Power Outage in Jena, LA

Numerous trees and power lines downed across La Salle Parish.

Several trees and power lines downed throughout La Salle Parish.

Multiple trees and power lines were downed on Blade Loop Road and Highway 8 in the Whitehall community. Multiple trees and power lines were also downed on Highway 84, and Highway 460 near Hance Road in Whitehall.

Trees and power lines were downed in Jena.

A very large tree was blown down along Highway 127 south of Jena, with a power pole snapped and power lines also downed in that same area.

This is the continuation of the Southeast Grant Parish EF-2 tornado. This tornado, with estimated maximum winds of 134 mph, continued northeast across the heavily wooded areas just southeast of Highway 8, until it crossed Cecil Road where a double wide mobile home on cinder blocks was lifted, flipped, and moved approximately 100 yards. Fortunately, the couple living in the mobile home received the Tornado Warning via Wireless Emergency Alerts and moved to a nearby home before the mobile home was destroyed. The tornado tracked northeast across Highway 774 where numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, before moving over Mayo Road. It was here where a mobile home was completely destroyed with five other mobile homes, three structures, and four family homes suffering partial damage. The tornado crossed Highway 8 and along Highway 772, where the roof of a mobile home was partially ripped off, and a resident was trapped in a nearby home by falling trees. The tornado then moved through the community of Trout, where additional trees were snapped or uprooted and power lines downed along Highway 84 and Church Street. It continued northeast across Biltmore Drive, and across a heavily wooded area before finally lifting near an unnamed dirt road just off of Highway 127 a couple of miles northwest of Jena. The total path length of this tornado from when it initially touched down just southwest of Alexandria (in Rapides Parish), to when it lifted northwest of Jena (in La Salle Parish) was approximately 38 miles.||The La Salle Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness estimates that 82 homes were damaged, eleven mobile homes were destroyed, as well as damage to two business and one public building. The Trout Post Office received minor damage as well as Ganey Equipment and a Methodist Church.

This EF-2 tornado, with maximum estimated winds between 110-120 mph touched down along Rock Hill Hunting Road, snapping numerous trees. As it moved northeast along Highway 459, it snapped power poles as well as numerous trees. An extensive number of trees were snapped or uprooted along Grady and Lolita Roads. Several home suffered roof damage, and a few outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. A mobile home lost its awning along Grady Road. This tornado continued into Catahoula Parish, where additional damage was found in and northeast of the Aimwell community.

This EF-2 tornado, with maximum estimated winds of 125-135 mph, touched down from the same tornadic supercell that produced the EF-2 tornado that hit the Rogers, Belah, and Trout communities. This tornado touched down just west of Highway 127, before tracking north northeast, snapping and uprooting numerous trees. There was widespread damage just east of Highway 127 to Highway 503 and Jack Lee Road. Several homes sustained damage due to flying debris and falling trees, including at least one mobile home that was nearly destroyed by falling trees. One well constructed home lost its supports for the carport, collapsing the carport on top of two vehicles. Another well-built home which sat atop of a peer and beam structure lifted and shifted nearly 10 feet off of the peer and beam structure. A third well-built home along Jack Lee Road lost its roof, with only four brick walls remaining. The snapped power poles and the damage to the well-built homes justified the EF-2 rating. Some roads remained impassable at the time of the survey.

This EF-2 tornado, with maximum estimated winds between 110-120 mph touched down along Rock Hill Hunting Road, snapping numerous trees. As it moved northeast along Highway 459, it snapped power poles as well as numerous trees. An extensive number of trees were snapped or uprooted along Grady and Lolita Roads. Several home suffered roof damage, and a few outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. A mobile home lost its awning along Grady Road. This tornado continued into Catahoula Parish, where additional damage was found in and northeast of the Aimwell community.

An EF-2 tornado with maximum estimated winds between 125-135 mph touched down south southwest of the Rogers community along Walker Ferry Road, snapping and uprooting trees as well as power poles along Highway 127. As this tornadic supercell moved to the north northeast, it cut a clear path through the forest to the Belah community, snapping and uprooting the mature trees and bending the young trees. The Belah community suffered widespread damage, with snapped and uprooted trees as well as snapped power poles. Several cars and homes were damaged by falling trees as well as flying debris. Several homes as well as the local school had roof damage. The EF-2 damage not only occurred in the Belah community, where several power poles were snapped in either two or three pieces, but also in Trout, where a boat business collapsed in on itself. Between the Belah community and Trout, the tornado cut another clear path through the forest, snapping and uprooting more trees. This tornado appeared to have lifted just north of Highway 84 in Trout.

An EF-2 tornado with maximum winds estimated between 115-125 mph touched down along White Sulphur Springs Road, primarily snapping and uprooting trees. However, several outbuildings lost siding or portions of their roofs, an d several homes along Hurricane Creek Road and Searcy Eden Road had roof damage. The EF-2 damage was found in two locations...the first being along White Sulphur Springs Road where power poles were snapped in two. The second area was where an oil derrick toppled along Highway 8. The metal was severely bent, and a concrete anchor block was pulled out of the ground. A second and very rusty oil derrick not only collapsed, but crumbled as well.

An EF-2 tornado with maximum winds estimated between 115-125 mph touched down along White Sulphur Springs Road, primarily snapping and uprooting trees. However, several outbuildings lost siding or portions of their roofs, an d several homes along Hurricane Creek Road and Searcy Eden Road had roof damage. The EF-2 damage was found in two locations...the first being along White Sulphur Springs Road where power poles were snapped in two. The second area was where an oil derrick toppled along Highway 8. The metal was severely bent, and a concrete anchor block was pulled out of the ground. A second and very rusty oil derrick not only collapsed, but crumbled as well.

Numerous trees and powerlines were downed in the Jena community. Several of these homes suffered damage from fallen trees. No injuries were reported.

Trees and powerlines were downed along Ebenezer Tap Road in the Trout community.

Large limbs and powerlines were downed on North Second and Cotton Streets in Jena, Louisiana.

Widespread trees and powerlines were downed throughout the entire parish. Some trees were on homes and vehicles across the parish as well. Power outages were widespread.

Numerous trees and powerlines were downed across the entire parish.

A large tree was downed across Hwy. 772. The tree took down a power pole and powerlines.

Trees and powerlines were downed near the community of Whitehall.

Trees and powerlines were blown down near the community of Whitewall, Louisiana southeast of Jena, Louisiana.

Trees and powerlines were downed throughout the parish resulting in numerous power outages. Some trees fell on top of home as well including one that damages the Mount Sinai Baptist Church. Another tree fell on top of a truck crushing the cab but no injuries were reported.

A funnel cloud was first observed just west of Pineview by staff members from the local hospital. Shortly afterward, the tornado touched down near Industrial Rd. and snapped or uprooted several|trees, causing EF0 damage. The storm path at this location was 75 yards wide. The tornado then traveled northeast to Hwy 127 where it caused EF2 damage. Several modular homes were completely destroyed. One man received minor injuries as he was temporarily trapped in his home after the storm struck. Two brick homes in the immediate area suffered severe roof damage. Several 2 to 3 foot-thick trees were snapped or uprooted and carried up to 50 yards. The path of the storm at this location was about 300 yards wide. The tornado then proceeded to Wilburn Rd. and caused EF1 damage. Several 12 to 18 inch-diameter trees were snapped in this heavily wooded area. One 2 to 3 foot-diameter trees was uprooted. The path of the storm at this location was 100 yards wide.|The storm continued northeast, crossing Industrial Rd. 8, where it caused EF0 damage. A few 8 to 12 inch-diameter trees were snapped. The path was 50 yards wide at this location. In northern La Salle Parish, the storm crossed Boneyard Rd just south of Hwy 124, causing EF0|damage. A few 8 to 12 inch-diameter trees were snapped. The top of one tree landed on powerlines along the road. The path of the storm was 50 yards wide at this location.

The remnants of Hurricane Ike resulted in tropical storm force winds across much of La Salle Parish on September 13th. Scattered trees and power lines were downed throughout the parish with scattered power outages as well.

Tropical Storm Gustav resulted in widespread power outages across the entire parish. Numerous trees were downed across the parish as well with several secondary roads deemed impassable during the height of the storm. Power outages across the parish were widespread with the sheriff's office saying that most locations across the parish were on backup generators during and after the storm.

Trees and powerlines were downed parish wide.

Trees and power lines downed.

Lightning struck a large oak tree in front of the home of Jesse Ewing in the Manifest Community, completely shredding the tree into splinters. The force of the discharge of electricity from the lightning strike, threw pieces of the tree as far as 200 yards away. Some in the area said it appeared two lightning bolts came together at the tree. The owner of one home in the area said every light bulb in his house was blown out by the fierce lightning strike. Lavon Smith, an employee of Concordia Electric Cooperative, said he had responded to many lightning strikes where power lines were knocked down, and this is the worse damage by lightning he has ever witnessed.

During the early morning hour, Hurricane Lili made landfall along the west shore of Vermilion Bay in South Central Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane. During the day, the hurricane made steady progress northward and by 2 pm, Lili was downgraded to a tropical storm. As the storm moved into North Central Louisiana, the storm produced sustained winds of 40 mph with frequent gusts to 55 mph across most of the warned area. the strongest winds were felt near and to the east of the decaying eye wall of the tropical storm which moved through Natchitoches, grant, La Salle, Winn, Caldwell, Jackson and Ouachita Parishes. Numerous reports of downed trees and power lines were reported throughout these parishes along with a report of a brief tornado touch down in southeast Grant Parish and La Salle Parish. While the wind damage was scattered throughout these parishes, very little, if any structural damage was reported.

Several trees and power lines blown down.

Numerous trees and power lines blown down.

Powerlines down along Hwy 8.

Power lines were knocked down in the Sharptown Community. This produced widespread power outages across the area.

Hot and humid conditions continued from the final day in August through the first few days of September, with temperatures climbing into the mid 90s across North-central Louisiana. Oppressively high dewpoints in the mid 70s in wake of a warm frontal passage on August 31st shifted back north across much of East Texas and North Louisiana, which when combined with the very hot temperatures, resulted in heat indices ranging from 100-107 degrees across these areas. This was brief though before scattered showers and thunderstorms and associated cloud cover ahead of a closed upper low pressure system over the Four Corners Region affected portions of North Louisiana on the 3rd, resulting in slightly cooler conditions with lower heat indices. Due to the extensive power outages across much of North Louisiana in wake of Hurricane Laura, the NWS Shreveport Heat Advisory criteria was temporarily lowered to heat indices greater than or equal to 100 degrees for parishes where at least 10% of the parish was without power.

Milder and more humid air surged north across North Louisiana, East Texas, Southwest Arkansas, and Southeast Oklahoma during the daytime hours on January 18th, as a strong low level jet developed ahead of a vigorous upper level trough that moved into the Southern Plains. The attendant surface low developed over the Eastern Texas Panhandle on the 18th as well, which tracked east southeast along the middle Red River Valley before lifting northeast into Eastern Oklahoma. This allowed a strong cold front to move into Southeast Oklahoma, East Texas, and Southwest Arkansas around midnight on January 19th, before spreading southeast across Southcentral Arkansas and North Louisiana during the overnight and early morning hours. Surface based instability return ahead of the front was minimal, but the presence of strong shear and strong instability aloft along and just ahead of the front/upper trough allowed for scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms to develop over Southeast Oklahoma and East Texas during the late evening through the overnight hours on the 18th-19th, which quickly spread east northeast across Southwest Arkansas and North Louisiana. Isolated strong to severe thunderstorms were embedded within the increased convection over these areas, which resulted in a large tree and power lines being blown down just south of Jena in La Salle Parish Louisiana.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed during the mid and late afternoon hours on Monday, August 11th, near and south of a weak surface boundary that was reinforced south from storms that developed the previous day. This large boundary extended along the Interstate 20 corridor of North Central and East Texas into North Louisiana, with strong daytime heating atop a very moist air mass contributing to moderate instability, resulting in shower and thunderstorm development. These storms produced numerous outflow boundaries across North Louisiana, which allowed for these storms to become more widespread and form a small mesoscale convective system, as they accelerated south across North Central Louisiana. Damaging winds were noted at times, resulting in downed trees and power lines over the area. A second cluster of showers and thunderstorms developed over East Central Texas south of the stationary outflow boundary, and quickly spread east southeast across East Texas south of Interstate 20. Some of these storms also became severe over Nacogdoches, Shelby, and Sabine counties, where downbursts downed numerous trees over these areas.

Severe thunderstorms erupted across portions of northwest Louisiana due in part to a shortwave trough passing through the Lower Mississippi Valley. This trough of low pressure aloft interacted with a nearly stationary front and daytime heating to aid in the development of thunderstorms. A few of the storms became severe, producing damaging downburst winds which blew down numerous trees and powerlines across.