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Hail history in Louisiana

We counted the days with NOAA hail reports within 15 miles of the center of 6 Louisiana cities since 2010.

Low-rise coastal apartment buildings, palms and a canal under tropical rain bands
Hail days near Shreveport since 2010, the most in Louisiana
77
Largest hail reported, near Shreveport
4.0 in
Louisiana cities tracked
6

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center

Data through November 1, 2026

Louisiana cities by hail days

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center

Data through November 1, 2026

CityHail days since 2010Largest hail
Shreveport774.0 in
Baton Rouge483.75 in
Lafayette322.75 in
Lake Charles323.0 in
New Orleans162.5 in
Slidell141.75 in

About this data

  • Each city counts reports within 15 miles of its center, not of any one property.
  • Reports come from trained spotters and the public, so they cluster near towns and roads.
  • No report does not mean no hail. Hail can fall where no one is there to report it.
  • This is not a damage or insurance assessment.

Storm risk in Louisiana

Hurricanes and flooding are the storm risks that matter most for buildings in Louisiana, followed by damaging thunderstorm wind, hail and tornadoes. NOAA counts 54 hurricane direct hits on Louisiana from 1851 to 2018, 17 of them major, behind only Florida, Texas and North Carolina, and Louisiana gets more rain a year than any other state in the contiguous US.2,3

How often storms hit Louisiana

Storm hazards for buildings in Louisiana1,2,3,4,5,6,7
HazardHow oftenWhat it means for buildings
Hurricanes and tropical storms54 direct hits from 1851 to 2018, 17 of them Category 3 or stronger, and 65 hurricanes since 1900. The Atlantic season runs June 1 to November 30.Wind tears roof covers, edges and openings. Surge runs highest on the southeastern coast, where Katrina pushed water 10 to 20 feet above normal high tide around New Orleans.
FloodingStatewide rain averages 57.2 inches a year, the most of any contiguous state, and FEMA's April 2025 profile counts 495,900 NFIP policies in force. The August 2016 floods brought 20 to more than 30 inches of rain and damaged or destroyed 20,000 businesses.Rain floods ground floors, parking levels and electrical rooms far from the coast, and river floods threaten land along the Mississippi.
Damaging thunderstorm windThunder on more than 60 days a year in most of the state and more than 90 in the southeast (1993 to 2018), second only to Florida. Damaging wind reports on 56 days a year around the Shreveport radar and 42 around the Lake Charles radar (1980 to 2006).Straight-line gusts peel roof edges and membranes, shift rooftop units and break windows.
HailHail days since 2010 within 15 miles of the city center: Shreveport 77, Baton Rouge 48, Lafayette 32, Lake Charles 32, New Orleans 16, Slidell 14. The largest was 4 inches near Shreveport.Large stones break skylights, rooftop unit fins and roof covers.
TornadoesTornadoes on 14 days a year on average around the Shreveport radar (1980 to 2006), an area that ranks 9th of 141 radar areas for F2 or stronger tornadoes per square mile. Storms that can produce them come all year.A direct hit on one building is rare, but strong tornadoes can destroy a structure.
Winter storms and hard freezesRare: days that stay at or below 32°F average 0.6 a year, but in February 2021 northwest Louisiana stayed below freezing for five days.Exposed pipes and sprinkler lines can freeze and burst in buildings not built for cold.

The city counts are days with at least one hail report within 15 miles of each city's center since 2010, so they show how often hail falls near a city, not on one building. The radar figures come from Storm Prediction Center reports from 1980 to 2006 within 124 nautical miles of each radar.1,6,7

Hurricanes bring wind and water at once, and the two are usually insured separately, so the same storm can open a wind claim and a flood claim on one building. Rain floods without a hurricane can reach buildings far from any mapped flood zone.

Rules owners in Louisiana should know

  • Citizens: Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is the state's insurer of last resort for owners denied coverage by at least one authorized insurer. Its Coastal Plan covers locations between the Gulf and the Intracoastal Waterway and its FAIR Plan covers the rest of the state, and for commercial property it can write windstorm and hail coverage on its own (R.S. 22:2292 and 22:2302).8,9,10
  • Named storm deductible: On commercial property policies issued on or after January 1, 2023 with a total insured value under $20 million, a separate named storm or hurricane deductible applies once per calendar year. For later storms that year, the insurer may apply only what is left of it or the all other perils deductible, whichever is greater (R.S. 22:1267.1).11
  • Claim deadlines: An insurer must start adjusting a property claim within 14 days of notice of the loss, or 30 days for a catastrophic loss, and pay what is due within 30 days of satisfactory proof of loss. A failure that is arbitrary, capricious or without probable cause brings a penalty of 50 percent of the amount due plus proven economic damages, or $1,000 if greater, plus attorney fees (R.S. 22:1892).12
  • Disaster claims: For losses from a presidentially or gubernatorially declared disaster, the insurer has 60 days after satisfactory proof of loss to pay on residential property and 90 days on other immovable property, which the commissioner may extend by 30 days for commercial policies covering several locations. Before suing for penalties, the owner must give the insurer 60 days' written cure notice (R.S. 22:1892.2).13
  • Proof of loss: After a declared disaster, the time to submit proof of loss can't be less than 180 days. Owners with replacement cost coverage have one year from the loss or from the insurance payment, whichever is later, to finish repairs and receive full value without depreciation (R.S. 22:1264).14
  • Time to sue: A policy can't limit a first-party property suit to less than 24 months after the loss (R.S. 22:868), and in 2024 the Louisiana Supreme Court enforced a two-year policy limit under that rule.15,16
  • Deductible proof: Under Act 500 of 2025, an insurer may hold back recoverable depreciation or a replacement cost holdback until it gets reasonable proof the owner paid the deductible, such as a canceled check or a financing contract (R.S. 22:1892).12,17
  • Building code: Every parish and municipality must enforce the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code, which includes the International Building Code and the International Existing Building Code, through plan review, inspections and permits (R.S. 40:1730.23 and 40:1730.28).18,19

Before the next storm

  • Deductibles in dollars: Work out each named storm and wind deductible before the June 1 to November 30 season. The Louisiana Department of Insurance notes a percentage deductible is that percentage of the insured value, so 2 percent of $200,000 is $4,000.4,17
  • Before photos: The Department of Insurance lists before-and-after photographs among the records that support a claim, so photograph roofs, rooftop units and interiors before the season.17
  • Flood lead time: FEMA says a new NFIP flood policy typically takes effect 30 days after purchase, so it has to be bought well before a storm is named.20
  • Roof edges first: FEMA advises inspecting low-slope roofs at least twice a year, in spring and fall, and after high winds, because the roof border is at more risk from wind uplift and wind-driven rain than the rest of the roof.21
  • Hail-rated roofs: Shreveport had 77 hail days since 2010. For hail-prone areas IBHS calls for low-slope covers rated FM 4470 Class 1-SH or UL 2218 Class 4, plus hail guards over rooftop condenser fins.1,22

Sources

Written by the Cloudbreak team. Numbers, dates and rules cite the published sources below.

  1. 1. Cloudbreak: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center storm reports, as counted on the Cloudbreak hail history page for Louisiana
  2. 2. NOAA Hurricane Research Division (Chris Landsea, NHC): TCFAQ E19: How many direct hits by hurricanes of various categories have affected each state?
  3. 3. NOAA NCEI and North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies: Louisiana: 2025 State Climate Summaries
  4. 4. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Climatology
  5. 5. FEMA: Louisiana: Risk Rating 2.0 State Profile (April 2025)
  6. 6. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: SHV (Shreveport) Severe Weather Climatology, 1980 to 2006
  7. 7. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: LCH (Lake Charles) Severe Weather Climatology, 1980 to 2006
  8. 8. Louisiana Legislative Auditor: Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Financial Report, December 31, 2024 and 2023
  9. 9. Louisiana State Legislature: R.S. 22:2292, Definitions (Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation)
  10. 10. Louisiana State Legislature: R.S. 22:2302, Eligibility; application
  11. 11. Louisiana State Legislature: R.S. 22:1267.1, Commercial insurance deductibles applied to named storm, hurricane, and wind and hail deductibles
  12. 12. Louisiana State Legislature: R.S. 22:1892, Payment and adjustment of claims
  13. 13. Louisiana State Legislature: R.S. 22:1892.2, Catastrophic loss claims settlement practices; penalties and attorney fees
  14. 14. Louisiana State Legislature: R.S. 22:1264, Presumption of coverage
  15. 15. Louisiana State Legislature: R.S. 22:868, Limiting actions; jurisdiction; venue
  16. 16. Supreme Court of Louisiana: Wilson v. Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, No. 2023-CC-01320 (January 10, 2024)
  17. 17. Louisiana Department of Insurance: Catastrophe Claims Process Disclosure Guide (rev. October 2025)
  18. 18. Louisiana State Legislature (text via Justia): R.S. 40:1730.23, Enforcement of building codes by municipalities and parishes
  19. 19. Louisiana State Legislature: R.S. 40:1730.28, Mandatory adoption of certain nationally recognized codes and standards as the state uniform construction code
  20. 20. FEMA: Waiting Period for Activating Flood Policy?
  21. 21. FEMA: FEMA P-2181, Fact Sheet 3.3.2: Roof Systems, Low-Slope Roofs (March 2022)
  22. 22. Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS): Commercial Roofs Best Practices Guide

Storms in Louisiana

SPC counts for 1980 to 2006 show Louisiana hail peaking from March through May, with nearly three times as many hail reports around the Shreveport radar as around the Lake Charles or New Orleans radars.1,2,3 WBRZ counted 14 hurricanes making landfall in Louisiana in August since 1850 and 25 hurricanes affecting the state in September, its most active month.4

Notable storms

  1. June 20, 2023Hail up to 3.75 inches fell in the Riverbend area of south Baton Rouge, and hail to 3.5 inches fell near Kraemer in Lafourche Parish. Golf ball to softball size hail damaged numerous homes and vehicles around Poland and Echo in Rapides Parish.5,6,7
  2. August 29, 2021Hurricane Ida made landfall at Port Fourchon with winds of 130 knots (150 mph). NHC says almost every structure was damaged along the Lafourche and Jefferson parish coast, many in Leeville and on Grand Isle were destroyed, and wind and surge caused about $55 billion in damage in Louisiana.8
  3. August 27, 2020Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron with winds of 130 knots (150 mph), and gusts reached 133 knots (153 mph) at Holly Beach and 119 knots (137 mph) in Lake Charles. NHC describes wind and surge damage to buildings in Cameron and Calcasieu parishes as major to catastrophic.9
  4. April 24, 2020An evening storm brought multiple reports of 2 to 3-inch hail on its path into northwest and north-central Louisiana, and NWS Shreveport confirmed a 4-inch hailstone 5 miles south-southeast of Benton in Bossier Parish. Residents of north Bossier Parish reported numerous broken windows and damaged cars.10,11
  5. April 12, 2020An EF3 tornado with winds near 140 mph tracked 8 miles through southern West Monroe and Monroe, tearing roofs off homes. Ouachita Parish officials counted 458 homes hit by it and two other tornadoes that morning, 23 destroyed, and NOAA lists $250 million in property damage.12
  6. May 9, 2019Late in the evening, hail up to 3 inches fell on Carlyss and up to 2.5 inches on Sulphur. Most homes around Carlyss had roof damage, many vehicles were damaged or totaled, and NOAA lists $46 million in property damage for the two areas.13,14

Warnings and alerts

NWS Shreveport covers northwest and north-central Louisiana, NWS Jackson the northeast parishes along the Mississippi River, NWS Lake Charles the southwest and central parishes, and NWS New Orleans/Baton Rouge the southeast.15 The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness links to a Smart911 sign-up for state emergency alerts and notifications.16

Sources

  1. 1. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: SHV Severe Weather Climatology (Shreveport radar, 1980 to 2006)
  2. 2. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: LCH Severe Weather Climatology (Lake Charles radar, 1980 to 2006)
  3. 3. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: LIX Severe Weather Climatology (New Orleans radar, 1980 to 2006)
  4. 4. WBRZ: August hurricanes in Louisiana: when activity begins to ramp up
  5. 5. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Hail, East Baton Rouge Parish, June 20, 2023
  6. 6. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: Storm Reports for June 20, 2023
  7. 7. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Hail, Rapides Parish, June 20, 2023
  8. 8. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Ida (AL092021)
  9. 9. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Laura (AL132020)
  10. 10. NWS Shreveport, archived by Iowa State University Mesonet: Public Information Statement, April 27, 2020 (NWS Shreveport text product archive)
  11. 11. KEEL 710 Shreveport: Hail Storm Caused Major Damage in Bossier, Benton
  12. 12. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: EF3 Tornado, Ouachita Parish, April 12, 2020
  13. 13. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Hail, Carlyss area, Calcasieu Parish, May 9, 2019
  14. 14. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Hail, Sulphur, Calcasieu Parish, May 9, 2019
  15. 15. National Weather Service: Louisiana County Warning Forecast Areas
  16. 16. State of Louisiana (GOHSEP): Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

Hail history in other states