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Deadliest and Strongest Tornadoes In Louisiana History

If you are wondering what is the deadliest tornado ever to hit in the Baton Rouge area...it was back on April 24, 1908 in Amite, LA to Purvis, MS.  (Grazulis, Thomas P. (1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. Environmental Films)  143 people lost their lives.  This was part of the 1908 Dixie Tornado Outbreak.  The storm started around 11:45 AM near Weiss, LA in Livingston Parish and tracked toward St. Helena Parish.  2 people were killed in Denham Springs and 2 in Montpelier.   Then it tracked toward Amite, LA where a path of damage was around 2 miles wide.  29 people were killed there.  It then traveled on the ground to Purvis, MS where the greatest damage was and most of the lives were lost.  The damage path was around 155 miles long.  


The F-Scale and  EF-Scale didn't exist then, so it was not given a rating at the time.  However, using recent technology and assessments, the storm would have been given an F-4 or EF-4 rating.  
This tornado was part of a system where 34 tornadoes were reported between April 23-26th.  Over 300 people died and hundreds of others where injured during those days from Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama.  



The strongest tornado ever in Louisiana was back on February 21, 1971 in Delhi, LA.  This is in the northeast part of the state near Monroe.  It was an F-5. (according to SPC)

 This is a surface weather map from 8 AM on April 24, 1908. Courtesy NOAA Library.

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