Jefferson Parish, Louisiana severe weather history spans 501 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #868 nationally and #13 in Louisiana.
501
Recorded events
11
Direct deaths
87
Direct injuries
$222.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana severe weather history averages 6.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 114 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 82 events fall before 1990 and 419 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $114.8M in reported property damage. In total, 11 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Jefferson Parish
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 227 | 3 | $2.0M | 97 | 1956–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 88 | 0 | $40.4M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Hail | 74 | 0 | $65.0M | 3 | 1963–2025 |
| Tornado | 64 | 4 | $114.8M | F2 | 1950–2025 |
| Lightning | 16 | 4 | $371K | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2021 |
| Waterspout | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2000 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2017 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2001 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
66 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 62 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-03-22 | EF3 | 1 | 2 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-04-08 | EF2 | 3 | 39 | 6.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-03-10 | EF2 | 1 | 7 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-12-14 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 10.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-02-13 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-02-13 | EF2 | 0 | 15 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-02-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-04-22 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-10-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-03-16 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jefferson Parish
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 1993 | Tornado | Grand Isle | 3 | 39 | $50.0M |
| Mar 10, 1971 | Tornado | 1 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| May 21, 1985 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 2 | $0 | |
| May 21, 1985 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 1 | $0 | |
| Jun 29, 2022 | Lightning | METAIRIE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 2005 | Lightning | HARVEY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 2000 | Lightning | MARRERO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 24, 1999 | Lightning | AVONDALE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The greatest impact across the parish was flooding from heavy rainfall. As the north and northeastern eyewall stretched into an east-west oriented band of heavy rainfall, training storms resulted in widespread rainfall totals of 6-9��� across the parish with locally higher amounts. Most of the rain fell over the course of just a couple hours, causing canals to overflow. Numerous roads were impassable and 264 homes were flooded in Kenner alone, mainly in the area around Loyola Drive.
A tornado moved along a northerly path from Lapalco Boulevard to the Mississippi River roughly following Avenue C and Avenue D. Significant damage was observed to residential and commercial structures that indicated an intensity in the mid to upper range of an EF 2 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with winds estimated to be in the 125-130 mph range. Some of the most impressive structural damage observed was to an older, two story motel building which had its roof removed and a portion of the second floor walls caved in. The tornado crossed the Mississippi River into Orleans Parish.
A tornado touched down in Jefferson Parish, southwest of Terrytown. It moved northeast through Jefferson Parish. As it moved northeast through the Westbank, it caused minor tree damage as well as structural damage. This damage consisted of minor roof, siding and fence damage. The tornado continued into Orleans Parish.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
430,920
Population (ACS)
$251K
Median home value
50
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 16, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FRANCINE | DR |
| Sep 10, 2024 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM FRANCINE | EM |
| Sep 27, 2023 | Other | SEAWATER INTRUSION | EM |
| Sep 13, 2021 | Coastal Storm | TROPICAL STORM NICHOLAS | EM |
| Aug 29, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Metairie 116
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana?
501 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 11 direct deaths and $222.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jefferson Parish?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 227 recorded events — 45.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jefferson Parish?
66 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 62 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jefferson Parish?
50 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jefferson Parish, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jefferson Parish compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jefferson Parish as relatively high risk, placing it in the 99 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jefferson 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
- Jackson Parish 344
- Jefferson Davis Parish 276
- Iberville Parish 177
- Lafayette Parish 345
- Iberia Parish 237
- Lafourche Parish 241
Cite this page
“Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/louisiana/jefferson-parish/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.