States › Louisiana › Ouachita Parish
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 29 Sep 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.
Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 1,004 storm events in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, led by damaging wind.
That is 164.5 events per 100 square miles, above the Louisiana figure of 75.6, and 63.2 per 10,000 residents against 70.7 statewide.
44 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 11 deaths and 26 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $318M.
FEMA has designated the county in 44 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Winter Storm (major disaster, 18 Feb 2026).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 6,984 claims since 1978, of which 5,858 were paid, totalling $163M (about $28K per paid claim). FEMA counts 4,265 residential flood policies in force.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($50M a year across 18 hazards).
25 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 0 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.
Compared with Louisiana and the United States
| Measure | Ouachita Parish | Louisiana | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 1,004 | 32,679 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 164.5 | 75.6 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 63.2 | 70.7 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 44 | 1,099 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 11 | 1,332 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $318M | $96B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 44.0 | 105.0 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $28K | $54K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 5.3 | 10.0 | 16.1 |
County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.
Events by decade
Trend: 621 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 251 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.
Events by type
Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.
Largest recorded events
| Date | Event type | Group | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Aug 2011 | Excessive Heat | Heat | — | — | — | 2 | — | Forecast zone |
| 9 Feb 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 1 | 1 | County |
| 27 Apr 2011 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $10K | — | 1 | — | County |
| 27 Apr 2011 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $10K | — | 1 | — | County |
| 6 Jul 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 19 Jul 2000 | Heat | Heat | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 20 Aug 2000 | Heat | Heat | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 9 Mar 2016 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 13 Apr 2019 | Flood | Flood | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 13 Apr 2019 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 12 Apr 2020 | Tornado | Tornado | EF3 | $250M | — | — | — | County |
| 2 Dec 1983 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $2.5M | — | — | 10 | County |
| 28 Mar 1974 | Tornado | Tornado | F1 | $25K | — | — | 4 | County |
| 8 Mar 2016 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $35M | — | — | — | County |
| 2 Mar 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 104 mph | $175K | — | — | 2 | County |
| 22 Apr 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 75 mph | $1.0M | — | — | 1 | County |
| 30 Apr 1954 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | 1 | County |
| 12 Apr 2022 | Tornado | Tornado | EF1 | $50K | — | — | 1 | County |
| 21 Apr 1951 | Tornado | Tornado | F0 | $25K | — | — | 1 | County |
| 23 Oct 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | 1 | County |
Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.
Federal disaster declarations
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Feb 2026 | DR-4900 | Major disaster | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm | Public assistance |
| 24 Jan 2026 | EM-3638 | Emergency | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm | Public assistance |
| 10 Sep 2024 | EM-3614 | Emergency | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Francine | Public assistance |
| 13 Sep 2021 | EM-3574 | Emergency | Coastal Storm | Tropical Storm Nicholas | Public assistance |
| 29 Aug 2021 | DR-4611 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Ida | Public assistance |
| 27 Aug 2021 | EM-3568 | Emergency | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Ida | Public assistance |
| 9 Mar 2021 | DR-4590 | Major disaster | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 18 Feb 2021 | EM-3556 | Emergency | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm | Public assistance |
| 27 Oct 2020 | EM-3549 | Emergency | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Zeta | Public assistance |
| 16 Oct 2020 | DR-4570 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Delta | Public assistance |
| 7 Oct 2020 | EM-3547 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Delta | Public assistance |
| 14 Sep 2020 | EM-3543 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Sally | Public assistance |
| 28 Aug 2020 | DR-4559 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Laura | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 23 Aug 2020 | EM-3538 | Emergency | Hurricane | Tropical Storms Laura And Marco | Public assistance |
| 7 Jun 2020 | EM-3527 | Emergency | Coastal Storm | Tropical Storm Cristobal | Public assistance |
| 24 Mar 2020 | DR-4484 | Major disaster | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2020 | EM-3459 | Emergency | Biological | Covid-19 | Public assistance |
| 19 Sep 2019 | DR-4462 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Public assistance |
| 11 Jul 2019 | EM-3416 | Emergency | Coastal Storm | Tropical Storm Barry | Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2016 | DR-4263 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms And Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 29 Aug 2012 | DR-4080 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Isaac | Public assistance |
| 27 Aug 2012 | EM-3347 | Emergency | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Isaac | Public assistance |
| 10 Dec 2009 | DR-1863 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 2 Sep 2008 | DR-1786 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Gustav | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 29 Aug 2008 | EM-3289 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Gustav | Public assistance |
| 2 Nov 2006 | DR-1668 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | — |
| 24 Sep 2005 | DR-1607 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Rita | Public assistance |
| 21 Sep 2005 | EM-3260 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Rita | Public assistance |
| 29 Aug 2005 | DR-1603 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina | Public assistance |
| 27 Aug 2005 | EM-3212 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina | Public assistance |
| 15 Sep 2004 | DR-1548 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Ivan | Public assistance |
| 1 Feb 2003 | EM-3172 | Emergency | Other | Loss Of Space Shuttle Columbia | Public assistance |
| 3 Oct 2002 | DR-1437 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Lili | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 12 Jan 2001 | DR-1357 | Major disaster | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Ice Storm | Public assistance |
| 15 Feb 2000 | DR-1314 | Major disaster | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm | Public assistance |
| 21 Jan 1999 | DR-1264 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Ice Storm | Public assistance |
| 3 May 1991 | DR-904 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 20 May 1989 | DR-829 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 11 Jan 1983 | DR-675 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms And Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 20 Sep 1978 | DR-565 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 6 Jun 1975 | DR-470 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Heavy Rains, Tornadoes & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 23 Feb 1974 | DR-418 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 27 Apr 1973 | DR-374 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 10 Sep 1965 | DR-208 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Betsy | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.
Flood insurance claims
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 | 3 | $260,043 | $86,681 |
| 2025 | 28 | 23 | $1,470,874 | $63,951 |
| 2024 | 6 | 5 | $129,688 | $25,938 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 | $47,688 | $11,922 |
| 2022 | 13 | 8 | $140,865 | $17,608 |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2020 | 26 | 18 | $425,031 | $23,613 |
| 2019 | 65 | 58 | $2,719,309 | $46,885 |
| 2018 | 47 | 38 | $1,423,736 | $37,467 |
| 2017 | 25 | 18 | $528,080 | $29,338 |
| 2016 | 1,765 | 1,569 | $89,873,023 | $57,280 |
| 2015 | 8 | 2 | $168,531 | $84,266 |
| 2014 | 24 | 17 | $608,764 | $35,810 |
| 2013 | 3 | 1 | $190,321 | $190,321 |
| 2012 | 17 | 12 | $64,202 | $5,350 |
| 2011 | 580 | 508 | $13,420,686 | $26,419 |
| 2010 | 11 | 6 | $56,086 | $9,348 |
| 2009 | 102 | 86 | $1,722,504 | $20,029 |
| 2008 | 376 | 335 | $8,264,095 | $24,669 |
| 2007 | 2 | 1 | $1,509 | $1,509 |
| 2006 | 15 | 6 | $21,281 | $3,547 |
| 2005 | 14 | 8 | $294,941 | $36,868 |
| 2004 | 23 | 16 | $114,012 | $7,126 |
| 2003 | 32 | 18 | $161,704 | $8,984 |
| 2002 | 10 | 4 | $40,172 | $10,043 |
OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).
National Risk Index
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Inland flooding | $21,733,983 | |
| Tornado | $10,416,615 | |
| Heat wave | $6,374,839 | |
| Earthquake | $3,498,643 | |
| Ice storm | $1,816,686 | |
| Cold wave | $1,610,767 | |
| Strong wind | $1,561,126 | |
| Hurricane | $1,319,575 | |
| Hail | $979,257 | |
| Lightning | $773,777 | |
| Drought | $82,406 | |
| Winter weather | $54,020 | |
| Wildfire | $49,962 | |
| Landslide | $2,387 |
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.
Hurricane and tropical storm passes
| Storm | Year | Closest approach | Max wind while within 100 mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ida | 2021 | 98 mi | 46 mph |
| Laura | 2020 | 49 mi | 63 mph |
| Delta | 2020 | 44 mi | 58 mph |
| Barry | 2019 | 85 mi | 40 mph |
| Isaac | 2012 | 30 mi | 52 mph |
| Gustav | 2008 | 93 mi | 46 mph |
| Lili | 2002 | 40 mi | 46 mph |
| Andrew | 1992 | 92 mi | 40 mph |
| Danny | 1985 | 34 mi | 46 mph |
| Elena | 1985 | 45 mi | 52 mph |
| Betsy | 1965 | 33 mi | 58 mph |
| Audrey | 1957 | 50 mi | 63 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1941 | 93 mi | 40 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1934 | 78 mi | 52 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1923 | 96 mi | 58 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1920 | 33 mi | 46 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1909 | 62 mi | 86 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1905 | 66 mi | 40 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1898 | 34 mi | 40 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1891 | 70 mi | 52 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1888 | 82 mi | 75 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1886 | 66 mi | 58 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1879 | 97 mi | 58 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1865 | 70 mi | 58 mph |
| Unnamed Atlantic storm | 1860 | 97 mi | 58 mph |
HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.
ZIP codes with flood claims
- 71201 2,650
- 71202 1,790
- 71203 1,088
- 71291 1,086
- 71292 203
- 71211 27
- 71280 26
- 71294 21
- 71207 18
- 71210 15
- 71238 7
- 71281 6
- 71240 5
ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.
Questions and answers
How often does it hail in Ouachita Parish, LA?
NCEI records 256 hail events in Ouachita Parish since 1950, in 52 different years; that is about 3.3 recorded events a year. 66 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Ouachita Parish had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 47 tornadoes in Ouachita Parish since 1950, 9 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Ouachita Parish?
18 Feb 2026: Severe Winter Storm, a major disaster declaration for winter storm. The county appears in 44 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Ouachita Parish, and how much was paid?
6,984 NFIP claims since 1978, 5,858 of them paid, for $163M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Ouachita Parish in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Moderate" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Very High" for social vulnerability and "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Ouachita Parish compare with the rest of Louisiana?
164.5 recorded events per 100 square miles against 75.6 statewide, and 44.0 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 105.0. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.
Provenance
Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 29 Sep 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 30 Sep 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.