Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana severe weather history spans 710 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 47.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #385 nationally and #7 in Louisiana.
710
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
71
Direct injuries
$31.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana severe weather history averages 9.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 196 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 127 events fall before 1990 and 583 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $14.7M 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 Natchitoches Parish
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 337 | 0 | $11.9M | 100 | 1962–2026 |
| Hail | 206 | 0 | $65K | 2.75 | 1962–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 87 | 1 | $1.8M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Tornado | 67 | 1 | $14.7M | F3 | 1950–2024 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $263K | 0 | 1997–2014 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $2.5M | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
73 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 59 touched down inside it and 14 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-03-20 | EF3 | 1 | 9 | 85.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-04-23 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 19.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-05-19 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-19 | EF3 | 0 | 10 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-10-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1968-03-11 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-03-22 | EF2 | 2 | 22 | 234.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-04-30 | EF2 | 1 | 6 | 16.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-11-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-11-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Natchitoches Parish
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1976 | Tornado | 1 | 27 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 13, 2016 | Flash Flood | CLEAR LAKE | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Mar 21, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 18 | $250K | |
| May 1, 1950 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $250K | |
| Mar 12, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | NATCHITOCHES | 0 | 6 | $500K |
| Mar 30, 2008 | Tornado | PROVENCAL | 0 | 3 | $750K |
| May 17, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| May 17, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous homes and businesses were severely damaged in the town of Natchez, Louisiana including the City Hall where the roof was completely removed. Officials reported that 53 residences, 11 vehicles, 2 businesses and 2 boats were damaged or destroyed. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted from Natchez southward along State Route 494 and across the Cane River. Winds were estimated to be between 100 and 110 mph.
Numerous trees and powerlines were felled across the area. At one point, power companies said electricity was off to the entire parish. Natchitoches suffered a total blackout affecting about 26,000 customers. Wind gusts overturned one tractor-trailer and blew two others off Interstate-49. Damage to houses, businesses and vehicles were widespread.
Evidence of a significant downburst occurred near Natchez in the community of Bermuda and Point Place. The width of the downburst is approximately 2 miles across from near Point Place to Bermuda with dozens of homes damaged and numerous trees snapped and uprooted. The worst of the damage was concentrated along Riverview Drive where moderate roof damage occurred to several homes���including large trees into homes. Many homes sustained shingle damage however a few had portions of the their roofs peeled. The winds from this downburst continued east and affected the community of Montgomery in Grant Parish knocking over trees and damaging a few homes.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
36,693
Population (ACS)
$171K
Median home value
41
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Mar 9, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Natchitoches 142
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana?
710 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $31.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Natchitoches Parish?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 337 recorded events — 47.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Natchitoches Parish?
73 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 59 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Natchitoches Parish?
41 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Natchitoches Parish, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Natchitoches Parish compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Natchitoches Parish as relatively low risk, placing it in the 56 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Natchitoches 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
- Morehouse Parish 508
- Orleans Parish 472
- Madison Parish 350
- Ouachita Parish 812
- Livingston Parish 383
- Plaquemines Parish 172
Cite this page
“Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/louisiana/natchitoches-parish/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.