Acadia Parish

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Acadia Parish: 7.
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.

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.

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

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.

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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. Oct 9, 2020Hurricane (Typhoon), Acadia$350 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Wind gusts to around 80 mph and heavy rainfall lead to numerous downed trees and power lines across the parish. Flooding at numerous locations was reported from heavy rainfall. Moderate flooding occurred along Bayous Nezpique and Des Cannes.

2. Aug 14, 2016Flood$200 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain fell on the 12th, 13th, and 14th and gradually drained into the Mermentau River. Interstate 10 became closed as the river flowed across the roadway from the end of the flash flood event on the 14th through the next few days while the river crested. At the town of Mermentau the river crested at 10.8 feet which was the 5th highest recorded crest. Flood stage is 4 feet. Many roadways and homes stayed flooded for multiple days as the water slowly drained after the flash flood event.

3. Aug 26, 2020Hurricane (Typhoon), Acadia$100 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   There was a voluntary evacuation for the parish. Numerous trees power lines and poles were blown down across the parish, with the western side seeing more and the eastern side seeing less. Homes and businesses were damaged from fallen trees or from wind. Low-lying areas around church point flooded from the heavy rains. Over 60 percent of the parish was without power immediately after the storm. A 68-year-old male died from a fallen tree. Wind gusts ranged from 60 to 80 mph.

4. Oct 3, 2002Hurricane (Typhoon), Acadia$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Lili made landfall the morning of October 3rd near Intracoastal City in Vermilion Parish as a category one hurricane. Over 48,000 claims were filed with FEMA by homeowners who received damage. along the path of Lili, from southwest Louisiana into central Louisiana. Only 3 injuries were reported. One injury in Evangeline Parish at Ville Platte occurred when a policeman on patrol had a tree fall on his vehicle, trapping him inside. He received minor injuries and was treated and released from a local hospital. The other two injuries occurred in Acadia Parish. Two Rayne city employees were moving vehicles to a safer location when a brick facade at the water plant fell on…

5. Sep 23, 2005Hurricane (Typhoon), Acadia$50.0 million
   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…

6. Aug 12, 2016Flash Flood$45.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Acadia Parish Emergency Manager first reported flooding along a few streets in Eunice during the evening of the 12th. Periods of heavy rain continued for another day with 6 to 10 inches of rainfall reported across much of the parish. An estimated 3,936 structures flooded during the event from either flash flooding or river flooding.

7. Jan 10, 2013Flood$39.9 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flood waters from rainfall that fell mainly during the 9th and 10th slowly drained across the Mermentau Basin. Major flooding was recorded on the Mermentau River at Mermentau as waters slowly drained from Bayous Nezpique near Basile and Des Cannes near Eunice and others. 189 structures were flooded across the parish during the event (flash flood and river flood) and the river did not fall below flood stage until the 27th. The total damage during the whole event for the parish was 39.9 million dollars with the vast majority of that occurring during the river flood.

8. Mar 5, 2011Tornado$15.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   NWS Storm Survey confirmed an EF2 Tornado touched down northwest of the Ebenezer Road/Standard Mill Road intersection southwest of Rayne and moved across the northern portion of the city, before ending near the community of Castille. A few outbuildings were destroyed in a small subdivsion on Ebenezer Road and a few trees were blown down. The tornado crossed Highway 90 with no visible damage before striking the Rayne Water Treatment Plant west of town, completely destroying three metal buildings (EF2) and blowing debris over 200 yards to the east and northeast. The tornado then entered the main residential section of the city of Rayne at Marie Avenue and Lessley Street, demolishing…

9. Sep 1, 2008Hurricane (Typhoon), Acadia$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Gustav moved across northeastern Acadia Parish, causing widespread wind damage with trees and power lines blown down. Church Point was the hardest hit area.

10. Sep 11, 1998Tornado$5.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    A tornado associated with an outer rainband of Tropical Storm Frances moved north to northwest across the community of Midland, doing extensive damage to the high school. The gymnasium, cafeteria, and library were the worst hit. Three outbuildings were also destroyed on school grounds. Twelve homes in Midland received damage as the tornado passed through town, two of which were destroyed. Several people at the school took refuge in the gynasium, and flying debris slightly injured two of them.

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

110°FAug 27, 2023

All-time low

4°FJan 22, 2025

Warmest night

84°FAug 24, 2023

Coldest day

17°FFeb 13, 1899

Wettest day

10.40 inAug 13, 2016

Snowiest day

14.0 inFeb 15, 1895

Hottest year

2023mean 72.9°F

Coldest year

1903mean 66.0°F

Wettest year

199381.07 in

Driest year

201135.82 in

Snowiest season

14.0 in1894-95

Station Lafayette Regional Airport (USW00013976), 35 ft elevation, 22.3 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1893 to October 25, 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USW00013976.
• 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.