ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — Strong storms rolled through St. Tammany Parish Wednesday afternoon. There were some reports on social media that a possible tornado occurred. WWL Louisiana's Chief Meteorologist Chris Franklin verified that there was likely not a tornado in the area, but a very strong thunderstorm that swept through parts of central St. Tammany.
Franklin said as the storm moved through the area, it likely had some strong downburst winds that produced some damage.
In other Northshore news and not yet connected to the storm, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development showed crashes on Interstate 12, including one at Mile Marker 70. Traffic can be seen on DOTD traffic cameras backed up for miles as of 4:20 p.m.
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for areas in St. Tammany Parish on Wednesday. According to the NWS, the warning was in effect until 3:15 p.m.
Chief Meteorologist Chris Franklin said the NWS issued the warning mainly from the threat of strong winds and hail.
The area included Mandeville from the Causeway to Florenville down to Slidell.
Residents in that area were advised to seek shelter indoors until the storm had passed.
This is an ongoing situation and will be updated once further information becomes available or conditions change.
Stay tuned to WWL Louisiana.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.