The Tornado outbreak of April 2–3, 1999 was a series of tornado touchdowns that occurred on April 2–3, 1999 from Kansas to Louisiana. The most powerful tornado occurred in Caddo Parish and Bossier Parish in northwestern Louisiana, where an F4 tornado killed 7 people and injured 102 others. Damages from the outbreak were estimated to be near $13.7 million (2006 USD). A total of 17 tornadoes were confirmed across the southern Great Plains during the two-day event.
Tornado event
The first series of tornadoes touched down on April 2 across Oklahoma causing mostly minor damage to some structures.
The strongest tornadoes of the outbreak took place across the Arklatex region during the afternoon hours, where the strongest and lone killer tornado of the outbreak took place. At 3:52 PM, a supercell thunderstorm spawned a tornado over Cross Lake, north of Shreveport Regional Airport. The tornado moved northeast. In Caddo Parish the tornado damaged 66 buildings. In Caddo Parish, damages were estimated at nearly $1.6 million (2006 dollars).NCDC: Event Details At 4:01 PM, the tornado entered Bossier Parish as an F4 tornado. In Bossier Parish, 227 buildings suffered major damage or were destroyed. An additional 162 buildings were damaged. Damages in Bossier Parish are estimated at near $6.7 million (2006 dollars).NCDC: Event Details The tornado dissipated about eight miles northeast of Benton. In all, 7 people were killed and 102 were injured. The tornado was on the ground for about 20 miles. It reached a maximum width of 200 yards. It was Louisiana's deadliest tornado since February 21, 1971, when 10 people were killed east of Delhi.
Three additional tornadoes touched down beside the Caddo-Bossier Parish tornado. These tornadoes injured 1 person and caused up to $6.6 million in damages. Heavy damage was reported near Logansport, Summerfield and Athens heavily damaging several residences.
Weaker tornadoes (rated either F0 or F1) touched down across most of central and northern Arkansas into Missouri as well as in eastern Texas. 4 people in total were injured in two separate tornadoes near Ben and Mammoth Spring with isolated damage to some structures and also to trees and power lines. The outbreak ended just before 6 PM on April 3.NCDC: Event DetailsNCDC: Event Details
Confirmed tornadoes
April 2 event
F#LocationCounty Time (UTC)Path lengthDamageOklahoma F0SW of WatchomNoble21451 mile(1.6 km)Weak tornado with no damage. F0NW of StaffordCuster01070.3 mile(0.5 km)Damage was limited to downed tree limbs. F1W of BloomingtonHarmon, Greer01257.5 miles(12 km)Barns, grain bins, and Quonset hut-type buildings were damaged. F1W of MoraviaGreer, Beckham02136 miles(9.6 km)Damage to grain silos, a barn, one house, an ostrich building, and tractors. F1S of Dill CityWashita02501.1 miles(1.8 km)A shed was destroyed while a house, trees, and power lines were damaged. F0N of Custer CityCuster03551.1 miles(1.8 km)Weak tornado with little or no damage.Texas F0NE of AspermontStonewall23150.1 mile(0.16 km)Brief touchdown with no damage.Source:
April 3 event F#LocationCounty Time (UTC)Path lengthDamageKansas F1E of StippvilleCherokee11100.1 mile(0.16 km)Three houses were damaged, one heavily.Texas F0NW of New WaverlyWalker21420.3 mile(0.5 km)Damage was limited to trees. F3Logansport, Louisiana areaShelby, De Soto (LA)21515.4 miles(8.6 km)Damage to farms, outbuildings, and numerous trees in Texas. In Logansport, Louisiana, several houses had moderate to heavy damage. A church’s steeple was knocked down and its roof was significantly damaged. One person was injured. F0Willis areaMontgomery22170.3 mile(0.5 km)Caused damage to a mobile home and trees.Louisiana F4NW of Shreveport to N of MidwayCaddo, Bossier215219.3 miles(30.9 km)7 deaths – see article on this tornado Sixty-six structures in Caddo Parish were damaged including Southern University and several houses. A hardware store was also leveled. In Bossier Parish, 389 structures, including 227 houses and businesses, either sustained major damage or were completely destroyed. Brick houses were leveled with one reportedly swept away. Several horses were thrown across a highway. A total of 102 people were injured in Caddo and Bossier Parishes. All fatalities occurred in the latter. F3Athens areaClaiborne22588.5 miles(13.6 km)Two mobile homes were destroyed, and ten houses were heavily damaged. F3N of Lisbon to NW of RandolphClaiborne231314.5 miles(23.2 km)15 houses were severely damaged.Arkansas F0NW of FivemileStone22351 mile(1.6 km)A few sheds and outbuildings were destroyed. Trees were also blown down. Two people were injured. F1Mammoth Spring areaFulton, Oregon (MO)225010.5 miles(16.8 km)A mobile home and a barn were destroyed. Another mobile home, some houses, businesses, and a recreational vehicle were all damaged. Two people were injured. F1N of GetsemaneJefferson, Lonoke23256.5 miles(10.4 km)Caused damage to outbuildings, signs, utility poles, and trees.Source:
See also List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
References
External links National Climate Data Center Storm Events Search National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Shreveport, LA