Vernon Parish, Louisiana severe weather history spans 402 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,247 nationally and #25 in Louisiana.
402
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
52
Direct injuries
$67.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Vernon Parish, Louisiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Vernon Parish, Louisiana severe weather history averages 5.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 116 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 47 events fall before 1990 and 355 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Vernon Parish, Louisiana record is tornado, responsible for 10 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $50.8M 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 Vernon Parish
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 195 | 0 | $4.1M | 70 | 1965–2026 |
| Hail | 110 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1961–2024 |
| Tornado | 60 | 10 | $10.0M | F4 | 1953–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 0 | $2.6M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $50.8M | 0 | 2009–2016 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $102K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Vernon Parish, Louisiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
66 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 54 touched down inside it and 12 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 | Touched down here |
| 2019-12-16 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 62.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-04-29 | EF2 | 2 | 8 | 14.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-03-22 | EF2 | 2 | 22 | 234.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 36.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-11-23 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-11-23 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 20.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-11-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-11-26 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-01-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Vernon Parish
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 3, 1953 | Tornado | 7 | 20 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 30, 1975 | Tornado | 2 | 8 | $250K | |
| Dec 16, 2019 | Tornado | ROSEPINE | 1 | 0 | $1.0M |
| Oct 29, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $250K | |
| Nov 24, 2004 | Tornado | SIMPSON | 0 | 3 | $500K |
| Sep 14, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Mar 30, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Nov 19, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado began in Beauregard Parish and moved into Vernon Parish near the intersection of John Brewer and Borel Roads as an EF3 with winds estimated at 152 MPH. A fatality occurred on Borel Road as the tornado passed around 11:18 am CST. Extensive damage occurred to well built homes as well as mobile homes. This developing long track tornado continued moving northeast crossing Churchman Road where it ripped large open areas off home roofs. Winds were estimated at 135 mph. The tornado moved across forest areas of the southeast part of the Fort Polk Army Base. The tornado crossed into the east central part of Vernon Parish where trees and several homes were damaged around the Sandhill and Coral Roads area with winds estimated at 74 to 107 mph. The tornado moved in Rapides Parish 1 mile south of Highway 121. Roughly 26 structures were damaged along the path.
Water quickly rose along the Sabine River on the 10th as flood water flowed into the basin from Toledo Bend and from the area tributaries. The river set a record crest on the 11th of 53.82 feet at Burkeville which was 5.77 feet above the previous record set in 1999. Areas along and west of Louisiana Highway 111 were flooded with the worst hit community being Evans were almost every home flooded, some were flooded to the roof tops. Around 400 structures were reported flooded with around 200 considered majorly damaged or destroyed in Vernon Parish. Highway 8 near the river was heavily scoured with the south side of the road collapsing near the stateline. The bridge across the river was still closed more than 2 months after the flood with the supports undermined.
Thunderstorms trained over the same area through the afternoon and evening across portions of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana. Betwen 10 and 14 inches of rain flooded cars and closed and/or washed out some roadways around Hornbeck and Leesville. Cars were reported to be trapped and/or floating on Highway 171 from Hornbeck to Rosepine during the event. OEP reported 22 homes were flooded.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
47,117
Population (ACS)
$156K
Median home value
39
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 |
| Aug 27, 2023 | Fire | LIONS CAMP ROAD FIRE | FM |
| Aug 25, 2023 | Fire | IDA FIRE | FM |
| Sep 13, 2021 | Coastal Storm | TROPICAL STORM NICHOLAS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Vernon Parish, Louisiana?
402 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 10 direct deaths and $67.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Vernon Parish?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 195 recorded events — 48.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Vernon Parish?
66 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 54 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Vernon Parish?
39 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Vernon Parish, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Vernon Parish compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Vernon Parish as relatively low risk, placing it in the 69 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Vernon 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
- Vermilion Parish 268
- Washington Parish 293
- Union Parish 632
- Webster Parish 718
- Terrebonne Parish 262
- West Baton Rouge Parish 104
Cite this page
“Vernon Parish, Louisiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/louisiana/vernon-parish/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.