Lafourche Parish

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Lafourche Parish: 23.
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.

High tide flooding

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.

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 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. Aug 29, 2021Hurricane (Typhoon), Lower Lafourche$750 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The parish suffered extreme impacts as the eyewall raked much of the parish from Port Fourchon to Lockport as it moved inland. Nearly all buildings in the parish suffered some level of damage, with widespread catastrophic structural damage occurring across much of the parish. Numerous homes, businesses and public buildings lost significant portions of their roof structures, with some homes totally destroyed. Nearly every building in the fishing community of Leeville suffered catastrophic damage. There was also substantial damage to at least four major medical facilities in the parish, including at least one emergency room taking on water during the storm. The parish���s…

2. Aug 29, 2021Storm Surge/Tide, Lower Lafourche$750 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Storm surge caused significant damage across areas south of the Larose to Golden Meadow levees, and waves overtopping portions of the 12ft flood walls near the Leon Theriot Lock. One the east side of the Golden Meadow levee, inundation is estimated at 12-15ft, with waves and runup reaching the top of the 19 ft levee. Farther south, inundation reached 9-10 ft, with a few lower buildings in Leeville were reduced to nothing more than the pilings on which they originally sat. As storm surge and waves battered coastal areas, several barges and vessels broke loose from Port Fourchon, within the Intracoastal waterway and throughout Bayou Lafourche.

3. Aug 29, 2021Hurricane (Typhoon), Upper Lafourche$750 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The parish suffered extreme impacts as the eyewall raked much of the parish from Port Fourchon to Lockport as it moved inland. Nearly all buildings in the parish suffered some level of damage, with widespread catastrophic structural damage occurring across much of the parish. Numerous homes, businesses and public buildings lost significant portions of their roof structures, with some homes totally destroyed. There was substantial damage to at least four major medical facilities in the parish, including at least one emergency room taking on water during the storm. The parish���s emergency operations center also suffered significant roof damage. The entire parish was left…

4. Aug 29, 2021Storm Surge/Tide, Upper Lafourche$500 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Storm surge caused significant damage across areas south of the Larose to Golden Meadow levees, and waves overtopping portions of the 12ft flood walls near the Leon Theriot Lock. Storm surge breached a parish levee at Bayou Boeuf just south of Lac des Allemands, flooding the town of Kraemer with several feet of water entering some homes as well as the Bayou Bouef Elementary School.

5. Aug 29, 2005Storm Surge/Tide, Lower Lafourche$152 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Storm surge damage in southeast Louisiana, especially in the New Orleans area and the coastal parishes, was catastrophic. Hurricane protection levees and floodwalls were overtopped and/or breached resulting in widespread and deep flooding of homes and businesses. Much of Orleans and Plaquemines Parishes and nearly all of St. Bernard Parish were flooded by storm surge. Approximately 80 percent of the city of New Orleans was flooded. Thousands of people were stranded by the flood waters in homes and buildings and on rooftops for several days and had to be rescued by boat and helicopter. In Jefferson Parish, levees were not compromised, however many homes were flooded by either heavy…

6. Sep 23, 2005Storm Surge/Tide, Lower Lafourche$104 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Rita produced extensive storm surge flooding across coastal areas of southern Terrebonne, southern Lafourche, and southern Jefferson Parishes where numerous homes and businesses were flooded. Some of the most substantial damage occurred in southern Terrebone Parish where storm surge of 5 to 7 feet above normal overtopped or breached local drainage levees inundating many small communities. Newspaper accounts indicated approximately 10,000 structures were flooded in Terrebonne Parish. Lafitte and other coummnities in lower Jefferson Parish also suffered extensive storm surge flooding. Storm surge flooding also occurred in some areas adjacent to Lakes Pontchartrain and…

7. Aug 28, 2005Hurricane (Typhoon), Upper Lafourche$42.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Katrina was one of the strongest and most destructive hurricanes on record to impact the coast of the United States. It will likely be recorded as one the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States to date resulting in catastrophic damage and numerous casualties in southeast Louisiana and along the Mississippi coast. Damage and casualties resulting from Hurricane Katrina extended as far east as Alabama and the panhandle of Florida. Katrina developed from a tropical depression southeast of the Bahamas on August 24th. After moving through the Bahamas as a tropical storm, Katrina strengthened to a category 1 hurricane prior to landfall in south Florida…

8. Aug 28, 2005Hurricane (Typhoon), Lower Lafourche$42.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Katrina was one of the strongest and most destructive hurricanes on record to impact the coast of the United States. It will likely be recorded as one the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States to date resulting in catastrophic damage and numerous casualties in southeast Louisiana and along the Mississippi coast. Damage and casualties resulting from Hurricane Katrina extended as far east as Alabama and the panhandle of Florida. Katrina developed from a tropical depression southeast of the Bahamas on August 24th. After moving through the Bahamas as a tropical storm, Katrina strengthened to a category 1 hurricane prior to landfall in south Florida…

9. Sep 23, 2005Storm Surge/Tide, Upper Lafourche$25.9 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Rita produced extensive storm surge flooding across coastal areas of southern Terrebonne, southern Lafourche, and southern Jefferson Parishes where numerous homes and businesses were flooded. Some of the most substantial damage occurred in southern Terrebone Parish where storm surge of 5 to 7 feet above normal overtopped or breached local drainage levees inundating many small communities. Newspaper accounts indicated approximately 10,000 structures were flooded in Terrebonne Parish. Lafitte and other coummnities in lower Jefferson Parish also suffered extensive storm surge flooding. Storm surge flooding also occurred in some areas adjacent to Lakes Pontchartrain and…

10. Oct 28, 2020Hurricane (Typhoon), Upper Lafourche$25.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Zeta produced widespread damage throughout the parish as a result of strong winds. The winds downed trees and power lines throughout the parish and also resulted in structural damage. According to local officials, 23 homes were destroyed, 59 suffered major damage and 118 sustained minor damage. At least one large metal commercial building collapsed. The damage in upper Lafourche was consistent with category 1 hurricane wind speeds.

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

104°FAug 28, 2023

All-time low

9°FDec 23, 1989

Warmest night

83°FJul 23, 2018

Coldest day

25°FDec 23, 1989

Wettest day

15.16 inJun 7, 2001

Snowiest day

14.0 inFeb 14, 1895

Hottest year

2017mean 71.5°F

Coldest year

2014mean 66.3°F

Wettest year

199198.63 in

Driest year

202333.39 in

Snowiest season

14.0 in1894-95

Station Thibodaux 4 Se (USC00169013), 15 ft elevation, 9.5 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1974 to October 26, 2026; 85.7% 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 USC00169013.
• 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.