Lake Charles

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Calcasieu Parish, the county that contains Lake Charles.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Calcasieu Parish, the county that contains Lake Charles.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

High tide flooding

Tide gauges in Calcasieu Parish.

Other tide gauges here: Bulk Terminal (record 22 days, 2024).

1. High tide flooding days are days on which a NOAA tide gauge recorded water at or above NOAA's minor flood threshold, set from the gauge's tide range, counted by meteorological year (May to April). These are the counts in NOAA's annual high tide flooding reports; they are not National Weather Service flood stages. Years with less than 80 percent of data are left out.

NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, through April 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Calcasieu Parish, the county that contains Lake Charles.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Aug 26, 2020Hurricane (Typhoon), Calcasieu$6.0 billion
   National Weather Service narrative

   There was a mandatory evacuation for the parish. Numerous trees, power lines, transmission lines, and poles were blown down across the parish. All of the parish was without power immediately after the storm. Homes and businesses were damage from trees falling on them, or from the winds. Low-lying areas near downtown Lake Charles flooded from high water due to rainfall. A male of unknown age drowned in a sinking shrimp boat. Twelve persons died in recovery (indirect deaths) from carbon monoxide poisoning, including five in one family in the city of Lake Charles. Other indirect deaths occurred from smoke inhalation, from a head injury after falling off a roof, falling off…

2. Sep 23, 2005Hurricane (Typhoon), Calcasieu$1.0 billion
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Rita made landfall around 230 am on September 24th in Cameron Parish near Johnson Bayou as a category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph. Wind gusts over 110 mph were recorded in Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes. This resulted in numerous trees and power lines downed. In parts of Beauregard, Jeff Davis, and Vermilion Parishes, winds blew over 90 mph. The remainder of southwest Louisiana saw wind gusts in excess of 50 mph. Only one direct fatality has been reported. A man drowned near a sunken shrimping vessel near the Calcasieu ship channel. Estimated damages in southwest Louisiana total near 4 billion dollars, with the bulk of that loss in Cameron and Calcasieu…

3. Oct 9, 2020Hurricane (Typhoon), Calcasieu$1.0 billion
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain and high winds affected Calcasieu Parish as Delta moved across the region. Debris from Hurricane Laura slowed runoff from the 10 to 18 inches of rainfall causing flooding. White Oak Park experienced the 5th highest river reading on record. Many structures also had temporary roofs or tarps that were removed during the hurricane from the near 100 mph wind gusts causing more damage. Power was also knocked back out for most of the parish.

4. May 17, 2021Flash Flood$500 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorms moved very slowly across Lake Charles and the surrounding area while back building during the late morning to mid afternoon of the 17th. One rain gage recorded near 22 inches of rain in South Lake Charles during the event, but a large swath received 10 inches or more. Most streets were flooded and impassable. Numerous vehicles were flooded and some were swept off the roads into ditches and and bayous. One person drown when their car floated into a ditch. Numerous homes and businesses were flooded in South Lake Charles some of which were still being repaired from Hurricanes Laura and Delta. Some schools and churches in the area also flooded.

5. Sep 12, 2008Storm Surge/Tide, Calcasieu$150 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Ike resulted in an 11 foot storm surge along the Calcasieu River, slightly higher than Hurricane Rita in 2005. At least 1000 homes were flooded, including in the city of Lake Charles, Westlake, and Sulphur. Southern sections of the parish, including Black Bayou, also flooded homes.

6. Aug 27, 2017Flash Flood$60.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Harvey produced 15 to 30 inches of rain across Calcasieu Parish. One rain band set up on the east side of Lake Charles during the 27th and produced a quick foot of rainfall flooding numerous homes. Total flooded homes was estimated at 1,572. The rain produced the 3rd highest crest on the Sabine at Starks/Deweyville and 2nd highest at Orange. At Sam Houston Jones the Calcasieu River reached its 4th highest crest.

7. Mar 10, 2016Flood$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flood water from the heavy rain event on the 9th and 10th pushed into western sections of Calcasieu Parish flooding areas generally along and west of Highway 109. This flooded sections of Starks and Vinton. The river stage at Deweyville crested at one foot higher than the previous record crest set in 1884. An estimated 319 structures were flooded.

8. May 9, 2019Hail$36.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A slow moving hail storm moved north out of Carlyss and into Sulphur. While the largest hail occurred in south of Sulphur reports of stones to 2.5 inches still were received. Numerous vehicles were damaged and many roofs had to be repaired.

9. Jul 14, 2019Flash Flood$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain in a stalled feeder band from the remnants of Hurricane Barry produced flooding north of Interstate 10 and affected Starks, Sulphur, Moss Bluff, Dequincy, and Gillis. The worst flooding occurred in the Gillis to Ragley area where Highway 171 was closed for several hours after after 10 to 20 inches of rain fell. Roughly 55 homes received major flooding, 145 homes received minor flooding, and 5 businesses received minor flooding. The first report of flooding was received from a NWS employee in Sulphur of street flooding.

10. Oct 26, 2006Flood$10.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Between 12 and 15 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours across Moss Bluff, resulting in widespread flooding in this bedroom community north of Lake Charles. Almost 400 homes were damaged, 100 of which were destroyed. US Highway 171 was closed between Moss Bluff and Gillis, and numerous parish roads were closed due to high water.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

109°FAug 27, 2023

All-time low

6°FJan 22, 2025

Warmest night

84°FAug 10, 2023

Coldest day

24°FJan 10, 1962

Wettest day

15.67 inMay 16, 1980

Snowiest day

5.5 inJan 21, 2025

Hottest year

2024mean 71.5°F

Coldest year

1979mean 66.2°F

Wettest year

200285.18 in

Driest year

196534.80 in

Snowiest season

5.5 in2024-25

Station Lake Charles (USW00003937), 137 ft elevation, 5.1 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1961 to October 26, 2026; 99.9% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Calcasieu Parish.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00003937.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tide gauges NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.