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1964 Larose tornado

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Strongest hurricane-generated tornado ever recorded
1964 Larose tornado
Meteorological history
FormedOctober 3, 1964, 6:30 a.m., CST
DissipatedOctober 3, 1964, 6:30 a.m., CST
F4 tornado
on the Fujita scale
Overall effects
Fatalities22
Injuries165
Damage$2.5 million (1964 USD)
Part of the Hurricane Hilda tornado outbreak

The 1964 Larose tornado was a powerful tornado that formed and dissipated on Larose, Louisiana. The strongest tornado from Hurricane Hilda, it touched down of October 3, 1964, on 6:30 a.m., CST. It was designated as an F4 tornado on the Fujita scale, before dissipating just right after. The tornado killed 22 people, with 165 injuries. Damage totaled to $2.5 million (1964 USD). The tornado was featured in the Life Magazine and caused the construction of a chapel.

Meteorological synopsis

Background

Satellite image of Hurricane Hilda, just south of Louisiana. It spawned the 1964 tornado.

On September 28, 1964, Hurricane Hilda formed as a depression south of Cuba. Tracking northwest, it strengthened into tropical storm intensity the next day. On September 30, it intensified into a minor hurricane after high pressure affected the storm. In the next 30 hours, rapid intensification was observed, making landfall over Louisiana on October 3 as a category 2 hurricane, with peaks up to category 4. After making landfall, cold air caused the system to dissipate the next day. Just after the landfall of Hilda, a tornado spawned at around 6:30 a.m. CST. The tornado was rated as F4 in the Fujita scale.

Track

The tornado touched down lightly near Bayou Lafourche, crossing west. It dipped, then lifted up again. It followed a 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) long track.

Impact and casualties

Aerial view of the intersection of two waterways, in Larose in 1998. Larose is the main town where the tornado took place.

Because of Hurricane Hilda, 450 people evacuated to Larose, with an additional 50 residents. When the tornado neared Louisiana Highway 1, it destroyed cars and damaged houses. Worst-hit areas had most homes flattened, with approximately three to four houses still having their shells. Residents experienced windows breaking. With one house floating above utility lines. Citizens recall the house "exploding in the air". Debris went as far as Coteau Bourgeois, which was 16 mi (26 km) away from Larose. Most deaths were due to enclosure in people's homes as the houses collapsed. A total of 22 people was killed and 200 were injured because of the tornado, with one family having 10 deaths.

Response

After the tornado, citizens helped rescue operations, digging soil to try to find other residents, and helping them go inside ambulances. The event appeared in the October 16, 1964, edition of Life Magazine. It also caused a chapel to be built by one of the affected citizens.

References

  1. ^ "Storm Events Database - Event Details | National Centers for Environmental Information". National Climatic Data Center-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  2. "Hurricane Hilda 1964". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  3. ^ "Residents in Lafourche Parish remember F-4 tornado of 1964". WAFB-9. 2013-05-22. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  4. Stoute, Geoff (2023-08-29). "Chapel for victims of 1964 tornado under construction". The Lafourche Gazette. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
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