What the record says
On 21 February 1971, a tornado touched down near Delhi, Louisiana. The Storm Prediction Center records its path as 109.2 miles long and up to 500 yards wide, rated F5 on the Fujita (F) scale. It killed 47 people and injured 510.
- F5Fujita rating
- 47deaths
- 510injuries
- 109.2 mipath length
- 500 ydmaximum width
It has its own page because it was rated 4 or 5 and it killed three or more people.
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
- East Carroll Parish, Louisiana
- Franklin Parish, Louisiana
- Madison Parish, Louisiana
- Humphreys County, Mississippi
- Issaquena County, Mississippi
- Leflore County, Mississippi
- Sharkey County, Mississippi
- Sunflower County, Mississippi
- Washington County, Mississippi
The start point was at 32.38, -91.47 and the end point at 33.63, -90.35 (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
- 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
- Shreveport, Louisiana tornado3 April 1999, F4, 7 deaths, 102 injuries, 19.3 miles long
Other notable tornadoes of 1971
- Cary, Mississippi tornado21 February 1971, F4, 58 deaths, 795 injuries, 202.1 miles long
- Edwards, Mississippi tornado21 February 1971, F4, 13 deaths, 182 injuries, 65.2 miles long
- Duck Hill, Mississippi tornado4 February 1971, F2, 7 deaths, 6.1 miles long
- Greensburg, Kentucky tornado27 April 1971, F4, 6 deaths, 58 injuries, 14.1 miles long
- Bradford, Tennessee tornado7 May 1971, F4, 3 deaths, 137 injuries, 50.9 miles long
All tornadoes of 1971 · Louisiana tornado history · All notable tornadoes