St. James Parish, Louisiana severe weather history spans 88 recorded events between 1969 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,925 nationally and #64 in Louisiana.
88
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
75
Direct injuries
$19.3M
Property damage
The record
What the St. James Parish, Louisiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, St. James Parish, Louisiana severe weather history averages 1.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 34 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 5 events fall before 1990 and 83 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the St. James Parish, Louisiana record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $18.7M 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 St. James Parish
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 43 | 0 | $113K | 73 | 1979–2025 |
| Hail | 13 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1969–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 12 | 0 | $18.7M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Tornado | 11 | 3 | $161K | F0 | 2002–2026 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $291K | 0 | 1996–2016 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1996–2005 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
St. James Parish, Louisiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-02-23 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-02-23 | EF2 | 2 | 75 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-02-07 | EF1 | 1 | 0 | 6.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-04-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-07-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-05-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in St. James Parish
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 2016 | Tornado | UNION | 2 | 75 | $0 |
| Feb 7, 2017 | Tornado | SALSBURG | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A strong tornado moved out of Assumption Parish into St James Parish causing significant damage to trees as it approached the Mississippi River. After crossing the river, the tornado moved through the Sugar Hill RV Park where numerous travel trailers were tossed and destroyed. Two fatalities and approximately 75 injuries occurred at the RV park. An EF scale rating of EF-2 was assigned to the damage at and in the vicinity of the RV park. The tornado weakened as it continued northeastward, snapping trees and causing minor property damage. It dissipated as it reached Airline Highway. St. James Parish Emergency Management reported 25 to 50 homes were total losses and a public housing complex had major damage. The tornado's peak intensity of EF-3 occurred in Assumption Parish.
A tornado moved into St. James Parish from Ascension Parish. It moved nearly due east, affecting small communities on both the west and east bank of the Mississippi River near the Hwy 70 bridge. Damage primarily consisted of roof damage, blown out windows, and down trees and power lines. In St. James Parish, 4 homes were classified as heavily damaged or destroyed, and another 14 were considered to have minor to moderate damage. Maximum estimated winds are estimated to be around 105 mph. An 83 year old man died as a result of injuries sustained during the tornado. He was outside when his trailer rolled, trapping him between the trailer and a parked truck.
Francine produced heavy rain across the parish with widespread totals of 4-8 inches. The highest totals were across northern portions of the parish and resulted in numerous streets being impassable due to high water. Hwy 20 was impassable between Vacherie and Chackbay due to high water from the rainfall. Flooding in the parish also affected a few homes, and water was also pushed into several additional homes from vehicles driving down flooded roads. In total, approximately 250 structures suffered damage from either wind or flooding, with an estimated damage cost of 15-18 million dollars across the parish.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
19,528
Population (ACS)
$212K
Median home value
44
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 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 St. James Parish, Louisiana?
88 events are on record between 1969 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $19.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in St. James Parish?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 43 recorded events — 48.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed St. James Parish?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover St. James Parish?
44 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include St. James Parish, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is St. James Parish compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates St. James Parish as relatively low risk, placing it in the 71 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the St. James 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
- St. Helena Parish 115
- St. John the Baptist Parish 97
- St. Charles Parish 258
- St. Landry Parish 407
- St. Bernard Parish 121
- St. Martin Parish 187
Cite this page
“St. James Parish, Louisiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/louisiana/st-james-parish/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.