St. Helena Parish, Louisiana severe weather history spans 115 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,833 nationally and #60 in Louisiana.
115
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
34
Direct injuries
$49.4M
Property damage
The record
What the St. Helena Parish, Louisiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, St. Helena Parish, Louisiana severe weather history averages 1.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 34 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 16 events fall before 1990 and 99 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. Helena Parish, Louisiana record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $25.9M in reported property damage. In total, 6 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. Helena Parish
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 72 | 0 | $220K | 74 | 1977–2025 |
| Tornado | 21 | 2 | $25.9M | F3 | 1953–2026 |
| Hail | 15 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1966–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 2 | $23.3M | 0 | 2011–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2007 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
St. Helena Parish, Louisiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
19 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-12-04 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 42.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-11-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-03-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-11-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-02-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-12-11 | EF1 | 0 | 4 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in St. Helena Parish
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 2016 | Flash Flood | CHIPOLA | 2 | 0 | $22.6M |
| May 20, 1983 | Tornado | 1 | 30 | $25.0M | |
| Nov 15, 2006 | Tornado | MONTPELIER | 1 | 0 | $250K |
| Dec 11, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Sixteen to twenty inches of rainfall over a 2 day period led to widespread flash flooding in St. Helena Parish. As water drained into area rivers, rapid rises and record flooding occurred along the Amite and Tickfaw Rivers. As floodwaters rose, numerous high water rescues were necessary across the parish. Road closures due to high water were common and over 400 homes and businesses suffered various degrees of damage. A section of Louisiana Highway 10 near the Coleman Town community was overtopped with some of the road washed out. In Greensburg, flood waters rose high enough to enter the parish hospital. Two fatalities are attributed to the flash flooding. A 54 year old man drowned when his truck was submerged after being swept off a road east of Greensburg Friday afternoon. A 44 year old woman drowned when her vehicle was swept off Hwy 1045 near Montpelier Friday night.
A tornado touched down near the intersection of Louisiana Highways 441 and 1046 and moved northeast to Tangipahoa Parish line west of Arcola. One fatality occurred near the initial touchdown when the tornado struck a small frame house and close-by travel trailer. Both house and travel trailer next to the house were destroyed with debris piled about 25 yards to the northeast. A 43 year-old male in the travel trailer was fataly injured. The tornado continued northeast with damage primarily to trees, powerlines and house roofs.
An estimated 6 to 10 inches of rain fell across southeast St Helena Parish during the late evening and overnight hours. Parish emergency management reported that 61 homes had some type of flooding and 46 roadways were damaged by flooding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,858
Population (ACS)
$77K
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 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. Helena Parish, Louisiana?
115 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $49.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in St. Helena Parish?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 72 recorded events — 62.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed St. Helena Parish?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover St. Helena Parish?
39 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include St. Helena Parish, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is St. Helena Parish compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates St. Helena Parish as very low risk, placing it in the 36 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the St. Helena 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. Charles Parish 258
- St. James Parish 88
- St. Bernard Parish 121
- St. John the Baptist Parish 97
- Sabine Parish 482
- St. Landry Parish 407
Cite this page
“St. Helena Parish, Louisiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/louisiana/st-helena-parish/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.