Orleans Parish, Louisiana severe weather history spans 472 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 41.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #975 nationally and #17 in Louisiana.
472
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
74
Direct injuries
$69.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Orleans Parish, Louisiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Orleans Parish, Louisiana severe weather history averages 6.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 198 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 97 events fall before 1990 and 375 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Orleans Parish, Louisiana record is lightning, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $60.7M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Orleans Parish
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 194 | 2 | $6.7M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 186 | 0 | $1.5M | 90 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 37 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1962–2023 |
| Tornado | 24 | 1 | $60.7M | F2 | 1951–2022 |
| Flood | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Lightning | 8 | 3 | $220K | 0 | 1996–2007 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2007 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Orleans Parish, Louisiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-03-22 | EF3 | 1 | 2 | 11.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-02-07 | EF3 | 0 | 33 | 10.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-02-13 | EF2 | 1 | 10 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-03-10 | EF2 | 1 | 7 | 7.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-12-14 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 10.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-02-13 | EF2 | 0 | 15 | 6.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-02-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1981-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-10-03 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 14.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-07-17 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 6.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Orleans Parish
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 4, 2000 | Lightning | NEW ORLEANS | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 13, 2007 | Tornado | GENTILLY | 1 | 10 | $1.0M |
| Aug 30, 2021 | Flash Flood | MC DOLOGHVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 12, 2009 | Flash Flood | VIEUX CARRE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 17, 1996 | Lightning | NEW ORLEANS LAKEFRON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 7, 2017 | Tornado | LEE | 0 | 33 | $0 |
| Feb 13, 2007 | Tornado | NEW ORLEANS | 0 | 15 | $2.0M |
| Dec 14, 2022 | Tornado | GOULDSBORO | 0 | 4 | $50.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down just south of the intersections of Franklin Avenue and Prentiss Street and moved east northeast across the southern portion of Pontchartrain Park to the Industrial Canal. Roofs were blown off of several homes and the upper portions of two story houses were partially collapsed. One fatality occurred when a travel trailer was destroyed and the 86 year old occupant was fatally injured.
Heavy rain produced widespread and significant street flooding and caused the flooding of some homes in the Fountainbleau neighborhood. One person drowned in the Algiers area of New Orleans when he drove into a flooded canal. A passenger in the auto escaped injury but the driver was unable to exit the auto.
The tornado entered into Orleans Parish from Jefferson Parish as it crossed the Westbank Expressway. Moving into Algiers, the tornado again caused significant structural damage along Tita St. One home was shifted from its foundation and began to roll over, being completely destroyed in the process. Three others suffered significant roof structure loss or partial wall collapse. A church was also|shifted from its foundation and destroyed on Wiltz Ln. The tornado then crossed the river, exiting Orleans Parish and entering into St. Bernard Parish.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
371,853
Population (ACS)
$316K
Median home value
39
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
- Vieux Carre 301
- New Orleans 246
- Gentilly 125
- Algiers 122
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Orleans Parish, Louisiana?
472 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $69.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Orleans Parish?
Flash Flood, with 194 recorded events — 41.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Orleans Parish?
27 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Orleans Parish?
39 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Orleans Parish, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Orleans Parish compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Orleans Parish as relatively high risk, placing it in the 98 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Orleans 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
- Natchitoches Parish 710
- Ouachita Parish 812
- Morehouse Parish 508
- Plaquemines Parish 172
- Madison Parish 350
- Pointe Coupee Parish 214
Cite this page
“Orleans Parish, Louisiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/louisiana/orleans-parish/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.