De Soto Parish, Louisiana severe weather history spans 620 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 46.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #537 nationally and #11 in Louisiana.
620
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
54
Direct injuries
$75.0M
Property damage
The record
What the De Soto Parish, Louisiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, De Soto Parish, Louisiana severe weather history averages 8.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 171 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 111 events fall before 1990 and 509 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the De Soto Parish, Louisiana record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $68.7M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in De Soto Parish
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 288 | 2 | $4.6M | 90 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 192 | 0 | $500 | 4.5 | 1957–2026 |
| Tornado | 77 | 1 | $68.7M | F4 | 1950–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 55 | 1 | $110K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2007–2007 |
Decade by decade
De Soto Parish, Louisiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
78 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 65 touched down inside it and 13 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-02-12 | EF4 | 18 | 77 | 82.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-02-12 | EF3 | 5 | 25 | 74.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1987-11-15 | EF3 | 1 | 116 | 48.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-04-23 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 19.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 5.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-05-02 | EF3 | 0 | 9 | 61.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-02-11 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 33.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-03-10 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 50.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-02-12 | EF2 | 5 | 10 | 58.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in De Soto Parish
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 16, 1987 | Tornado | 1 | 23 | $25.0M | |
| May 28, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | TRENTON | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mansfield | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 22, 2020 | Flash Flood | MANSFIELD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 30, 1950 | Tornado | 0 | 13 | $25K | |
| Feb 10, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | MANSFIELD | 0 | 3 | $4.0M |
| Jun 20, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Feb 17, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 48 year old man drowned in a rain swollen drainage ditch along Gibbs Street while trying to retrieve a trash can, after he was swept away by the rapid moving flood waters. His body was later found about 50-60 yards downstream.
A tree fell on a vehicle that was traveling west of Hudson Darby Road, just east of Highway 71. Louisiana State Police reported that a 21 year-old male passenger sitting in the rear seat sustained fatal injuries from the falling tree. The 52 year-old male driver and a 59 year-old front seat passenger sustained moderate injuries from the incident and were transported to University Health Hospital in Shreveport for treatment.
A multitude of downed trees and powerlines left the area without electricity for more than 12 hours. Electrical companies estimate that nearly 60,000 people in the region were without power. There were three injuries reported, no seriously, coming from drivers hitting downed trees with their vehicles. Numerous signs were bent and twisted, portable signs were blown down the road, a vacant mobile home was overturned and every street and neighbourhood was littered with limbs and uprooted trees. Scores of residents reported damaged roofs and flattened cars. The local Red Cross was called in to provide food and water. Nineteen homes without insurance suffered major damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
27,026
Population (ACS)
$155K
Median home value
33
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 18, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Stonewall 115
- Mansfield 113
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in De Soto Parish, Louisiana?
620 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $75.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in De Soto Parish?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 288 recorded events — 46.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed De Soto Parish?
78 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 65 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover De Soto Parish?
33 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include De Soto Parish, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is De Soto Parish compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates De Soto Parish as very low risk, placing it in the 42 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the De Soto 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
- Concordia Parish 311
- East Baton Rouge Parish 627
- Claiborne Parish 409
- East Carroll Parish 313
- Catahoula Parish 321
- East Feliciana Parish 155
Cite this page
“De Soto Parish, Louisiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/louisiana/de-soto-parish/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.