Jackson Parish, Louisiana severe weather history spans 344 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,528 nationally and #32 in Louisiana.
344
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
56
Direct injuries
$7.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Jackson Parish, Louisiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jackson Parish, Louisiana severe weather history averages 4.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 92 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 78 events fall before 1990 and 266 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jackson Parish, Louisiana record is tornado, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.8M 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 Jackson Parish
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 168 | 0 | $1.3M | 90 | 1968–2026 |
| Hail | 110 | 0 | $50K | 2.75 | 1959–2023 |
| Tornado | 42 | 5 | $4.8M | F3 | 1953–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 20 | 0 | $810K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2003 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $155K | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Jackson Parish, Louisiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
44 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 40 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-09-12 | EF3 | 5 | 37 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-02 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 14.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-11-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-18 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-05-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-03-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1968-03-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-04-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 22.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jackson Parish
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 1961 | Tornado | 5 | 37 | $250K | |
| Mar 31, 1993 | Hail | Jonesboro | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Jan 2, 2023 | Tornado | WYATT | 0 | 3 | $850K |
| Feb 10, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | QUITMAN | 0 | 2 | $200K |
| May 28, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | CHATHAM | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Mar 18, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 17, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Apr 24, 2000 | Tornado | CHATHAM | 0 | 1 | $175K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF-1 tornado with maximum estimated winds near 110 mph that was embedded within a squall line touched down on Poda Road where several trees were snapped. The tornado continued east, crossing Dewberry Road and Northstar Lane where numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. The tornado then crossed Caney Lake Reservoir and into Jimmie Davis State Park, where it snapped and uprooted numerous hardwood and softwood trees. Some of the trees fell into multiple campers and approximately three-fourths of the cabins in the park. The tornado lifted as it exited the north end of the State Park.
An EFI tornado occurred from one mile west northwest of Jonesboro to one mile north of Jonesboro. Damage consisted of several trees and power lines uprooted along the path. Portions of the Jonesboro Hodge High School was hit by the storm where portions of the school's roof was peeled off. Some windows at the school were also broken out. Some buildings adjacent to the school were destroyed. Two homes on Templeton Road were damaged. One lost a roof while the other was damaged by an uprooted tree.
This storm developed in a wooded area along and east of Olive Grove Road in Jackson Parish where several small pine trees were snapped. Further east along Hwy 144 north of Eros, numerous large trees were snapped and a nearby home sustained roof damage. A barn in a field nearby also sustained significant roof damage. The tornado tracked east into Ouachita Parish, snapping and uprooting trees as well as causing minor roof damage to nearby homes along Guyton Loop Road. The tornado crossed Hwy 34, and moved onto Old Jonesboro Road where numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. One tree was physically moved 30 feet with the root ball intact, leaving a large hole in its original location. One mobile home was moved off of its foundation and several sheds and outbuildings were completely destroyed. Roof damage occurred to several homes along the street as well. The worst damage occurred to a home along Antioch Church Road, where the entire roof was peeled off and destroyed, leaving only the walls.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,884
Population (ACS)
$116K
Median home value
27
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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jackson Parish, Louisiana?
344 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $7.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jackson Parish?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 168 recorded events — 48.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jackson Parish?
44 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 40 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jackson Parish?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jackson Parish, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jackson Parish compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jackson Parish as very low risk, placing it in the 26 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jackson 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
- Iberville Parish 177
- Jefferson Parish 501
- Iberia Parish 237
- Jefferson Davis Parish 276
- Grant Parish 348
- Lafayette Parish 345
Cite this page
“Jackson Parish, Louisiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/louisiana/jackson-parish/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.