Monday storms cause significant damage to parts of SW La.

Published 4:34 am Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Monday night’s storms — including a confirmed tornado in Sulphur and a possible one in Lake Charles — did significant damage to parts of Southwest Louisiana.

According to storm reports from the National Weather Service, damage was first reported by emergency officials at the Sulphur Walmart — with the store’s sign and gas station taking major wind damage and shopping carts strewn across the parking lot.

Damaged and overturned cars were also found in the parking lot of a strip mall across the street from the Walmart.

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The storm is also being blamed for damage to windows and roofs of businesses in Westlake.

Lake Charles police crews responded to an overturned tractor-trailer that was blocking traffic on an Interstate 10 bridge for nearly three hours. Trash cans, downed tree limbs, trampolines, mailboxes and powerlines dotted streets in downtown Lake Charles late Monday night.

The National Weather Service is sending a team to survey the damage and determine if it was indeed caused by a tornado. Lake Charles was hit by an EF-2 tornado about a month ago.