Acadiana tornadoes confirmed
Lafayette area had 6 known twisters Thursday morning
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LAFAYETTE — Reports of tornadoes are often exaggerated, but the National Weather Service has confirmed that suspicions of as many as nine tornadoes in Acadiana last week weren’t far off the mark.
Damage assessments over the past few days have confirmed six tornado strikes in the Lafayette area in less than two hours on Thursday, with the most extensive damage in the Breaux Bridge area and in Lafayette’s Oil Center commercial district, according to the weather service.
That is believed to be the most tornado activity in southwestern Louisiana since a spate of more than 15 twisters in November 2004, said Roger Erickson, a warning coordination meteorologist with weather service’s Lake Charles office.
The first confirmed tornado hit about 5:20 a.m. Thursday near Gueydan.
It was followed by five others over the next 90 minutes in Vermilion, Lafayette and St. Martin parishes, with the last twister touching down at 6:45 a.m. in the Breaux Bridge area.
Damage assessments indicated the wind speeds were in the 100 mph to 110 mph range, Erickson said.
The tornado that was on the ground the longest — 9 miles — touched down near the intersection of La. 92 and La. 343 near Maurice and ended just west of the Mall of Acadiana, according to a report from the weather service.
Erickson said the strikes are believed to be from separate tornadoes, with the exception of the twister that struck the Oil Center, which had touched down briefly in River Ranch but caused no major damage there.
The Oil Center twister tore roofs off buildings in the Lafayette General Medical Center complex and caused scattered roof and window damage at other businesses nearby.
Storms also destroyed two homes and damaged nine in Lafayette Parish, American Red Cross Acadiana chapter Director Tony Credeur said.
The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office reported three homes destroyed, three businesses destroyed and more than 40 homes and businesses with damage, mainly in and around Breaux Bridge.
Besides the storms in Acadiana, the weather service has confirmed two more tornadoes on Thursday in the DeRidder area, Erickson said.
The Acadiana tornadoes and when they struck, according to the National Weather Service:
Damage assessments over the past few days have confirmed six tornado strikes in the Lafayette area in less than two hours on Thursday, with the most extensive damage in the Breaux Bridge area and in Lafayette’s Oil Center commercial district, according to the weather service.
That is believed to be the most tornado activity in southwestern Louisiana since a spate of more than 15 twisters in November 2004, said Roger Erickson, a warning coordination meteorologist with weather service’s Lake Charles office.
The first confirmed tornado hit about 5:20 a.m. Thursday near Gueydan.
It was followed by five others over the next 90 minutes in Vermilion, Lafayette and St. Martin parishes, with the last twister touching down at 6:45 a.m. in the Breaux Bridge area.
Damage assessments indicated the wind speeds were in the 100 mph to 110 mph range, Erickson said.
The tornado that was on the ground the longest — 9 miles — touched down near the intersection of La. 92 and La. 343 near Maurice and ended just west of the Mall of Acadiana, according to a report from the weather service.
Erickson said the strikes are believed to be from separate tornadoes, with the exception of the twister that struck the Oil Center, which had touched down briefly in River Ranch but caused no major damage there.
The Oil Center twister tore roofs off buildings in the Lafayette General Medical Center complex and caused scattered roof and window damage at other businesses nearby.
Storms also destroyed two homes and damaged nine in Lafayette Parish, American Red Cross Acadiana chapter Director Tony Credeur said.
The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office reported three homes destroyed, three businesses destroyed and more than 40 homes and businesses with damage, mainly in and around Breaux Bridge.
Besides the storms in Acadiana, the weather service has confirmed two more tornadoes on Thursday in the DeRidder area, Erickson said.
The Acadiana tornadoes and when they struck, according to the National Weather Service:
- Gueydan: 5:20 a.m.
- Maurice/Scott: 6:15 a.m.
- River Ranch in Lafayette: 6:35 a.m.
- Theall (8 miles southwest of Abbeville): 6:35 a.m.
- Oil Center in Lafayette: 6:40 a.m.
- Breaux Bridge: 6:45 a.m.
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