Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana severe weather history spans 969 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #155 nationally and #3 in Louisiana.
969
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
58
Direct injuries
$745.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana severe weather history averages 12.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 238 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 188 events fall before 1990 and 781 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $601.5M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Calcasieu Parish
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 466 | 5 | $12.1M | 90 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 224 | 0 | $46.1M | 3 | 1960–2025 |
| Tornado | 114 | 0 | $23.6M | F3 | 1950–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 106 | 1 | $601.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 19 | 0 | $60.8M | 0 | 1996–2016 |
| Lightning | 14 | 2 | $1.8M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2022 |
Decade by decade
Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
112 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 105 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-11-21 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-17 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-17 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-02-12 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-24 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 12.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-24 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 25.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-10-27 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-03-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Calcasieu Parish
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | LAKE CHARLES LAKE | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 21, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | LAKE CHARLES LAKE | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 29, 1996 | Lightning | DEQUINCY | 1 | 2 | $50K |
| Sep 5, 2009 | Lightning | LAKE CHARLES MUNI AR | 1 | 1 | $5K |
| May 17, 2021 | Flash Flood | LAKE CHARLES LAKE | 1 | 0 | $500.0M |
| Feb 15, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jan 13, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | SULPHUR | 0 | 15 | $0 |
| Oct 22, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 11 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Strong wind gusts blew across Lake Charles and the Calcasieu River where two men from Westlake where on a boat. The 16 foot jon boat was capsized by the strong wind gusts and both were drowned. One man was still wearing a life jacket when found the next morning on the west bank of Lake Charles. The other man was found around a day later.
Strong wind gusts blew across Lake Charles and the Calcasieu River where two men from Westlake where on a boat. The 16 foot jon boat was capsized by the strong wind gusts and both were drowned. One man was still wearing a life jacket when found the next morning on the west bank of Lake Charles. The other man was found around a day later.
Thunderstorms moved very slowly across Lake Charles and the surrounding area while back building during the late morning to mid afternoon of the 17th. One rain gage recorded near 22 inches of rain in South Lake Charles during the event, but a large swath received 10 inches or more. Most streets were flooded and impassable. Numerous vehicles were flooded and some were swept off the roads into ditches and and bayous. One person drown when their car floated into a ditch. Numerous homes and businesses were flooded in South Lake Charles some of which were still being repaired from Hurricanes Laura and Delta. Some schools and churches in the area also flooded.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
207,088
Population (ACS)
$217K
Median home value
42
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 10, 2024 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM FRANCINE | EM |
| Sep 13, 2021 | Coastal Storm | TROPICAL STORM NICHOLAS | EM |
| Aug 29, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | DR |
| Aug 27, 2021 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM IDA | EM |
| Jun 2, 2021 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Lake Charles 132
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana?
969 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 8 direct deaths and $745.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Calcasieu Parish?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 466 recorded events — 48.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Calcasieu Parish?
112 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 105 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Calcasieu Parish?
42 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Calcasieu Parish, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Calcasieu Parish compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Calcasieu Parish as relatively high risk, placing it in the 96 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Caddo Parish 1,880
- Caldwell Parish 251
- Bossier Parish 1,091
- Cameron Parish 307
- Bienville Parish 484
- Catahoula Parish 321
Cite this page
“Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/louisiana/calcasieu-parish/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.