind speed reached by the ShreveportBossier City tornado. The National Weather Service assigned the storm an F4 rating based on their assessment of the damage observed along the path. Fujita scale ratings generally correlate with specific ranges of wind velocity, though the report focuses primarily on the resulting physical destruction. Meteorologists evaluated the damage to determine the intensity of the vortex, rather than citing a direct measurement.
What was the ShreveportBossier City tornado path?
The tornado initially developed over Cross Lake in Caddo Parish before moving in a northeastward direction. It traveled across the Red River and entered Bossier Parish. The storm continued along its path through Bossier City until it eventually dissipated near Cypress Lake. The total distance covered by the tornado measured twenty-one point one miles, which converts to approximately 32.3 kilometers. This long track allowed the storm to impact both residential neighborhoods and industrial areas in the two parishes.
How many people died in the ShreveportBossier City tornado?
The ShreveportBossier City tornado caused seven fatalities during its passage through northern Louisiana. In addition to these deaths, the storm resulted in 102 injuries among the local population. These figures reflect the human impact of the severe weather as it struck residential areas such as the Hay Meadow Mobile Home Park. Emergency services responded to the widespread destruction to manage the injured. The event ranks as a significant casualty incident for the region during the 1999 season.
What did the ShreveportBossier City tornado destroy?
The tornado damaged hundreds of structures, including homes, industrial units, and facilities at Southern University. In Bossier Parish alone, 389 structures sustained damage, with 227 homes or businesses either destroyed or severely impacted. The storm leveled several brick houses, even sweeping one foundation completely clean. Additionally, the vortex decimated the Hay Meadow Mobile Home Park, where approximately 100 mobile homes faced total destruction. Numerous large oak and pine trees also snapped or suffered uprooting along the path.
What caused the ShreveportBossier City tornado?
A deep upper-level trough and a strong jet streak created favorable conditions for severe thunderstorms across the Ark-La-Tex region. A warm, unstable air mass sat over the area with temperatures in the 70s and dewpoints in the upper 60s. A pre-frontal trough provided a focus for thunderstorm initiation during the afternoon hours. Strong vertical wind shear and veering wind profiles with height supported the development of rotating supercells. This atmospheric environment provided the necessary instability and lift for the tornado.
What happened after the ShreveportBossier City tornado?
The aftermath of the event involved assessing the significant damage left across Caddo and Bossier parishes. The tornado caused over $7 million in damage, necessitating recovery efforts for the hundreds of homes and businesses destroyed. Emergency responders attended to the 102 injured victims throughout the impacted neighborhoods. While the text does not detail specific long-term rebuilding policy changes, it notes the extensive destruction of residential property. Recovery focused on addressing the immediate structural failures and providing support to the affected residents.
Shreveport-Bossier City Tornado Track
The mapped ground track below shows the surveyed touchdown point, damage corridor, and dissipation coordinates recorded by NWS field crews. The Shreveport-Bossier City tornado traveled 20.1 miles across Shreveport, Bossier City, Caddo Parish, Bossier Parish, Louisiana. Coordinates are derived from the official SPC historical tornado database.
What Fujita scale rating did the ShreveportBossier City tornado receive?
The National Weather Service rated the tornado an F3 in Caddo Parish and an F4 in Bossier Parish.
How many structures were damaged in Bossier Parish?
The tornado affected 389 structures in Bossier Parish, with 227 of those being either majorly damaged or completely destroyed.
Did the tornado strike any schools or universities?
Yes, the tornado caused damage to facilities at Southern University during its path through Caddo Parish.
How much property damage did the storm cause?
The tornado resulted in more than $7 million in damage based on 1999 currency estimates.