Tornado Reported As Storms Thrash Louisiana, Mississippi

A tornado touched down on the east side of New Orleans, reportedly doing heavy damage to the area, reports CBS affiliate WWL-TV in New Orleans.

The National Weather Service said that a dangerous tornado was down in New Orleans East at 11:33 a.m.

WWL viewer tornado video

Thousands were reported to be without power, according to the Louisiana Red Cross.

Powerful thunderstorms were lighting up radar monitors and prompting multiple tornado warnings from Louisiana to Alabama as severe storms brought hail, high winds and possible twisters to the New Orleans area.

Radar indicated a large tornado near the city’s Lakefront Airport, and another large tornado was reported near Madisonville in St. Tammany Parish, north of Lake Pontchartrain, the National Weather Service said.

In nearby Livingston Parish, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Lori Steele said officials were investigating wind damage reported in the town of Killian on Tuesday morning. Officials were working to confirm two possible tornado sightings in the area

One of the warnings described a “large, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly” twister south of Hammond, Louisiana.

The National Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said 2.7 million people in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama would be at the highest risk of severe weather on Tuesday. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.