Rapides Parish, Louisiana severe weather history spans 662 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #455 nationally and #8 in Louisiana.
662
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
75
Direct injuries
$74.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Rapides Parish, Louisiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rapides Parish, Louisiana severe weather history averages 8.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 148 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 135 events fall before 1990 and 527 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Rapides Parish, Louisiana record is tornado, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $44.4M 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 Rapides Parish
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 344 | 1 | $3.0M | 96 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 171 | 0 | $501K | 3.5 | 1955–2024 |
| Tornado | 84 | 5 | $44.4M | F4 | 1951–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 42 | 2 | $22.1M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Lightning | 10 | 1 | $107K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $3.9M | 0 | 1997–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
Decade by decade
Rapides Parish, Louisiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
86 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 78 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-12-03 | EF4 | 9 | 50 | 85.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-11-07 | EF3 | 3 | 16 | 13.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-12-16 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 62.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1981-06-05 | EF3 | 0 | 10 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-22 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-01-06 | EF3 | 0 | 11 | 16.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-03-22 | EF2 | 2 | 22 | 234.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-22 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-10-23 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 18.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rapides Parish
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 8, 1957 | Tornado | 3 | 16 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 14, 2016 | Flash Flood | SIEPER | 1 | 1 | $500K |
| Jul 10, 2016 | Lightning | LIBUSE | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Oct 23, 1957 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $25K | |
| Apr 10, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | (ESF)ESLER ARPT ALXN | 1 | 0 | $15K |
| Apr 23, 2020 | Tornado | LECOMPTE ARPT | 1 | 0 | $1.0M |
| Oct 22, 2009 | Flash Flood | ALEXANDRIA SOUTHWEST | 1 | 0 | $5K |
| Jan 6, 1951 | Tornado | 0 | 11 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado started near I-49 and Robinson Bridge Road, where it damaged numerous homes and trees along the road. Two mobile homes were completely destroyed, killing one individual. The tornado then moved ENE crossing Hwy 470 damaging additional homes and bringing down numerous power poles. The tornado then jogged NE crossing Hwy 71 where it produced substantial damage to the DeWitt Livestock Facility. The tornado also substantially damaged farm and equipment buildings at the LSUA Dean Lee Research Station. The tornado proceeded ENE to the Red River producing tree and power pole damage.
Flooding was reported along roadways near Clifton. Some roadways became impassable during early morning hours near the Calcasieu River. A vehicle was swept away after attempting to drive through high water near Big Creek. A female and child was swept down stream. The small child was found clinging to a tree in good condition, however the driver was found nearby already drowned.
KALB-TV and the Alexandria Town Talk newspaper reported significant flooding across Alexandria and Pineville. Several underpasses across Alexandria were flooded, with high water in many ditches and culverts across Pineville. A 12 year old boy playing on his bicycle in a drainage ditch near the intersection of McDermott and Fairbrook Streets in Pineville was swept away by the fast current, and died two days later in an Alexandria hospital.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
127,527
Population (ACS)
$181K
Median home value
49
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 10, 2024 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM FRANCINE | EM |
| Aug 30, 2023 | Fire | HIGHWAY 113 FIRE | FM |
| 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 Rapides Parish, Louisiana?
662 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 9 direct deaths and $74.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rapides Parish?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 344 recorded events — 52.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rapides Parish?
86 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 78 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Rapides Parish?
49 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rapides Parish, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rapides Parish compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rapides Parish as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 84 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rapides 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
- Pointe Coupee Parish 214
- Red River Parish 323
- Plaquemines Parish 172
- Richland Parish 407
- Ouachita Parish 812
- Sabine Parish 482
Cite this page
“Rapides Parish, Louisiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/louisiana/rapides-parish/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.