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Louisiana · County tornado history

De Soto Parish, Louisiana tornadoes

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has recorded 77 tornadoes in De Soto Parish, Louisiana from 1950 through 2024, about 1.0 a year. That ranks it 5 of 64 counties in Louisiana with a recorded tornado. The most recent was an EF0 on July 8, 2024.

By Twisters.us · Updated · How we count

Tornadoes since 1950
77
Since 2000
40
Strongest
F4, February 12, 1950
Most recent
EF0, July 8, 2024
Peak month
May (19)
Per 1,000 sq mi
86
FEMA tornado risk
Relatively Low

F0/EF0 1 2 3 4 5 · Lines run from where each tornado touched down to where it lifted; dots are short paths. Neighboring counties are outlined.

When tornadoes hit De Soto Parish

May has brought the most, 19 of 77. About 53% touched down between 2 pm and 8 pm (Central Standard Time, as the Storm Prediction Center records it). Winter tornadoes (December to February) make up 17% of the total, a sign of the cool-season storms common in the South.

By decade

More tornadoes in recent decades mostly reflects better detection and reporting (Doppler radar, storm spotters, damage surveys), especially for weak EF0 tornadoes, not necessarily more storms. The 2020s bar covers only 2020 to 2024.

How strong they were

Rating Estimated 3-second gust Tornadoes
F0 / EF0 Light damage: 65 to 85 mph (EF scale) 8
F1 / EF1 Moderate: 86 to 110 mph 46
F2 / EF2 Considerable: 111 to 135 mph 14
F3 / EF3 Severe: 136 to 165 mph 8
F4 / EF4 Devastating: 166 to 200 mph 1
F5 / EF5 Incredible: over 200 mph 0

Tornadoes before February 2007 were rated on the original Fujita (F) scale; since then the National Weather Service uses the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. Wind speeds above are EF-scale estimates from damage, not measurements. See what the EF scale means.

The strongest tornadoes in De Soto Parish

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
February 12, 1950 F4 82.6 mi 100 yd 18 77
November 15, 1987 F3 48 mi 500 yd 1 116
May 2, 1984 F3 61 mi 250 yd 9
February 11, 1965 F3 33 mi 117 yd 3
April 3, 1999 F3 5.4 mi 150 yd 1
March 10, 1952 F3 50.9 mi 650 yd
April 25, 1982 F3 7 mi 200 yd
April 25, 1982 F3 7 mi 200 yd
April 23, 2000 F3 19.3 mi 200 yd
February 12, 1950 F2 58.4 mi 100 yd 5 10

Deaths and injuries are for each tornado’s whole path, which can cross other counties.

The deadliest

The deadliest tornado to touch De Soto Parish was an F4 on February 12, 1950. It killed 18 people and injured 77 along its 82.6-mile path.

Most recent tornadoes

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
July 8, 2024 EF0 3.4 mi 250 yd
July 8, 2024 EF1 2.5 mi 67 yd
July 8, 2024 EF1 9.7 mi 500 yd
July 8, 2024 EF0 0.4 mi 200 yd
July 8, 2024 EF1 27.5 mi 850 yd 1
July 8, 2024 EF1 3.6 mi 100 yd
July 8, 2024 EF2 25 mi 900 yd
July 8, 2024 EF2 16.3 mi 950 yd

The official database ends with 2024. For storms since then, see the Storm Prediction Center’s reports and your local National Weather Service office.

FEMA’s tornado risk rating

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates the tornado risk in De Soto Parish as relatively low, with a score of 50 out of 100 compared with every other U.S. county. It estimates about 0.80 tornadoes a year here and an expected annual loss of about $858,600 to buildings, people and farming. The index mixes how often tornadoes strike with what is exposed and how well a community can recover, so a busy rural county can rate lower than a less active city.

Neighboring counties

Staying safe

When a tornado warning is issued, act at once. Go to a basement, storm shelter or safe room. With none, use a small windowless room on the lowest floor, as far from outside walls as you can, and cover your head and neck. Mobile homes and cars are not safe places to ride out a tornado: leave early for a sturdy building or shelter. Read the full tornado safety guide and the National Weather Service advice linked below.

Sources

Sources last checked 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How many tornadoes has De Soto Parish had?

77 from 1950 through 2024 in NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center database, 40 of them since 2000.

When was the last tornado in De Soto Parish?

The most recent in the official record was an EF0 on July 8, 2024. Later storms are not yet in the final database.

What was the strongest tornado in De Soto Parish?

An F4 on February 12, 1950, with a 82.6-mile path.

When is tornado season in De Soto Parish?

May has had the most tornadoes here. Across the U.S. the peak runs from spring into early summer, and the South also sees tornadoes in late fall and winter.