Ascension Parish, Louisiana

Parish storm and disaster record · FIPS 22005 · population 126,426 · 290 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 315 records for Ascension Parish, Louisiana from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 216 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (104 records). NOAA records 34 flood or flash floods there since 1996, with 1 death; its 6,783 flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA) rank 73rd of 2,942 U.S. counties; the deadliest named storm on its flood record is Tropical Storm Ida (2021). The deadliest single record is the August 29, 2021 hurricane, filed for the forecast zone Ascension, which covers the county: 1 death and $109 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 58 declarations naming the county since 1965, 55 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm” on January 24, 2026.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $100,000
  • $100,000 or more
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more, or a death
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
  • 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
  • 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
Storm records
315on 216 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
224 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$2.1Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
23strongest F3
FEMA declarations
58latest 2026

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.

What hazards hit Ascension Parish most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 104 since 1965. The rank column places the county among Louisiana's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.

Ascension Parish: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 104 84 1965-2026 0 1 $1.3M 16 of 64
Heat 55 27 2023-2025 0 0 – 20 of 64
Hail 39 27 1956-2025 0 0 $80K 32 of 64
Floods 34 26 1996-2025 1 0 $1.9B 11 of 64
Tornadoes 23 20 1950-2026 0 21 $19M 14 of 64
Hurricanes and tropical storms 18 14 2002-2024 1 2 $169M 10 of 64
Drought 17 11 1998-2026 0 0 $5.3M 27 of 64
Winter storms 7 5 2008-2025 0 0 – 47 of 64
Extreme cold 6 4 1996-2026 0 0 – 9 of 64
Lightning 6 6 1997-2016 0 0 $13K 13 of 64
Heavy rain 4 4 2003-2021 0 0 – 4 of 64
High wind and dust storms 1 1 2006-2006 0 0 $15K 35 of 64
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 1 1 2008-2008 0 0 – 31 of 64

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.

How many tornadoes has Ascension Parish had?

NOAA records 23 tornadoes in Ascension Parish from 1950 to 2026, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 21 injuries recorded in the county. That is 14th of 64 Louisiana counties and 200th of 3,080 U.S. counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.

Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 22 tornadoes whose track touched Ascension Parish since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 23: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 1 person, 0 of them in Ascension Parish.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Ascension Parish, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
2017-02-07 11:04, as SPC files itDonaldsonvilleEF16.13 mi1
1969-04-12 22:30, as SPC files itGonzalesF310.7 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Louisiana.

Every tornado record filed for Ascension Parish (23)
Every tornado recorded in Ascension Parish, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-02-15 Palo Alto, Ascension Parish EF1 6.14 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $225K
2026-02-15 West Miles, Ascension Parish EF1 15.55 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $30K
2025-03-04 Aben, Ascension Parish EF1 1.83 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $100K
2019-10-21 Hohem Solms, Ascension Parish EF0 0.06 mi x 15 yd 0 1 $2K
2019-06-06 Barmen, Ascension Parish EF2 1.6 mi x 50 yd 0 5 –
2019-06-06 Galvez, Ascension Parish EF1 1.73 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2019-04-07 Acy, Ascension Parish EF1 0.79 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $58K
2017-02-07 Donaldsonville, Ascension Parish EF1 4.91 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2016-12-05 Brignac, Ascension Parish EF1 3.4 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2016-02-23 Oak Grove, Ascension Parish EF0 1.61 mi x 200 yd 0 0 –
2012-12-10 Duplessis, Ascension Parish EF1 1.39 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $257K
2012-03-21 Prairieville, Ascension Parish EF1 4.22 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $257K
2009-03-26 Weber City, Ascension Parish EF1 1.75 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $165K
2005-06-17 Prairieville, Ascension Parish F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2003-04-07 Donaldsonville, Ascension Parish F1 1 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $80K
2000-05-28 Gonzales, Ascension Parish F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $428
1983-11-19 Ascension Parish F1 0.5 mi x 100 yd 0 7 $25K step
1976-01-25 Ascension Parish F2 1.1 mi x 33 yd 0 7 $2.5M step
1969-04-12 Ascension Parish F3 10.7 mi x 100 yd 0 1 $250K step
1965-01-22 Ascension Parish F1 0.5 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $3K step
1965-01-22 Ascension Parish F2 1 mi x 267 yd 0 0 $250K step
1950-04-24 Ascension Parish F1 2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1950-03-19 Ascension Parish F2 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.

When was the last damaging storm in Ascension Parish?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the February 15, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($500,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

A fiberglass cooling tower at a chemical plant was damaged by straight line winds.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1320246)
The 12 most recent records kept for Ascension Parish
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-03-01 DroughtAscension Parish · forecast zone Western Ascension Parish 0 0 –
2026-03-01 DroughtAscension Parish · forecast zone Eastern Ascension Parish 0 0 –
2026-02-15 Thunderstorm WindAben, Ascension Parish 52 kt wind 0 0 $500K
2026-02-15 TornadoPalo Alto, Ascension Parish EF1 6.14 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $225K
2026-02-15 TornadoWest Miles, Ascension Parish EF1 15.55 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $30K
2026-01-27 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillAscension Parish · forecast zone Western Ascension Parish 0 0 –
2026-01-27 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillAscension Parish · forecast zone Eastern Ascension Parish 0 0 –
2025-08-21 Thunderstorm WindPalo Alto, Ascension Parish 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2025-08-07 Thunderstorm WindDuckroost, Ascension Parish 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2025-07-30 Flash FloodOak Grove, Ascension Parish 0 0 $28K
2025-07-29 Excessive HeatAscension Parish · forecast zone Eastern Ascension Parish 0 0 –
2025-07-29 Excessive HeatAscension Parish · forecast zone Western Ascension Parish 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.

The deadliest and costliest records

Records with deaths or injuries in Ascension Parish, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2021-08-29 Hurricane (Typhoon)Ascension Parish · forecast zone Ascension The parish suffered widespread damage to trees, powerlines and homes due to Ida’s strong winds. Numerous homes also suffered minor to moderate damage, mainly to roofs, carports and other fascia. A few homes were more severely damaged by falling trees, including one where a man was killed when a tree fell on his home. ... 1 0 $109M
2014-05-28 Flash FloodLouisville, Ascension Parish Heavy rainfall resulted in significant roadway flooding. Numerous roads were reported impassable or closed due to high water in the Gonzales area. According to sheriffs office report, a 56 year old man drowned in the community of Duplessis after slipping and falling in a parking lot and becoming trapped under his ... 1 0 $249K
1983-11-19 TornadoAscension Parish F1 0.5 mi x 100 yd 0 7 $25K step
1976-01-25 TornadoAscension Parish F2 1.1 mi x 33 yd 0 7 $2.5M step
2019-06-06 TornadoBarmen, Ascension Parish A NWS storm survey found damage consistent with an EF2 tornado near Sorrento, near the intersection of Highway 10 and Highway 61. The tornado touched down at a chemical plant and lifted a single wide office trailer, snapping the buried metal tie downs. The trailer was moved 50 feet away, where it landed on several ... EF2 1.6 mi x 50 yd 0 5 –
2024-09-11 Tropical StormAscension Parish · forecast zone Western Ascension Parish Francine’s winds downed trees and powerlines throughout the parish, blocking numerous roads and causing severe damage to at least 10 homes. Strong winds also damaged several mobile homes in the community of Modeste. Two direct injuries occurred as the result of falling trees. A state trooper was injured by a falling ... 0 2 $58K
2019-10-21 TornadoHohem Solms, Ascension Parish A small tornado briefly touched down near River Road near Geismar around 12PM on Monday, October 21. A small warehouse building was damaged. Roof materials and panels were blown off the structure and thrown roughly 50 yards away. That debris damaged another larger warehouse building. That structure sustained some ... EF0 0.06 mi x 15 yd 0 1 $2K
2011-03-05 Thunderstorm WindSorrento, Ascension Parish The Ascension Parish Emergency Manager reported a tree blown down onto a vehicle near the intersection of Highway 44 and Highway 941. Time of the event was estimated by radar. 60 kt wind 0 1 $7K

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

The costliest records in Ascension Parish since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2016-08-13 FloodHobart, Ascension Parish 0 0 $1.3B
2016-08-12 Flash FloodBullion, Ascension Parish 0 0 $566M
2012-08-28 Storm Surge/TideAscension Parish · forecast zone Ascension 0 0 $13M
2005-08-28 Hurricane (Typhoon)Ascension Parish · forecast zone Ascension 0 0 $13M
2008-09-01 Hurricane (Typhoon)Ascension Parish · forecast zone Ascension 0 0 $9.2M
1998-08-01 DroughtAscension Parish · forecast zone Ascension 0 0 $5.0M
2012-08-28 Hurricane (Typhoon)Ascension Parish · forecast zone Ascension 0 0 $1.4M
2001-06-07 FloodAscension Parish · forecast zone Ascension 0 0 $1.3M

Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: January 25, 1976 (tornado, Ascension Parish).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.

Is it getting more frequent?

Records per decade for Ascension Parish's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).

Ascension Parish: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind015815232329
Heat––––00055
Hail1123381110
Floods––––64816
Tornadoes23110493
Hurricanes and tropical storms––––0846

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

Records by month in Ascension Parish. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 17 · Feb 22 · Mar 30 · Apr 29 · May 31 · Jun 21 · Jul 45 · Aug 71 · Sep 14 · Oct 9 · Nov 9 · Dec 17 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Ascension Parish

FEMA's register lists 58 declarations that include Ascension Parish: 39 major disasters, 19 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (29) and flood (14).

Declarations including Ascension Parish, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-01-24EM-3638Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2024-09-16DR-4817HurricaneHurricane Francine
2024-09-10EM-3614HurricaneTropical Storm Francine
2021-09-13EM-3574Coastal StormTropical Storm Nicholas
2021-08-29DR-4611HurricaneHurricane Ida
2021-08-27EM-3568HurricaneTropical Storm Ida
2021-06-02DR-4606FloodSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2021-03-09DR-4590Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms
2021-02-18EM-3556Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm
2021-01-12DR-4577HurricaneHurricane Zeta
2020-10-27EM-3549HurricaneTropical Storm Zeta
2020-10-16DR-4570HurricaneHurricane Delta
2020-10-07EM-3547HurricaneHurricane Delta
2020-09-14EM-3543HurricaneHurricane Sally
2020-08-28DR-4559HurricaneHurricane Laura
2020-08-23EM-3538HurricaneTropical Storms Laura and Marco
2020-06-07EM-3527Coastal StormTropical Storm Cristobal
2020-03-24DR-4484BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3459BiologicalCovid-19
2019-08-27DR-4458HurricaneHurricane Barry
2019-07-11EM-3416Coastal StormTropical Storm Barry
2016-08-14DR-4277FloodSevere Storms and Flooding
2016-03-13DR-4263FloodSevere Storms and Flooding
2012-08-29DR-4080HurricaneHurricane Isaac
2012-08-27EM-3347HurricaneTropical Storm Isaac
2011-08-18DR-4015FloodFlooding
2011-05-06EM-3322FloodFlooding
2008-09-02DR-1786HurricaneHurricane Gustav
2008-08-29EM-3289HurricaneHurricane Gustav
2005-09-24DR-1607HurricaneHurricane Rita
2005-09-21EM-3260HurricaneHurricane Rita
2005-08-29DR-1603HurricaneHurricane Katrina
2005-08-27EM-3212HurricaneHurricane Katrina
2004-09-15DR-1548HurricaneHurricane Ivan
2003-02-01EM-3172OtherLoss of Space Shuttle Columbia
2002-10-03DR-1437HurricaneHurricane Lili
2001-06-11DR-1380Coastal StormTropical Storm Allison
1998-09-23DR-1246HurricaneHurricane Georges/Ts Frances
1995-05-10DR-1049Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
1993-02-02DR-978FloodSevere Storms & Flooding

The 40 most recent of 58 are listed; the CSV has every one.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.

How many floods has Ascension Parish had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 34 flood or flash flood records for Ascension Parish from 1996 to 2025, on 26 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Ascension Parish ranks 73rd of 2,942 U.S. counties. The 100 counties with the most claims

Named storms on Ascension Parish's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Tropical Storm Ida2021-08-2921
Tropical Storm Francine2024-09-1120
Tropical Storm Zeta2020-10-2810
Hurricane Delta2020-10-0910
Hurricane Isaac2012-08-2820
Hurricane Gustav2008-09-0110
Hurricane Katrina2005-08-2820
Hurricane Lili2002-10-0210
Tropical Storm Isidore2002-09-2510
Tropical Storm Allison2001-06-0630

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $354 million on 6,783 claims filed in Ascension Parish; the most in one year was 3,947 in 2016. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1978: 1 · 1979: 193 · 1980: 166 · 1981: 5 · 1982: 2 · 1983: 310 · 1984: 19 · 1985: 45 · 1987: 9 · 1988: 44 · 1989: 1 · 1990: 76 · 1991: 46 · 1992: 57 · 1993: 100 · 1994: 29 · 1995: 50 · 1996: 9 · 1997: 43 · 1998: 80 · 1999: 3 · 2000: 1 · 2001: 355 · 2002: 26 · 2003: 25 · 2004: 7 · 2005: 167 · 2006: 23 · 2007: 4 · 2008: 71 · 2009: 24 · 2010: 7 · 2011: 5 · 2012: 228 · 2013: 32 · 2014: 153 · 2015: 8 · 2016: 3,947 · 2017: 18 · 2018: 10 · 2019: 24 · 2020: 57 · 2021: 268 · 2022: 12 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 16 · 2025: 1 · 2026: 5; the other years: 0.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk for Ascension Parish

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ascension Parish Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $120 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.

National Risk Index ratings for Ascension Parish (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
HurricaneRelatively High$74Monce in about 4 years (modeled)
TornadoRelatively High$13Monce in about 4 years (modeled)
LightningRelatively High$1.2M87 a year (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$3.5M15 modeled event-days a year
Cold WaveRelatively Moderate$4.4Mabout once a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively Moderate$1.0M19 modeled event-days a year
Coastal FloodingRelatively Moderate$2.2M3.8 a year (modeled)
Riverine FloodingRelatively Moderate$18Mabout once a year (modeled)

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Ascension Parish

  1. East Baton Rouge Parish 735
  2. Livingston Parish 510
  3. Ascension Parish 315
  4. Iberville Parish 239
  5. St. John the Baptist Parish 194
  6. Assumption Parish 164
  7. St. James Parish 159

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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