Not a record we needed to set!
The tornado that tore through Gretna, Arabi and New Orleans East on Tuesday evening was the strongest to hit the city and its inner suburbs since accurate records have been kept, the National Weather Service confirmed Friday. The weather service said the tornado had an estimated peak wind of 160 mph, ranking it a strong EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. It cut a track 11.5 miles long, and had a maximum width of 320 yards. The twister left one man dead in Arabi, and and at least two people injured. While tornado records from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association go back to 1950, the second strongest tornado to ever touch down in New Orleans struck just five years ago. That storm cut through a heavily populated area of New Orleans East, injuring 33 people and causing more damage to buildings. The 2017 twister storm was also an EF3, but it packed slightly lesser winds, of about 150 mph. The 2017 tornado was wider than the one that struck Tuesday, with a maximum width of 600 yards; it traveled 10.1 miles. The 2017 twister storm was also an EF3, but it packed slightly lesser winds, of about 150 mph. The 2017 tornado was wider than the one that struck Tuesday, with a maximum width of 600 yards; it traveled 10.1 miles.
nola.com
The amazing part is that the tornado was winding down as it hit. So we were lucky that way.
By the time Tuesday’s tornado made it to the East, it was beginning to dissipate. While Tuesday’s twister was the strongest ever recorded tornado to hit the city, it’s not the strongest to wreak havoc on the metro area. In December 1983, LaPlace was struck by a tornado that had winds estimated at 207 to 260 mph. That storm had a 7 mile track and a maximum width of 200 yards. The LaPlace tornado measured F4 on the Fujita scale, which was in use at the time. NOAA began using the Enhanced Fujita scale, which is slightly more complex, in February 2007.
Just remember, the bulk of our congressional team says climate change is not real
