Louisiana floods

Every recorded flood since 1996 · 64 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 3,330 floods and flash floods in Louisiana from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 109 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 13, 2016 flood: 12 deaths and $8.6 billion in damage in 2025 dollars across 21 records. Louisiana ranks 26th of 52 states and territories by count and 26th of 51 per square mile.

Floods in Louisiana, 1996 to 2026

Flood records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

recorded, no damage figure
under $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
a year with a death

Records: 3,3301996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 109average
Deaths: 3921 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $13.5Bas filed
Busiest year: 2016284 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are floods and flash floods common in Louisiana?

Louisiana averages about 109 floods and flash floods a year since 2000, 26th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2016 (284). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Louisiana records 771 floods and flash floods since 1996, 26th of 51 states and territories by that measure.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Louisiana have the most floods and flash floods?

Per square mile, Orleans Parish leads Louisiana: 104 days with a flood since 1996, 613.6 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Caddo Parish has the most flood records (287 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

Orleans Parish 613.6 (215)
Jefferson Parish 255.9 (111)
Lafayette Parish 226.9 (63)
St. Charles Parish 190.8 (67)
East Baton Rouge Parish 142.7 (124)
Caddo Parish 125.1 (287)
Calcasieu Parish 110.9 (131)
St. Tammany Parish 101.7 (164)
Bossier Parish 98.9 (158)
Ouachita Parish 96.7 (122)
Ascension Parish 89.7 (34)
St. John the Baptist Parish 83.9 (18)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is flood season in Louisiana?

Louisiana's floods and flash floods by month. The busiest month is March (466 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 241 · Feb 124 · Mar 466 · Apr 412 · May 453 · Jun 425 · Jul 258 · Aug 261 · Sep 180 · Oct 266 · Nov 104 · Dec 140 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest floods and flash floods in Louisiana?

Louisiana: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2016-08-13	FloodPlains, East Baton Rouge Parish One storm episode: 21 records in 14 places, 2016-08-13 to 2016-08-15; the totals are the episode's. A slow moving low pressure system brought widespread showers and thunderstorms to the area. The system tapped into deep tropical moisture resulting in very intense rainfall across a large portion of the area. Two-day rainfall totals of 10 inches or more were common across areas generally to the west and northwest of ...	12	0	$8.6B
2016-03-12	Flash FloodClear Lake, Natchitoches Parish One storm episode: 7 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. A strong upper level low pressure system settled over northern Mexico on March 8th, and became stationary through March 12th as it was cut off from the upper level jet stream, with a blocking upper ridge having developed over Florida and the western Atlantic. Meanwhile, a weak frontal boundary entered the region from ...	3	3	$61M
2011-04-27	Flash FloodMonroe, Ouachita Parish One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. A very volatile atmosphere developed during the late afternoon...evening and overnight hours of April 26th across the Four State Region. An area of low pressure moved from the Texas Hill Country into Northeast Texas during the afternoon. Meanwhile, a warm front had moved northward from central Louisiana and was ...	2	0	$26K
2021-05-17	Flash FloodLake Charles Lake, Calcasieu Parish One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A cold front moved in and stalled while multiple upper level disturbances moved through. High moisture levels and ample lift provided a few days of flooding and severe thunderstorms.	2	0	$545M
2021-05-17	Flash FloodWestminster, East Baton Rouge Parish One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. In the overnight hours on May 17th into the early morning on May 18th, a cluster of slow moving severe thunderstorms associated with a weak mid-level disturbance drifted east across southeastern Louisiana. Ample overnight instability and weak steering flow resulted in damaging wind gusts, flash flooding and a few ...	2	0	–
2019-04-13	Flash FloodBawcomville, Ouachita Parish One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. A strong upper level trough entered the Southern Plains during the afternoon hours of April 12th, which allowed southerly low level winds to gradually return warm and moist air from the Gulf of Mexico north into East Texas and North Louisiana. An upper level disturbance ejecting northeast ahead of the trough across ...	2	0	–
2015-05-18	Flash FloodVienna, Lincoln Parish High and swift water across Little River Road north of Ruston, Louisiana swept a vehicle off the roadway into Colvin Creek. The vehicle was occupied by an adult and 2 children. One of the children drowned while the other child and the adult were injured but survived.	1	2	$12K
2016-08-13	Flash FloodSieper, Rapides Parish One storm episode: 12 records in 12 places, 2016-08-13 to 2016-08-14; the totals are the episode's. A very slow moving area of low pressure moved west across South Louisiana. Very high moisture content and slow moving bands of rain generated efficient rain producing storms that left rainfall totals at some locations over 20 inches. A couple of severe storms also occurred during the period.	1	1	$741M
2021-08-29	Tropical Storm Ida · Flash FloodMc Dologhville, Orleans Parish Significant street flooding occurred in a few parts of the parish, though no homes were reported to take on water. One man drowned when he drove into a flooded underpass on I-10.	1	0	–
2015-04-14	Flash FloodRaceland, Lafourche Parish A 3 year old fell into a drainage canal and was swept away by a strong current due to flooding rains. The child's body was recovered about 75 yards downstream about 15 minutes later.	1	0	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest floods and flash floods in Louisiana

Louisiana: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2016-08-13	FloodPlains, East Baton Rouge Parish One storm episode: 21 records in 14 places, 2016-08-13 to 2016-08-15; the totals are the episode's.	12	0	$8.6B
2016-08-14	FloodMouton, Lafayette Parish One storm episode: 10 records in 8 places; the totals are the episode's.	0	0	$1.7B
2016-08-13	Flash FloodSieper, Rapides Parish One storm episode: 12 records in 12 places, 2016-08-13 to 2016-08-14; the totals are the episode's.	1	1	$741M
2021-05-17	Flash FloodLake Charles Lake, Calcasieu Parish One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's.	2	0	$545M
2008-09-02	Hurricane Gustav · Flash FloodLiddieville, Franklin Parish One named storm filed by several offices: 17 records in 3 episodes, 2008-09-02 to 2008-09-03; the totals are the storm's.	0	0	$533M
2013-01-10	FloodEunice Airport, St. Landry Parish One storm episode: 15 records in 12 places; the totals are the episode's.	0	0	$321M
2012-03-12	Flash FloodCarencro, Lafayette Parish One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's.	0	0	$217M
2016-03-10	FloodBurr Ferry, Vernon Parish One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's.	0	0	$172M

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are floods and flash floods becoming more frequent in Louisiana?

Louisiana's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Floods: Louisiana and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	Louisiana	United States	Louisiana's share
1996-99	363	20,986	1.7%
2000s	787	54,913	1.4%
2010s	1,138	68,322	1.7%
2020-26	1,042	43,563	2.4%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent floods and flash floods in Louisiana

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Damage
2026-06-24	Flash FloodHomer, Claiborne Parish	–
2026-06-24	Flash FloodHaynesville, Claiborne Parish	–
2026-06-24	Flash FloodMillerton, Claiborne Parish	–
2026-06-23	Flash FloodHomer, Claiborne Parish	–
2026-06-23	Flash FloodVienna, Lincoln Parish	–
2026-06-23	Flash FloodVienna, Lincoln Parish	–
2026-06-21	Flash FloodLafayette Regional, Lafayette Parish	–
2026-06-21	Flash FloodPine Is, Jefferson Davis Parish	$10K
2026-06-21	Flash FloodBushville, St. Martin Parish	$25K
2026-06-20	Flash FloodWhitehall, LaSalle Parish	–
2026-06-20	Flash FloodVanceville, Bossier Parish	–
2026-06-20	Flash FloodClarence, Natchitoches Parish	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

Federal disaster declarations for floods and flash floods in Louisiana

FEMA has declared 39 disasters in Louisiana for floods and flash floods, counting its incident type and declarations that name flood in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 35 were major disasters, the latest on June 2, 2021.

The 12 most recent
Declared	Number	Title	Areas named
2021-06-02	DR-4606	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding	7
2019-09-19	DR-4462	Flooding	14
2019-05-29	EM-3413	Flooding	11
2016-08-14	DR-4277	Severe Storms and Flooding	26
2016-03-13	DR-4263	Severe Storms and Flooding	37
2016-02-05	EM-3376	Flooding	7
2015-07-13	DR-4228	Severe Storms and Flooding	7
2013-02-22	DR-4102	Severe Storms and Flooding	11
2011-08-18	DR-4015	Flooding	22
2011-05-06	EM-3322	Flooding	26
2009-12-10	DR-1863	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding	11
2006-11-02	DR-1668	Severe Storms and Flooding	24

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.