National Weather Highlight for 10 / 22 / 09: Tornado overturns cars on Interstate 10 in Jennings, LA

A strong line of thunderstorms produced tornadoes in Louisiana Thursday 10 / 23. 

One twister struck the coastal Cameron Parish community of Grand Chenier around 10:30am local time. 

Around 12:30pm, another tornado struck Jennings, Jefferson Parish, where the twister reportedly crossed Interstate 10, overturned cars, and stayed on the ground for at least one mile north of the highway!

Also in Jefferson Davis Parish, a tornado touchdown was reported near Lake Arthur just after noon, and in Elton, a storm (not necessarily a tornado) downed power lines and a downed a tree on a house.  The National Weather Service indicates that an official storm survey for the Lake Arthur case will commence soon (as of 1:30pm local time).

In northwestern Louisiana, reports of additional damage, possibly consistent with a tornado, came from near Mansfield, De Soto Parish (around 11:15am local time).  There, a storm damaged a shed and downed trees and power lines along Highway 175 and Highway 346.

For more information on today's National Weather Highlight, visit the National Weather Service Lake Charles, LA home page.