St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
Parish storm and disaster record · FIPS 22099 · population 51,686 · 738 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 239 records for St. Martin Parish, Louisiana from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 184 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (85 records). The deadliest single record is the April 2, 2017 tornado: 2 deaths and $18,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 54 declarations naming the county since 1965, 51 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
- 239on 184 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 634 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $606Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 25strongest F3
- FEMA declarations
- 54latest 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 St. Martin Parish most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 85 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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 85 | 70 | 1965-2026 | 1 | 3 | $1.1M | 59 of 64 |
| Floods | 39 | 35 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $293M | 28 of 64 |
| Hail | 39 | 30 | 1984-2025 | 0 | 0 | $20K | 55 of 64 |
| Tornadoes | 25 | 23 | 1952-2024 | 3 | 30 | $24M | 61 of 64 |
| Winter storms | 20 | 15 | 2007-2025 | 0 | 0 | $13K | 41 of 64 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 16 | 12 | 1998-2024 | 2 | 0 | $268M | 28 of 64 |
| Drought | 6 | 5 | 1996-2023 | 0 | 0 | $19M | 57 of 64 |
| Heat | 4 | 3 | 2000-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 55 of 64 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 2 | 2013-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 24 of 64 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | 2006-2013 | 0 | 1 | $63K | 48 of 64 |
| Extreme cold | 1 | 1 | 2010-2010 | 0 | 0 | – | 58 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 St. Martin Parish had?
NOAA records 25 tornadoes in St. Martin Parish from 1952 to 2024, the strongest rated F3, with 3 deaths and 30 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 26 tornadoes whose track touched St. Martin Parish since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 25: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 7 people, 3 of them in St. Martin Parish.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-04-04 03:30, as SPC files it | Sunset | F2 | 20.4 mi | 4 |
| 2017-04-02 08:47, as SPC files it | Breaux Bridge | EF1 | 0.8 mi | 2 |
| 1977-04-21 05:15, as SPC files it | Breaux Bridge | F3 | 3.8 mi | 1 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Louisiana.
Every tornado record filed for St. Martin Parish (25)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-13 | Atchafalaya, St. Martin Parish | EFU 3.64 mi x 1 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-05-13 | Atchafalaya, St. Martin Parish | EFU 4.18 mi x 1 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-05-13 | Cecelia, St. Martin Parish | EF2 8.61 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $235K |
| 2022-12-15 | Bankers, St. Martin Parish | EF1 0.09 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 2021-01-06 | Parks, St. Martin Parish | EF1 1.16 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $54K |
| 2017-04-02 | Patin, St. Martin Parish | EF1 0.8 mi x 20 yd | 2 | 0 | $18K |
| 2013-01-13 | Patin, St. Martin Parish | EF1 0.38 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $127K |
| 2013-01-10 | Breaux Bridge, St. Martin Parish | EF1 2.06 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $253K |
| 2009-05-04 | Catahoula, St. Martin Parish | EF1 0.62 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 3 | $103K |
| 2008-05-15 | Breaux Bridge, St. Martin Parish | EF1 3.79 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.1M |
| 2008-02-12 | St Martinville, St. Martin Parish | EF0 0.26 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $21K |
| 2007-02-13 | Ruth, St. Martin Parish | EF2 4.31 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 3 | $2.1M |
| 2006-09-21 | Cade, St. Martin Parish | F0 1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1994-03-09 | St. Martinville, St. Martin Parish | F1 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 1992-11-21 | St. Martin Parish | F2 13 mi x 73 yd | 0 | 3 | $250K step |
| 1992-11-01 | St. Martin Parish | F2 0.5 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1991-06-24 | St. Martin Parish | F0 0.5 mi x 13 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1988-10-26 | St. Martin Parish | F0 0.3 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1988-06-18 | St. Martin Parish | F1 0.4 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1977-04-21 | St. Martin Parish | F3 3.8 mi x 440 yd | 1 | 11 | $2.5M step |
| 1977-03-28 | St. Martin Parish | F1 | 0 | 3 | $25K step |
| 1971-09-16 | St. Martin Parish | F1 3.3 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 6 | $25K step |
| 1965-01-22 | St. Martin Parish | F1 0.2 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1953-11-21 | St. Martin Parish | F2 13.6 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1952-04-04 | St. Martin Parish | F2 7.2 mi x 67 yd | 0 | 0 | $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.
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 St. Martin Parish?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 21, 2026 flash flood ($25,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-21 | Flash FloodBushville, St. Martin Parish | 0 | 0 | $25K | |
| 2026-05-09 | Flash FloodCecelia, St. Martin Parish | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-14 | Thunderstorm WindBreaux Bridge, St. Martin Parish | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-06-13 | Thunderstorm WindBreaux Bridge, St. Martin Parish | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-06-13 | Flash FloodCade, St. Martin Parish | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-04-24 | Flash FloodCade, St. Martin Parish | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-04-22 | HailBushville, St. Martin Parish | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-31 | Flash FloodBreaux Bridge, St. Martin Parish | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-29 | Flash FloodCecilia, St. Martin Parish | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-24 | Thunderstorm WindBreaux Bridge, St. Martin Parish | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-01-21 | Winter StormSt. Martin Parish · forecast zone Lower St. Martin | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-01-21 | Winter StormSt. Martin Parish · forecast zone Upper St. Martin | 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
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-04-02 | TornadoPatin, St. Martin Parish A tornado touched down in a field off of Zin Zin Road, and caused a single wide mobile home to roll over. The walls and roof separated from the frame. A 38 year old woman and a 3 year old girl died in the mobile home. Maximum winds were estimated at 110 MPH. | EF1 0.8 mi x 20 yd | 2 | 0 | $18K |
| 1977-04-21 | TornadoSt. Martin Parish | F3 3.8 mi x 440 yd | 1 | 11 | $2.5M step |
| 2020-10-09 | Tropical StormSt. Martin Parish · forecast zone Upper St. Martin Wind gusts to near hurricane force and heavy rainfall lead to numerous downed trees and power lines across the parish. An 86 year old male refueled a hot generator and was killed by the resulting fire in Saint Martinville. | 1 | 0 | $91M | |
| 2008-09-01 | Hurricane (Typhoon)St. Martin Parish · forecast zone Upper St. Martin Hurricane Gustav moved across upper St. Martin Parish, damaging over 1000 homes and businesses. The hardest hit areas were Breaux Bridge to St. Martinville. A St. Martinville woman died in a house fire caused by a candle. | 1 | 0 | $89M | |
| 1992-06-13 | Thunderstorm WindSt. Martin Parish | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1971-09-16 | TornadoSt. Martin Parish | F1 3.3 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 6 | $25K step |
| 2009-05-04 | TornadoCatahoula, St. Martin Parish An EF1 Tornado with a path length of just over a half a mile and path width of 50 yards moved across the LeBlanc subdivision west of Catahoula. The tornado began in a field near the intersection of LD Drive and Higginbotham Road with large tree branches blown down and debris thrown into trees. Moving east-northeast, ... | EF1 0.62 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 3 | $103K |
| 2007-02-13 | TornadoRuth, St. Martin Parish Wind speeds were estimated between 110 and 120 mph, or on the low end of EF2. This tornado was spawned by the same storm that produced the Youngsville tornado. The tornado began southwest of the intersection of Poydras Highway and Eunice Road and moved northeast, ending past Nursery Highway. Several brick homes had ... | EF2 4.31 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 3 | $2.1M |
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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-08-14 | FloodAnse La Butte, St. Martin Parish | 0 | 0 | $123M | |
| 2008-09-01 | Hurricane (Typhoon)St. Martin Parish · forecast zone Upper St. Martin | 1 | 0 | $89M | |
| 2002-10-03 | Hurricane (Typhoon)St. Martin Parish · forecast zone Upper St. Martin | 0 | 0 | $48M | |
| 2016-08-12 | Flash FloodBushville, St. Martin Parish | 0 | 0 | $37M | |
| 2020-10-09 | Tropical StormSt. Martin Parish · forecast zone Lower St. Martin | 0 | 0 | $23M | |
| 1998-08-01 | DroughtSt. Martin Parish · forecast zone Upper St. Martin | 0 | 0 | $17M | |
| 2020-08-26 | Tropical StormSt. Martin Parish · forecast zone Upper St. Martin | 0 | 0 | $11M | |
| 2013-01-08 | Flash FloodCade, St. Martin Parish | 0 | 0 | $6.4M |
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: April 21, 1977 (tornado, St. Martin Parish, 1 killed).
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 St. Martin 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).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 18 | 20 | 9 | 21 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 7 | 8 | 16 | 8 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 15 | 5 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 3 | 12 | 5 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | – | – | – | – | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 |
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 St. Martin Parish. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 22 · Feb 16 · Mar 27 · Apr 26 · May 35 · Jun 36 · Jul 9 · Aug 23 · Sep 11 · Oct 9 · Nov 13 · Dec 12 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for St. Martin Parish
FEMA's register lists 54 declarations that include St. Martin Parish: 34 major disasters, 20 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (29) and flood (12).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3638 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2024-09-16 | DR-4817 | Hurricane | Hurricane Francine |
| 2024-09-10 | EM-3614 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Francine |
| 2021-09-13 | EM-3574 | Coastal Storm | Tropical Storm Nicholas |
| 2021-08-29 | DR-4611 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ida |
| 2021-08-27 | EM-3568 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Ida |
| 2021-03-09 | DR-4590 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 2021-02-18 | EM-3556 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2021-01-12 | DR-4577 | Hurricane | Hurricane Zeta |
| 2020-10-27 | EM-3549 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Zeta |
| 2020-10-16 | DR-4570 | Hurricane | Hurricane Delta |
| 2020-10-07 | EM-3547 | Hurricane | Hurricane Delta |
| 2020-09-14 | EM-3543 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sally |
| 2020-08-28 | DR-4559 | Hurricane | Hurricane Laura |
| 2020-08-23 | EM-3538 | Hurricane | Tropical Storms Laura and Marco |
| 2020-06-07 | EM-3527 | Coastal Storm | Tropical Storm Cristobal |
| 2020-03-24 | DR-4484 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3459 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-09-19 | DR-4462 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2019-08-27 | DR-4458 | Hurricane | Hurricane Barry |
| 2019-07-11 | EM-3416 | Coastal Storm | Tropical Storm Barry |
| 2019-05-29 | EM-3413 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2017-10-06 | EM-3392 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Nate |
| 2016-08-14 | DR-4277 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2012-08-29 | DR-4080 | Hurricane | Hurricane Isaac |
| 2012-08-27 | EM-3347 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Isaac |
| 2011-08-18 | DR-4015 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2011-05-06 | EM-3322 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2008-09-13 | DR-1792 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ike |
| 2008-09-02 | DR-1786 | Hurricane | Hurricane Gustav |
| 2008-08-29 | EM-3289 | Hurricane | Hurricane Gustav |
| 2007-02-23 | DR-1685 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Tornadoes |
| 2005-09-24 | DR-1607 | Hurricane | Hurricane Rita |
| 2005-09-21 | EM-3260 | Hurricane | Hurricane Rita |
| 2005-08-29 | DR-1603 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina |
| 2005-08-27 | EM-3212 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina |
| 2004-09-15 | DR-1548 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ivan |
| 2004-06-08 | DR-1521 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2003-02-01 | EM-3172 | Other | Loss of Space Shuttle Columbia |
| 2002-10-03 | DR-1437 | Hurricane | Hurricane Lili |
The 40 most recent of 54 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 St. Martin Parish had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 39 flood or flash flood records for St. Martin Parish from 1996 to 2026, on 35 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), St. Martin Parish ranks 250th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Delta | 2020-10-09 | 2 | 1 |
| Hurricane Gustav | 2008-09-01 | 1 | 1 |
| Hurricane Ida | 2021-08-29 | 1 | 0 |
| Hurricane Laura | 2020-08-26 | 2 | 0 |
| Hurricane Rita | 2005-09-23 | 1 | 0 |
| Hurricane Lili | 2002-10-03 | 1 | 0 |
| Tropical Storm Allison | 2001-06-06 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $28.2 million on 1,466 claims filed in St. Martin Parish; the most in one year was 323 in 2016. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 1 · 1979: 47 · 1980: 45 · 1981: 1 · 1982: 11 · 1983: 19 · 1984: 22 · 1985: 9 · 1986: 1 · 1987: 2 · 1989: 17 · 1990: 10 · 1991: 106 · 1992: 5 · 1993: 33 · 1994: 11 · 1995: 17 · 1996: 3 · 1997: 78 · 1998: 4 · 1999: 11 · 2000: 1 · 2001: 65 · 2002: 18 · 2003: 2 · 2004: 96 · 2005: 24 · 2006: 5 · 2007: 1 · 2008: 82 · 2009: 5 · 2010: 2 · 2011: 103 · 2012: 31 · 2013: 11 · 2014: 7 · 2015: 9 · 2016: 323 · 2017: 24 · 2018: 8 · 2019: 130 · 2020: 4 · 2021: 13 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 32 · 2025: 7 · 2026: 9; 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 St. Martin Parish
FEMA's National Risk Index rates St. Martin Parish Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $47.0 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively High | $21M | once in about 5 years (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively High | $1.4M | 22 modeled event-days a year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | $5.4M | 1 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively High | $753K | 87 a year (modeled) |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively High | $3.2M | 3.7 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $4.9M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $157K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $995K | 10 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with St. Martin Parish
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in LouisianaEvery Louisiana tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind in LouisianaThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, by county, year and month
- The Louisiana recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in St. Martin ParishThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download St. Martin Parish's FEMA declarations (CSV)54 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis