Washington Parish, Louisiana severe weather history spans 293 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,818 nationally and #41 in Louisiana.
293
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$11.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Washington Parish, Louisiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Washington Parish, Louisiana severe weather history averages 4.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 101 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 42 events fall before 1990 and 251 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Washington Parish, Louisiana record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $6.9M 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 Washington Parish
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 176 | 1 | $992K | 78 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 52 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1965–2026 |
| Tornado | 37 | 0 | $1.7M | F3 | 1961–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 1 | $6.9M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $1.8M | 0 | 1998–2016 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2002–2004 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2005 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Washington Parish, Louisiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
43 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-03-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-11-01 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 10.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-11-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 22.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-09-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-02-21 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-04-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-02-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-01-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Washington Parish
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2006 | Flash Flood | MT HERMON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 31, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | BOGALUSA | 1 | 0 | $35K |
| Feb 21, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $250K | |
| Jan 11, 1963 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Nov 1, 2018 | Tornado | LEES CREEK | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Feb 12, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Nov 5, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | State Line | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| Sep 6, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Eight to twelve inches of rain over a two day period led to flash flooding across northwestern Washington Parish as water drained into the Bogue Chitto River and its tributaries. Numerous roads were impassible and several homes suffered flood damage from Mount Hermon to Franklinton.
Rainfall of 8 to 15 inches fell across much of the parish during the evening and overnight hours. A rainfall observer near Mt. Hermon, in the far northwest section, recorded 16 inches of rainfall. The runoff from the heavy rainfall produced life threatening flash flooding in many areas of the parish. An estimated 1100 homes were flooded along with 30 churches. Approximately 80 roads were damaged or made impassable, mainly from washed out culverts and bridges. Areas that were especially hard hit was near the Fairgrounds in Franklinton, areas of Bogalusa and areas around Mt. Hermon. Numerous search and rescue operations were conducted in the overnight hours rescue residents and motorists from flooded areas. Runoff from the rainfall eventually flowed into the large streams and rivers. Major flood levels were reached on the Bogue Chitto River at Franklinton, the highest level since the severe flooding of April 1983. In the lower portion of the Bogue Chitto River, record crests were reach surpassing the 1983 flooding.
Moderate flooding along the Bogue Chitto River occurred as ten to fifteen inches of rain across the western part of Washington Parish drained into the river. Approximately 40 homes suffered varying degrees of damage, many of which were in the Bogue Chitto Heights subdivision.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
45,120
Population (ACS)
$156K
Median home value
41
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 Washington Parish, Louisiana?
293 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $11.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Washington Parish?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 176 recorded events — 60.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Washington Parish?
43 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 40 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Washington Parish?
41 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Washington Parish, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Washington Parish compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Washington Parish as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Washington 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
- Vernon Parish 402
- Webster Parish 718
- Vermilion Parish 268
- West Baton Rouge Parish 104
- Union Parish 632
- West Carroll Parish 348
Cite this page
“Washington Parish, Louisiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/louisiana/washington-parish/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.