PlainHazard

Louisiana lightning

Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 55 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 437 lightning records in Louisiana from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 13 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the December 20, 2007 lightning in Grant Parish: 3 deaths, 2 injuries and $213,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. Louisiana ranks 16th of 52 states and territories by count and 21st of 51 per square mile.

Lightning in Louisiana, 1996 to 2026

Lightning 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
4371996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
13average
Deaths
39123 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$58Mas filed
Busiest year
199735 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 lightning records common in Louisiana?

Louisiana averages about 13 lightning records a year since 2000, 16th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1997 (35). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Louisiana records 101 lightning records since 1996, 21st of 51 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 859
  2. 2. Delaware 744
  3. 3. Massachusetts 642
  4. 4. Rhode Island 571
  5. 5. Connecticut 353
  6. 6. Florida 331
  7. 7. Maryland 322
  8. 8. New Hampshire 232
  9. 9. Georgia 228
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 175
  11. 21. Louisiana 101

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 lightning records?

Per square mile, East Baton Rouge Parish leads Louisiana: 51 days with a lightning record since 1996, 112.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, East Baton Rouge Parish has the most lightning records (57 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).

  1. East Baton Rouge Parish 112.0 (57)
  2. Jefferson Parish 53.2 (16)
  3. Lafayette Parish 52.1 (16)
  4. Orleans Parish 47.2 (8)
  5. Caddo Parish 38.7 (35)
  6. St. Tammany Parish 28.4 (26)
  7. Tangipahoa Parish 24.0 (19)
  8. Webster Parish 23.6 (14)
  9. Lincoln Parish 23.3 (11)
  10. Bossier Parish 22.6 (20)
  11. St. Mary Parish 21.5 (12)
  12. Iberia Parish 20.9 (12)

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 the lightning season in Louisiana?

43% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (96 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 12 · Feb 11 · Mar 16 · Apr 40 · May 42 · Jun 90 · Jul 96 · Aug 80 · Sep 23 · Oct 11 · Nov 4 · Dec 12 (records).

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

What were the deadliest lightning records in Louisiana?

Louisiana: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2007-12-20 LightningColfax, Grant Parish Three family members died in a house explosion as a result of lightning striking near the home. It was determined that the explosion was caused by a gas leak and the lightning strike. The blast shattered windows of surrounding homes as well. Debris from the explosion was found within a 200-foot radius of the home tht ... 3 2 $213K
2012-04-11 LightningWadesboro, Tangipahoa Parish Tangipahoa Parish Sheriffs Office reported the fatality of two fishermen due to a lightning strike along the Natalbany River. The two men had taken shelter from thunderstorms in a small metal tin structure. The nearby trees showed evidence of being struck by lightning. 2 2 –
2011-07-04 LightningGreenwood, Caddo Parish A lightning strike touched off a fire that killed an elderly couple at their home in Greenwood, Louisiana. Killed in the fire was Ralph Elliott, 83 and his wife Mary, 83. 2 0 $66K
2000-06-04 LightningNew Orleans, Orleans Parish Two men were struck by lightning on while standing under a tree on a golf course where they sought shelter during a thunderstorm. The two men died from the injuries on June 6, 2000 and June 9, 2000, respectively. 2 0 –
1999-07-24 LightningDulac, Terrebonne Parish A lightning strike killed two men while fishing in a 15 foot aluminum boat on Muskrat Bayou. 2 0 –
2004-07-08 LightningCameron Parish Four men were working outside when lightning struck some equipment they were loading onto a tractor trailer. One man was killed, the other three were treated and released form local hospitals. 1 3 –
1996-12-29 LightningDequincy, Calcasieu Parish An 85 year old woman died in a house fire caused by lightning in DeQuincy. She had safely evacuated the home, but went back inside to use the telephone to report the fire. Two other people were treated for smoke inhalation. 1 2 $94K
2016-03-18 LightningLarose, Lafourche Parish A lightning strike at the T-Bois Blues Festival in Larose led to one fatality and two additional injuries. All three of the women had taken cover in a small personal tent. One dog was also killed by the lightning strike. 1 2 –
2009-09-05 LightningLake Charles Municipal Ar, Calcasieu Parish Two boaters fishing on Black Bayou at the Intracoastal Waterway were struck by lightning. One man was killed and the other suffered minor injuries. 1 1 $7K
1998-03-07 LightningShreveport, Caddo Parish A Ruston, LA woman was killed and her husband seriously injured when lightning stuck the couple as they were pulling auto parts from a salvage yard. The woman was killed instantly when lightning hit the umbrella she was holding. 1 1 –

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 lightning records in Louisiana

Louisiana: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2002-03-12 LightningBarksdale Afb, Bossier Parish 0 0 $16M
2010-12-29 LightningLafayette Regional, Lafayette Parish 0 0 $6.8M
2016-04-30 LightningForeman, East Baton Rouge Parish 0 0 $2.5M
2025-07-10 LightningNesser, East Baton Rouge Parish 0 0 $1.8M
2013-05-10 LightningMagnolia Woods, East Baton Rouge Parish 0 0 $1.6M
2023-06-03 LightningVincent Lndg, Calcasieu Parish 0 0 $1.5M
2011-09-22 LightningGrand Bayou, Assumption Parish 0 0 $1.3M
2007-06-28 LightningBaton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish 0 0 $996K

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

Are lightning records 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.

Lightning: Louisiana and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeLouisianaUnited StatesLouisiana's share
1996-99903,5212.6%
2000s1958,0522.4%
2010s1195,1032.3%
2020-26331,5442.1%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent lightning records in Louisiana

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-03-09 LightningPonchatoula, Tangipahoa Parish 0 0 $276K
2025-10-18 LightningBernice, Union Parish 1 0 –
2025-09-24 LightningNorton, Caddo Parish 0 0 $400K
2025-08-14 LightningAlexandria Southwest, Rapides Parish 0 0 $25K
2025-07-30 LightningJulien, St. Mary Parish 0 0 $200K
2025-07-29 LightningWest Monroe, Ouachita Parish 0 0 $35K
2025-07-10 LightningNesser, East Baton Rouge Parish 0 0 $1.8M
2025-06-17 LightningNorth Shore, St. Tammany Parish 0 0 $50K
2025-06-14 LightningBilleaud, Lafayette Parish 0 0 $100K
2025-06-10 LightningWadesboro, Tangipahoa Parish 0 0 $50K
2025-05-06 LightningBurr Ferry, Vernon Parish 0 0 $50K
2024-08-03 LightningSunnybrook, East Baton Rouge Parish 0 0 $282K

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.

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