Natchitoches

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 Natchitoches Parish, the county that contains Natchitoches.

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 Natchitoches Parish, the county that contains Natchitoches.

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.

The drought index is for Natchitoches Parish, the county that contains Natchitoches.

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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

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. May 3, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   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.

2. Feb 10, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   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.

3. Oct 16, 2009Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Excessive heavy rainfall during the month of October resulted in two crests above flood stage on the Red River near Grand Ecore, Louisiana. The first crest of 34.8 feet occurred on the evenings of the 20th and 21st of October. Minor low land flooding occurred during the middle part of the month in and around Grand Ecore. The second crest did not occur until the month of November and the crest information will be included in the November publication of Storm Data. The river was near 36 feet by the end of the month and at that stage, extensive lowland flooding of thousands of acres was ongoing. Also, extensive backwater flooding of contributing bayous was reported within 12 miles of…

4. Apr 26, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   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.

5. Apr 26, 2011Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The National Weather Service conducted a storm survey in Natchitoches Parish in Louisiana and concluded that damage near Robeline was the result of an EF1 tornado with possible multiple vortices. This tornado was a continuation of the tornado that first touched down in northeast Sabine Parish. In Natchitoches Parish, the tornado produced damage near the Robeline Provencal Road. Along Hwy. 6, numerous homes were damaged largely from falling trees, however a few homes sustained roof damage from winds. Numerous carports were tossed or flipped. Numerous trees were snapped and or uprooted along the path as well. Southeast of Robeline along Robeline Provencal Road numerous trees fell on…

6. Nov 23, 2004Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED A DAMAGING TORNADO THAT MOVED INTO THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF NATCHITOCHES PARISH. THE STORM MOVED IN A NORTHEAST DIRECTION...CROSSING HWY 119 EAST OF GORUM AND HWY 1 NEAR THE COMMUNITY OF GALBRAITH AND THEN PROCEEDED TO MOVE ALONG HWY 490 FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO MILES BEFORE THE HIGHWAY CURVED AWAY FROM THE STORM'S PATH. THE STORM THEN CROSSED THE CANE RIVER NORTH OF THE COMMUNITY OF MARCO AND CROSSED THE RED RIVER...MOVING INTO GRANT PARISH. THE PATH WIDTH RANGED FROM 100 TO 300 YARDS AND APPEARS TO HAVE STAYED ON THE GROUND CONTINUOUSLY FOR SOME 20 MILES. PRIOR TO IT'S MOVING ALONG HWY 490...IT WAS IN MAINLY RURAL FORESTED AREAS AND OTHER THAN…

7. May 3, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous homes were damaged either by falling trees or sustained roof damage from downburst winds along U.S. Hwy 71. This included a barn that was completely destroyed. The damage was consistent with a downburst where a concentrated area of damage spread outward and east towards Lake Nantachie where 6 steel transmission lines were bent. The width of the damage path along Hwy. 71 was approximately 1 mile wide where trees were snapped or uprooted.

8. Apr 23, 2000Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A supercell produced a tornado as part of an outbreak of tornados across the region. Damage consisted of large pine trees snapped and oak trees blown down. Most damage to residences were from fallen trees. Two steel utility power towers were destroyed. A number of outbuildings were also damaged. Moved through De Soto Parish then across Red River Parish and into Natchitoches Parish.

9. Mar 21, 2012Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Water was completely covering Hwy. 3191 and Texas Street at the Sibley Lake boat launch. Boat houses on the cane river are flooded and high water was approaching Rogue House in the downtown area.

10. Mar 31, 2009Tornado$1.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    A large wood frame barn was completely destroyed. A few homes east of Natchez LA sustained roof damage from wind and/or falling trees. Damage was also noted at several historic plantations including Beaufort and Oakland where several large old oak trees fell. The Beaufort plantation sustained roof damage where a large pine tree was snapped and fell on the back of the structure. Numerous trees were snapped along the path which crossed over the Red River into Grant Parish where some homes sustained minor roof damage in the town of Montgomery LA. Trees also fell across the railroad tracks along US. 71.

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

107°FAug 31, 2000

All-time low

7°F3 times, most recently Feb 16, 2021

Warmest night

88°FAug 31, 2000

Coldest day

22°FDec 22, 1989

Wettest day

9.75 inSep 12, 1998

Snowiest day

2.0 in2 times, most recently Jan 24, 2014

Hottest year

1998mean 69.8°F

Coldest year

2014mean 64.3°F

Wettest year

202090.62 in

Driest year

201034.62 in

Snowiest season

2.0 in1976-77

Station Boyce 3 Wnw (USC00161232), 110 ft elevation, 32.6 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1976 to October 26, 2026; 98.4% 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 Natchitoches 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 USC00161232.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, 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.