What the record says
On 3 December 1978, a tornado touched down near Heflin, Louisiana. The Storm Prediction Center records its path as 60 miles long and up to 300 yards wide, rated F3 on the Fujita (F) scale. It killed 2 people and injured 4.
- F3Fujita rating
- 2deaths
- 4injuries
- 60 mipath length
- 300 ydmaximum width
It has its own page because it was rated 3 and killed at least one person.
This page gives the official record's figures. Numbers of deaths and injuries are sometimes revised after a survey, and they cannot convey what the day was like for the people who lived through it.
Counties it crossed
- Union County, Arkansas
- Bienville Parish, Louisiana
- Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
- Union Parish, Louisiana
- Webster Parish, Louisiana
The start point was at 32.47, -93.30 and the end point at 33.03, -92.53 (latitude, longitude).
How to read this path
The Storm Prediction Center records most tornadoes as a straight line from the point where they touched down to the point where they lifted. The real path usually curved and was not the same width all the way along. The width given is the widest part. Older records are less precise, and the record starts in 1950.
Source: the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database, public domain.
Other notable tornadoes in Louisiana
- Delhi, Louisiana tornado21 February 1971, F5, 47 deaths, 510 injuries, 109.2 miles long
- Vicksburg, Mississippi tornado5 December 1953, F5, 38 deaths, 270 injuries, 9 miles long
- Lockport, Louisiana tornado3 October 1964, F4, 22 deaths, 165 injuries, 1.5 miles long
- Logansport, Louisiana tornado12 February 1950, F4, 18 deaths, 77 injuries, 82.6 miles long
- Tallulah, Louisiana tornado24 April 2010, EF4, 10 deaths, 146 injuries, 149 miles long
- New Llano, Louisiana tornado3 December 1953, F4, 9 deaths, 50 injuries, 85.5 miles long
Other notable tornadoes of 1978
- Lyndon, Kansas tornado17 June 1978, F1, 16 deaths, 3 injuries, 7.3 miles long
- Rhodes, Iowa tornado16 September 1978, F3, 6 deaths, 45 injuries, 31.8 miles long
- Elgin, North Dakota tornado4 July 1978, F4, 5 deaths, 35 injuries, 26 miles long
- Monticello, Mississippi tornado18 April 1978, F4, 4 deaths, 31 injuries, 19.1 miles long
- Gary, Minnesota tornado5 July 1978, F2, 4 deaths, 44 injuries, 57.5 miles long
All tornadoes of 1978 · Louisiana tornado history · All notable tornadoes