By Friday, December 1, a positively tilted trough was present in the upper atmosphere from the High Plains to the Desert Southwest.
The supercell which spawned the tornado tracked over the town of Deadwood, Texas, before moving over Southwood High School, Pierremont Mall, and the VA Hospital in Shreveport with no reports of tornadic activity.
At 1:50 a.m. the tornado may have touched down just south of downtown Shreveport, causing damage, though post-storm analysis suggested that this was likely related to downburst activity.
The tornado then crossed Interstate 20 and then Barksdale Boulevard, making its way into the Heart of Bossier Shopping Center and causing extensive damage.
As it touched down near the Heart of Bossier Shopping Center, it destroyed Christmas decorations, street lights, and sign posts.
It continued northeast across Old Minden Road striking a power substation, the Port-au-Prince apartments, the Sheraton Hotel, several houses in the adjacent Central Plaza subdivision and Rusheon Junior High School.
[5] In this area, numerous businesses were damaged or completely leveled, including Pizza Hut, the Best Western, the Master Hosts Inn, Whataburger, Thrifty Liquor and K-Mart.
After crossing U.S. Route 80, the tornado moved through a sparsely populated area and then into the Meadowview and Swan Lake submissions, destroying substantial parts of the neighborhood.
In this area the tornado was at F4 intensity, with winds estimated at 260 miles per hour (420 km/h); several I-beams weighing 700 pounds (318 kg) were thrown hundreds of feet and speared into the ground.
[5][6] On La Don Drive, Lisa and Jana Currington, ages 13 and 8, were killed when a car was thrown through the wall of the bedroom they were sleeping in.
He assigned the F4 rating after extensive investigation, though the F4 damage only occurred in small sections of the Meadowview, Swan Lake, and Stockwell Place subdivisions.