Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana

Parish storm and disaster record · FIPS 22075 · population 23,448 · 781 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 384 records for Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 213 days; the most frequent are hurricane and tropical storm records (94 records). 211 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. NOAA records 11 flood or flash floods there since 1996, with 0 deaths; its 6,086 flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA) rank 81st of 2,942 U.S. counties; the deadliest named storm on its flood record is Hurricane Isaac (2012). The deadliest day on its record was January 21, 2025: heavy snow records filed for Plaquemines Parish that day count 3 deaths across 3 records. FEMA has issued 45 declarations naming the county since 1965, 42 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
384on 213 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
911 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$9.3Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
35strongest F3
FEMA declarations
45latest 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 Plaquemines Parish most?

The most frequent records are hurricane and tropical storm records: 94 since 1997. 60% of its hurricane and tropical storm records since 1997 fell in August and September. 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.

Plaquemines Parish: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Hurricanes and tropical storms 94 41 1997-2024 5 0 $9.3B 8 of 64
Severe thunderstorm wind 84 70 1957-2026 0 0 $1.3M 62 of 64
Heat 68 24 2010-2025 1 0 – 37 of 64
Tornadoes 35 30 1957-2025 0 11 $4.5M 47 of 64
Drought 27 11 1998-2026 0 0 $905K 47 of 64
Hail 27 18 1955-2023 0 0 – 63 of 64
Floods 11 10 1996-2021 0 0 $209K 63 of 64
Extreme cold 9 4 1996-2025 0 0 $135K 36 of 64
Winter storms 9 4 2004-2025 3 0 – 63 of 64
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 8 7 2004-2009 0 0 – 14 of 64
Heavy rain 6 4 2006-2021 0 0 – 15 of 64
High wind and dust storms 4 3 1996-2019 0 0 $2K 32 of 64
Lightning 2 2 1998-2020 0 0 $23K 49 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 Plaquemines Parish had?

NOAA records 35 tornadoes in Plaquemines Parish from 1957 to 2025, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 11 injuries recorded in the county. 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 37 tornadoes whose track touched Plaquemines Parish since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 35: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Louisiana.

Every tornado record filed for Plaquemines Parish (35)
Every tornado recorded in Plaquemines Parish, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-03-04 Happy Jack, Plaquemines Parish EF1 2.77 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $10K
2025-03-04 Deer Range, Plaquemines Parish EF1 5.54 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $300K
2022-12-14 Happy Jack, Plaquemines Parish EFU 7.14 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2019-05-04 Oakville, Plaquemines Parish EFU 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2016-05-19 Cedar Grove, Plaquemines Parish EF0 0.05 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2012-01-26 Venice, Plaquemines Parish EF0 0.24 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $13K
2011-05-13 Buras, Plaquemines Parish EF0 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $1K
2008-02-12 Myrtle Grove, Plaquemines Parish EF0 0.1 mi x 15 yd 0 0 –
2006-11-15 Buras, Plaquemines Parish F1 0.5 mi x 35 yd 0 0 $15K
2006-05-04 Belle Chasse, Plaquemines Parish F0 0.2 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2005-06-30 Belle Chasse, Plaquemines Parish F0 0.2 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2005-04-06 Bertrandville, Plaquemines Parish F1 8 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $151K
2005-04-06 Port Sulphur, Plaquemines Parish F1 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $30K
2004-11-02 Belle Chasse, Plaquemines Parish F0 0.3 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $16K
2001-10-13 Buras, Plaquemines Parish F0 0.3 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $25K
2001-10-11 Port Sulphur, Plaquemines Parish F1 0.5 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $58K
2000-11-16 Boothville, Plaquemines Parish F1 0.3 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $86K
2000-07-18 Empire, Plaquemines Parish F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $2K
1999-03-13 Alliance, Plaquemines Parish F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $9K
1991-06-11 Plaquemines Parish F0 0.5 mi x 13 yd 0 0 –
1986-03-19 Plaquemines Parish F0 0.1 mi x 17 yd 0 1 –
1982-12-15 Plaquemines Parish F1 1 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $25K step
1971-09-16 Plaquemines Parish F0 0.2 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –
1970-12-30 Plaquemines Parish F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $3K step
1968-06-20 Plaquemines Parish F1 0.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1967-10-30 Plaquemines Parish F2 0.2 mi x 10 yd 0 1 $25K step
1967-10-30 Plaquemines Parish F2 1 mi x 10 yd 0 5 $250K step
1967-09-06 Plaquemines Parish F1 0.1 mi x 7 yd 0 0 $25K step
1966-05-26 Plaquemines Parish F1 0.1 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $250 step
1965-03-01 Plaquemines Parish F2 0.5 mi x 67 yd 0 1 $25K step
1961-11-13 Plaquemines Parish F1 1 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $3K step
1957-11-13 Plaquemines Parish F3 3.6 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $250 step
1957-11-13 Plaquemines Parish F2 0.5 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $3K step
1957-03-31 Plaquemines Parish F1 1 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $25K step
1957-03-31 Plaquemines Parish F1 1 mi x 100 yd 0 3 $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 Plaquemines Parish?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 4, 2025 tornado ($10,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

An EF-1 tornado quickly developed near LA Hwy 23, blowing over several power poles before crossing the Mississippi River. Numerous trees were visibly damaged on high resolution satellite imagery across the river with a faint damage path continuing into the marsh thereafter. The end point is estimated by radar and high resolution satellite imagery.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1246446)
The 12 most recent records kept for Plaquemines Parish
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-05-08 Thunderstorm WindSone Chasse, Plaquemines Parish 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-01 DroughtPlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Upper Plaquemines Parish 0 0 –
2026-03-01 DroughtPlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Lower Plaquemines 0 0 –
2026-03-01 DroughtPlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Central Plaquemines Parish 0 0 –
2026-02-24 DroughtPlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Central Plaquemines Parish 0 0 –
2026-02-24 DroughtPlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Upper Plaquemines Parish 0 0 –
2026-02-24 DroughtPlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Lower Plaquemines 0 0 –
2025-07-28 Excessive HeatPlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Central Plaquemines Parish 0 0 –
2025-07-28 Excessive HeatPlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Upper Plaquemines Parish 0 0 –
2025-07-23 Excessive HeatPlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Upper Plaquemines Parish 0 0 –
2025-07-23 Excessive HeatPlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Central Plaquemines Parish 0 0 –
2025-05-07 Thunderstorm WindBelle Chasse, Plaquemines Parish 50 kt wind 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 Plaquemines Parish, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2012-08-28 Storm Surge/TidePlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Lower Plaquemines Isaac entered the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical storm on August 26, moving northwest after crossing Haiti, Cuba and the Florida Straits. Isaac strengthened into a hurricane on the morning of the 28th when it was 75 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Isaac made landfall in Plaquemines Parish as ... 2 0 $64M
2005-08-28 Hurricane (Typhoon)Plaquemines Parish · forecast zone Lower Plaquemines 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 ... 2 0 $2.3B
2025-01-21 Heavy SnowPlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Upper Plaquemines Parish Several inches of snow fell across the parish beginning in the early morning hours and tapering off mid afternoon. Highest reported amount was 9 inches in Belle Chasse. 1 0 –
2025-01-21 Heavy SnowPlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Central Plaquemines Parish Several inches of snow fell across the parish beginning in the early morning hours and tapering off mid afternoon. 1 0 –
2025-01-21 Heavy SnowPlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Lower Plaquemines Several inches of snow fell across the parish beginning in the early morning hours and tapering off mid afternoon. 1 0 –
2010-08-01 Excessive HeatPlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Lower Plaquemines A 40 year old man died due to heat stroke while fishing in Delacroix. Heat index values were near 110 degrees in the area at the time. 1 0 –
2009-11-09 Tropical StormPlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Lower Plaquemines A 70 year old man drowned in the Mississippi River near Fort Jackson when he attempted to assist two boaters in distress. Unfortunately, elderly man's boat flipped over and he was thrown into the river and drowned. The initial two boaters were rescued. 1 0 –
1967-10-30 TornadoPlaquemines Parish F2 1 mi x 10 yd 0 5 $250K 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.

The costliest records in Plaquemines Parish since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2005-08-28 Hurricane (Typhoon)Plaquemines Parish · forecast zone Upper Plaquemines 0 0 $2.3B
2005-08-29 Storm Surge/TidePlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Upper Plaquemines 0 0 $1.5B
2021-08-29 Hurricane (Typhoon)Plaquemines Parish · forecast zone Upper Plaquemines 0 0 $109M
2012-08-28 Storm Surge/TidePlaquemines Parish · forecast zone Lower Plaquemines 2 0 $64M
2021-08-29 Hurricane (Typhoon)Plaquemines Parish · forecast zone Lower Plaquemines 0 0 $54M
2020-10-28 Hurricane (Typhoon)Plaquemines Parish · forecast zone Upper Plaquemines 0 0 $29M
1998-09-27 Hurricane (Typhoon)Plaquemines Parish · forecast zone Lower Plaquemines 0 0 $18M
2004-09-15 Hurricane (Typhoon)Plaquemines Parish · forecast zone Lower Plaquemines 0 0 $13M

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 $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: October 30, 1967 (tornado, Plaquemines 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 Plaquemines 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).

Plaquemines Parish: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Hurricanes and tropical storms––––10451920
Severe thunderstorm wind2313141220137
Heat––––00167
Tornadoes472221143
Drought––––40023
Hail212332410

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

What time of year?

60% of its hurricane and tropical storm records since 1997 fell in August and September. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 15 · Feb 17 · Mar 36 · Apr 16 · May 30 · Jun 31 · Jul 40 · Aug 87 · Sep 48 · Oct 30 · Nov 17 · Dec 17 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Plaquemines Parish

FEMA's register lists 45 declarations that include Plaquemines Parish: 26 major disasters, 19 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (32) and coastal storm (4).

Declarations including Plaquemines Parish, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-01-24EM-3638Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2024-09-16DR-4817HurricaneHurricane Francine
2024-09-10EM-3614HurricaneTropical Storm Francine
2023-09-27EM-3600OtherSeawater Intrusion
2021-09-13EM-3574Coastal StormTropical Storm Nicholas
2021-08-29DR-4611HurricaneHurricane Ida
2021-08-27EM-3568HurricaneTropical Storm Ida
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
2017-10-16DR-4345HurricaneTropical Storm Harvey
2017-10-06EM-3392HurricaneTropical Storm Nate
2016-02-05EM-3376FloodFlooding
2012-08-29DR-4080HurricaneHurricane Isaac
2012-08-27EM-3347HurricaneTropical Storm Isaac
2011-10-28DR-4041Coastal StormTropical Storm Lee
2008-09-13DR-1792HurricaneHurricane Ike
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
2005-08-23DR-1601Severe StormTropical Storm Cindy
2004-09-15DR-1548HurricaneHurricane Ivan
2002-10-03DR-1437HurricaneHurricane Lili
2002-09-27DR-1435HurricaneTropical Storm Isidore
1998-09-23DR-1246HurricaneHurricane Georges/Ts Frances
1992-08-26DR-956HurricaneHurricane Andrew

The 40 most recent of 45 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 Plaquemines Parish had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 11 flood or flash flood records for Plaquemines Parish from 1996 to 2021, on 10 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Plaquemines Parish ranks 81st of 2,942 U.S. counties. The 100 counties with the most claims

Named storms on Plaquemines Parish's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Hurricane Isaac2012-08-2842
Hurricane Katrina2005-08-2842
Tropical Storm Ida2021-08-2840
Tropical Storm Zeta2020-10-2830
Tropical Storm Lee2011-09-0210
Hurricane Gustav2008-09-0130
Hurricane Rita2005-09-2310
Tropical Storm Cindy2005-07-0530
Hurricane Ivan2004-09-1530
Hurricane Lili2002-10-0220

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $382 million on 6,086 claims filed in Plaquemines Parish; the most in one year was 3,732 in 2005. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1978: 10 · 1979: 23 · 1980: 39 · 1981: 4 · 1982: 8 · 1983: 193 · 1984: 6 · 1985: 70 · 1987: 2 · 1988: 10 · 1989: 61 · 1990: 29 · 1991: 55 · 1992: 41 · 1993: 7 · 1994: 2 · 1995: 12 · 1996: 5 · 1997: 64 · 1998: 78 · 1999: 5 · 2000: 1 · 2001: 15 · 2002: 102 · 2003: 38 · 2004: 35 · 2005: 3,732 · 2006: 6 · 2007: 4 · 2008: 149 · 2009: 10 · 2011: 35 · 2012: 780 · 2013: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2017: 6 · 2018: 1 · 2019: 10 · 2020: 38 · 2021: 382 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 12; 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 Plaquemines Parish

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Plaquemines Parish Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $28.1 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 Plaquemines Parish (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
HurricaneRelatively High$19Monce in about 4 years (modeled)
Coastal FloodingRelatively High$2.8M4 a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively Moderate$961K28 modeled event-days a year
Heat WaveRelatively Low$589K11 modeled event-days a year
LightningRelatively Low$216K81 a year (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively Low$709Konce in about 2 years (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Low$773Kabout once a year (modeled)
EarthquakeVery Low$64Konce in about 1,287 years (modeled)

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

Counties that share a border with Plaquemines Parish

  1. Jefferson Parish 768
  2. Orleans Parish 628
  3. Plaquemines Parish 384
  4. St. Bernard Parish 339

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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