| Tornado outbreak of February 11–13, 1950 | |
| Duration: | February 11–13, 1950 |
| Tornadoes: | 24 |
| Fujitascale: | F4 |
| Year: | 1950 |
| Damages: | ≥ $1,560,000 ($ in USD) |
| Fatalities: | 41+ |
| Injuries: | 228 |
| Affected: | Mainly Red River and Lower Mississippi Valleys |
A deadly tornado outbreak devastated parts of Louisiana and Tennessee on February 11–13, 1950. The outbreak covered about a day and a half and produced numerous tornadoes, mostly from East Texas to the lower Mississippi Valley, with activity concentrated in Texas and Louisiana. Most of the deaths occurred in Louisiana and Tennessee, where tornadoes killed 25 and 9 people, respectively. Several long-lived tornado families struck the Red River region of northwestern Louisiana, especially the Shreveport–Bossier City area. One of the tornadoes attained violent intensity, F4, on the Fujita scale and caused eight deaths, including six at the Shreveport Holding and Reconsignment Depot near Barksdale Air Force Base. It remains one of the top ten deadliest tornadoes on record in the state of Louisiana, in tenth place.[1] Also in Louisiana, two other destructive tornadoes on parallel paths killed 16. Seven additional deaths occurred across the border in East Texas. Nine people died in a tornado in western Tennessee as well. In all, the entire outbreak killed at least 41 people and left 228 injured. Also, several long-tracked tornadoes recorded in the outbreak likely contained more, shorter-lived tornadoes.
| Date | Total | F-scale rating | Deaths | Injuries | Damage | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | ||||||
| February 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 57 | ≥ | |
| February 12 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 30+ | 162 | ≥ | |
| February 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | ||
| Total | 24 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 41+ | 228 | ≥ | |
Prior to 1990, there is a likely undercount of tornadoes, particularly E/F0–1, with reports of weaker tornadoes becoming more common as population increased. A sharp increase in the annual average E/F0–1 count by approximately 200 tornadoes was noted upon the implementation of NEXRAD Doppler weather radar in 1990–1991. 1974 marked the first year where significant tornado (E/F2+) counts became homogenous with contemporary values, attributed to the consistent implementation of Fujita scale assessments. Numerous discrepancies on the details of tornadoes in this outbreak exist between sources. The total count of tornadoes and ratings differs from various agencies accordingly. The list below documents information from the most contemporary official sources alongside assessments from tornado historian Thomas P. Grazulis.
| Color / symbol | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| † | Data from Grazulis 1990/1993/2001b | |
| ¶ | Data from a local National Weather Service office | |
| ※ | Data from the 1950 Storm Data publication | |
| ‡ | Data from the NCEI database | |
| ♯ | Maximum width of tornado | |
| ± | Tornado was rated below F2 intensity by Grazulis but a specific rating is unavailable. |
| Location | County / Parish | State | Start | Date | Time (UTC) | Path length | Width | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F2 | Alvin※ | Brazoria | Texas | 29.42°N -95.25°W | 19:10–? | 7abbr=onNaNabbr=on※ | 300abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | † | |
| 20 businesses and homes were destroyed or unroofed. The NCEI database incorrectly extends the path to Webster through Galveston and Harris counties. | |||||||||
| F3 | Western La Porte† | Harris | Texas | 29.67°N -95.05°W | 19:40†–? | 15abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | 500abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | † | |
| 1 death – An intense tornado damaged 25 homes in its path, some of which it destroyed. The remaining homes lost their roofs, and in all, some 200 structures incurred damage. 20 injuries took place, and a female centenarian was killed. | |||||||||
| F2† | Montalba | Anderson | Texas | 02:30–? | 2abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 100abbr=onNaNabbr=on | |||
| Barns and a home were wrecked. Items from the buildings were strewn 1miles distant. | |||||||||
| F2 | Chappell Hill† | Smith | Texas | 35°N -95.2°W | 03:00–? | 10abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | 75abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | ||
| This strong tornado passed just east of Tyler, leveling 16 structures, including the store of a blacksmith and three homes. The tornado passed within 100yd of a church with 300 people in attendance. Five people were injured. | |||||||||
| F2† | E of Pine to Omaha | Camp, Titus, Morris | Texas | 05:30–? | ≥2abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 20abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ≥ | ||
| A pair of homes were wrecked near the start of the path, resulting in a pair of injuries. At Omaha a gymnasium at a school was destroyed, along with several homes. | |||||||||
| F3† | S of Hughes Springs to Corley to E of New Boston† | Cass, Bowie | Texas | 32.98°N -94.63°W | 05:45†–06:30 | 30abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | 150abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | † | |
| 1 death – At Hugh Springs 15 homes were a total loss and 24 others received damage. 15 injuries occurred in town. At Corley the tornado affected 15 additional homes, some of which it wrecked. Eight people were injured at Corley. In all 30 people were injured along the path. | |||||||||
| F1 | Downtown Dublin | Erath | Texas | 32.08°N -98.35°W | 07:15–? | 2.3abbr=onNaNabbr=on‡ | 250abbr=onNaNabbr=on※ | ※ | |
| Five structures were seriously damaged. | |||||||||
| F2† | Baileyville | Falls | Texas | 11:30–? | 2abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 100abbr=onNaNabbr=on | |||
| A strong tornado destroyed 10 homes. Five people were injured. | |||||||||
| F2 | SSW of Davis Prairie to southern Groesbeck† | Limestone | Texas | 31.52°N -96.55°W | 11:45†–? | 8abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | 70abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | † | |
| At Groesbeck approximately 20 businesses and homes lost their roofs or were destroyed. Debris rained on the courthouse in town, though the tornado dissipated beforehand. Four people were injured. | |||||||||
| F2† | Gill | Harrison | Texas | 16:00–? | 6abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 100abbr=onNaNabbr=on | |||
| Four homes were wrecked. 10 injuries were reported. | |||||||||
| F2† | S of Lufkin to Beulah to S of Huntington | Polk, Angelina | Texas | 16:42–? | 15abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 100abbr=onNaNabbr=on | |||
| 3 deaths – This tornado struck two rural communities, sweeping away a home and strewing the debris for acres. A father and his two children died, and three other people sustained injuries, including the mother of the children. A school was destroyed as well. | |||||||||
| F2† | Near Chireno | Nacogdoches | Texas | 17:00–? | 8abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 300abbr=onNaNabbr=on | |||
| This tornado wrecked six homes and injured two people. | |||||||||
| F3† | S of Center (TX) to Fellowship (TX) to E of Keachi (LA)† | Shelby (TX), DeSoto (LA)† | Texas, Louisiana† | 31.8°N -94.2°W | 17:50†–? | 30abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | 150abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | † | |
| 3 deaths – This intense, long-tracked tornado leveled a home at Fellowship, killing two people inside during lunchtime. 32 or more other injuries occurred in and near Fellowship. Other structures were damaged at Jericho. In Louisiana the tornado wrecked 12 homes, killing a third person. The tornado killed hundreds of chickens as well. In all, 37 people were injured along the path. This tornado belonged to the same family as the Shreveport F4 and ended near Logansport, Louisiana. | |||||||||
| F2† | Near Hell Creek† | Union | Mississippi | 34.6°N -89.12°W | 18:00–? | 2abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | 33abbr=onNaNabbr=on‡ | † | |
| A brief tornado struck four homes and a barn. Three of the homes lost their roofs, and a barn and the fourth home were flattened. | |||||||||
| F2 | Cane Creek※ | Grant | Arkansas | 34.48°N -92.4°W | 18:30–? | 0.1abbr=onNaNabbr=on‡ | 100abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ※ | |
| A brief-but-strong tornado swept away a barn, flattened a small house, unroofed another home, destroyed an outhouse and a chicken coop, and knocked down a 2acres swath of trees. | |||||||||
| F4 | N of Stonewall to Barksdale Air Force Base† | Caddo, Bossier† | Louisiana | 32.35°N -93.77°W | 19:00–? | 20abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | 100abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | † | |
| 8 deaths – A violent tornado tracked just northwest of Forbing, leveling several homes. On the southern outskirts of Shreveport, the tornado caused two deaths. It then hit the Shreveport Holding and Reconsignment Depot, which had recently been renamed Slack Air Force Depot, near Barksdale Air Force Base. The tornado destroyed the Depot, causing the deaths of six people, including five airmen and a civilian worker. Nearby, injuries occurred in a mess hall and barracks as the tornado hit the AFB. With a forward speed of 35mi/h, the parent supercell progressed into Arkansas, where it later spawned the Mount Holly F2 tornado. In all, 30 people were injured.[2] | |||||||||
| F3† | Near Grand Cane to NE of Sligo† | DeSoto, Bossier† | Louisiana | 32.2°N -93.58°W | 19:24†–? | 35abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | 200abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | † | |
| 7+ deaths – This intense tornado claimed the lives of at least three—possibly four—children in a pair of homes near Grand Cane. On a plantation, the tornado leveled a tenant home, killing three family members inside the structure. Nearby, the tornado overturned a vehicle, killing a pedestrian who was sheltering in a ditch. At least one additional fatality took place before the tornado dissipated, and 30 people were injured along the path. The NCEI database incorrectly lists the path as beginning west of Williams and ending west of Haynesville, passing southeast of the towns of Caspiana and McDade. | |||||||||
| F3 | Zwolle to Roy† to Gibsland※ | Sabine, Natchitoches, Bienville‡ | Louisiana | 31.63°N -93.65°W | 20:00※–? | 74.5abbr=onNaNabbr=on‡ | 100abbr=onNaNabbr=on※ | ≥† | |
| 9 deaths – This tornado family first generated intermittent, F1-level damage at Zwolle, along with downburst-related effects. At Roy, near Castor, the tornado destroyed or damaged 25 homes, some of which were leveled, with six deaths in one of them, all of which were in one family; in all eight people died in town. A final fatality occurred just northeast of Castor. The tornado obliterated numerous small homes in its path, but its damage is poorly documented outside Roy. Bodies of the dead were carried as far as NaNmiles from their original locations. 40 people were injured along the path. | |||||||||
| F2 | N of Mount Holly† | Union, Ouachita† | Arkansas | 33.27°N -92.95°W | 21:00–? | 6abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | 100abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ※ | |
| A strong tornado damaged electrical wires, a store, and an oil camp. Additionally, the tornado leveled many barns and three homes. | |||||||||
| FU※ | Near Lovell Lake–LaBelle | Jefferson | Texas | 21:30–? | 50abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||||
| Eight homes were destroyed or damaged. One person was injured. | |||||||||
| F1 | E of Epps‡ | East Carroll | Louisiana | 32.6°N -91.33°W | 05:00–? | 0.5abbr=onNaNabbr=on‡ | 33abbr=onNaNabbr=on‡ | ‡ | |
| A brief, weak tornado struck several structures, causing minimal damage. | |||||||||
| F1 | Rosemark | Shelby | Tennessee | 07:00–? | 0.2abbr=onNaNabbr=on‡ | 7abbr=onNaNabbr=on‡ | ※ | ||
| A short-lived tornado destroyed outbuildings and caused extensive damage to a few farmhouses. Eight people were injured inside one of the houses. | |||||||||
| F2 | Hurricane Hill※ | Lauderdale | Tennessee | 08:00–? | 2abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | 20abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | ※ | ||
| 9 deaths – A very brief but devastating tornado struck a residential area, leveling a few small homes on the hilltop. Two parents and their six children were inside one of the homes that were swept away. The structure, which was poorly built, was lofted 85yd before disintegrating, killing all nine occupants. An injury occurred as well. As of 2017, this is the deadliest F2/EF2 tornado ever recorded in the United States.[3] | |||||||||
| F2 | Southeastern New Albany† | Union | Mississippi | 34.6°N -89.12°W | 09:20–? | 5abbr=onNaNabbr=on† | 33abbr=onNaNabbr=on‡ | ‡ | |
| This tornado leveled a small residence in its path. Additionally, it destroyed three barns nearby. The NCEI database lists a pair of injuries and three fatalities, but Grazulis does not list any casualties. | |||||||||
A severe thunderstorm generated strong winds just NaNmiles east of Pushmataha, Choctaw County, Alabama, at 6:00 p.m. EST (00:00 UTC) on February 13. The winds felled trees and damaged a trio of homes, one of which was leveled. Almost 18 hours previous barns and a few homes were damaged by strong winds at Marietta, Cass County, Texas. A day earlier hail and wind caused negligible damage to property in and near Winnsboro, Louisiana, as well.