The tornado that roared through New Orleans East late Tuesday morning was an EF-3, the strongest to ever strike the city, with winds of 136 to 165 miles per hour.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service upgraded the twister from an initial classification of EF-2 after completing a review of the damage.
According to the Weather Service's tornado database, it was the first EF-3 to ever hit Orleans Parish.
The city says over 5,100 structures suffered some kind of damage and that approximately 300 sustained "severe damage."
At least 160 electrical poles were damaged or knocked down. The tornado also damaged 100 transformers.
The tornado knocked out service to 10,400 Entergy customers. It may be Saturday before service is fully restored.