Officials: Tornado was New Orleans area’s 2nd strongest

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The National Weather Service says a tornado that killed a man near New Orleans was the second strongest on record for the metro area and left an 11.5-mile track through three parishes. Meteorologists estimate peak winds at 160 mph, behind only a 1983 twister in Laplace. Louisiana’s fire marshal says Tuesday’s tornado destroyed or did major damage to more than 130 buildings. The weather service said Thursday that the twister started on the Mississippi River’s west bank and moved through neighborhoods in Jefferson and Orleans parishes. It then crossed the river into the St. Bernard Parish community of Arabi, where weather service teams found two areas of EF-3 activity. From there it continued northeast into eastern New Orleans.