Storm risk in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
FEMA's overall hazard score for Calcasieu Parish is 95.71 (Relatively High), 136th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 93.92 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 84.29 (Relatively High) and tornado 95.58 (Relatively High). Expected hail loss is $43 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 48 hail reports in Calcasieu Parish from 2014 to June 2026.
FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.
- Calcasieu Parish, coloured by its FEMA rating
- all U.S. counties
- each county in the state
- U.S. median
- state median
Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.
How FEMA rates Calcasieu Parish
| Hazard | Rating | Score (0 to 100) | Rank in U.S. | Rank in LA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Relatively High | 95.71 | 136 of 3,144 | 5 of 64 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 93.92 | 192 of 3,126 | 4 of 64 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 84.29 | 495 of 3,126 | 11 of 64 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 95.58 | 140 of 3,126 | 4 of 64 |
Expected yearly loss, in dollars
| Hazard | This county, total a year | Per $1M of buildings | State median county | U.S. median county | Rank per $1M, U.S. | Rank per $1M, state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | $2,031,975 | $43 | $23 | $22 | 1,079 of 3,126 | 20 of 64 |
| Strong wind | $557,685 | $12 | $12 | $20 | 2,086 of 3,121 | 33 of 64 |
| Tornado | $10,771,537 | $227 | $382 | $199 | 1,397 of 3,144 | 47 of 64 |
Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.
What stands out in Calcasieu Parish
- FEMA expects hail in Calcasieu Parish to cost $43 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.92 times the U.S. median and 1.85 times the LA county median, ranked 1,079th of 3,126 counties nationally and 20th of 64 in Louisiana.
- FEMA expects strong wind in Calcasieu Parish to cost $12 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.58 times the U.S. median and 0.96 times the LA county median, ranked 2,086th of 3,121 counties nationally and 33rd of 64 in Louisiana.
- FEMA expects tornado in Calcasieu Parish to cost $227 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.14 times the U.S. median and 0.59 times the LA county median, ranked 1,397th of 3,144 counties nationally and 47th of 64 in Louisiana.
- Applying FEMA's estimate to a $208,500 home, the average yearly loss in Calcasieu Parish is about $8.93 for hail and $2.45 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $4.66 and $4.25.
- If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Calcasieu Parish meets about 31.7 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
- Built in 1988, the median home in Calcasieu Parish is 38 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 65.0% of its 94,462 homes are at least 26 years old.
- March to June holds 40 of the 48 hail reports in Calcasieu Parish (83 percent); the quietest month is July, with 0 reports.
What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year
Enter a home value. The calculator applies Calcasieu Parish’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.
Formula: home value × Calcasieu Parish yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $2,031,975 ÷ $47,460,909,111 = 0.0000428. Wind: $557,685 ÷ $47,460,909,111 = 0.0000118. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.
Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.
Calcasieu Parish in plain numbers
- Calcasieu Parish scores 95.71 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively High): 136th of 3,144 rated counties and 5th of 64 in Louisiana.
- Hail scores 93.92 (Relatively Moderate). FEMA expects $2,031,975 of hail damage to buildings in Calcasieu Parish a year, which is $43 per $1 million of buildings, 1.92 times the U.S. median.
- Strong wind scores 84.29 (Relatively High) with $557,685 of expected yearly building loss in Calcasieu Parish: $12 per $1 million of buildings, 0.58 times the U.S. median.
- Tornado scores 95.58 (Relatively High) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $10,771,537, counting everything exposed, or $227 per $1 million of buildings in Calcasieu Parish.
- FEMA's own event record for Calcasieu Parish averages 1.52 hail events and 0.52 strong-wind events a year.
- NOAA logged 48 hail reports in Calcasieu Parish between 2014 and June 2026, on 19 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 3 inches.
- In Calcasieu Parish, FEMA counts buildings worth 47.46 billion dollars and 216,652 residents.
- Social vulnerability is Relatively High in Calcasieu Parish.
- Community resilience there is Relatively Low, for 216,652 residents.
- 1 city in Calcasieu Parish is covered on this site: Lake Charles. 15 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
- Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Lake Charles is $6,160 to $13,640.
- Calcasieu Parish ranks 74 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 96 for wind and 90 for tornado.
- In Calcasieu Parish, May is the busiest month with 15 of the 48 reports (31 percent), against 0 reports in November.
- Calcasieu Parish's worst year was 2024, with 4 hail days at 1 inch or more and 7 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 1.58 such days a year, one about every 7.6 months.
- The median home in Calcasieu Parish was built in 1988; 42.1% of its 94,462 housing units date from before 1980, 65.0% from before 2000 and 19.7% from 2010 on.
- Census puts the median home value in Calcasieu Parish at $208,500, and 72.2% of homes are lived in by their owners.
- 9,821 single-family building permits were issued in Calcasieu Parish from 2014 to 2025, about 104.0 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2020.
- NOAA lists 32 tornado tracks in Calcasieu Parish since 2014; the strongest was an EF2 on January 24, 2023 near Nibletts Bluff, 12.14 miles long.
- The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Calcasieu Parish is 81 mph on October 31, 2018 at Denge.
- The nearest county with a page here is Lafayette Parish, 73 miles from the centre of Calcasieu Parish; its hail score is 68.67.
- Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 15 roofing contractor establishments in Calcasieu Parish in 2023, one for every 6,297 homes.
The hail record of Calcasieu Parish, year by year
NOAA logged 48 reports in Calcasieu Parish; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 19 days. That is 1.6 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.
- reports
- days with hail of 1 inch or more
- * 2026 runs to June only
Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: May, 15 reports.
The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
| Year | Reports | Days, 1 inch or more | Days, 1.75 inch or more | Largest stone | Damage reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 in | – |
| 2016 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 in | – |
| 2017 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1.75 in | – |
| 2019 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 in | $46,000,000 |
| 2020 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1.5 in | – |
| 2022 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1.25 in | – |
| 2023 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1.75 in | – |
| 2024 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 in | – |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1.25 in | – |
Biggest hail days in Calcasieu Parish
| Date | Largest stone | Reports that day | Damage reported | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 2019 | 3 in | 3 | $46,000,000 | Vincent |
| January 8, 2024 | 2 in | 3 | none recorded | Chennault Indus Airp |
| April 29, 2017 | 1.75 in | 8 | none recorded | Araret |
| June 23, 2023 | 1.75 in | 3 | none recorded | Westlake |
| May 12, 2024 | 1.75 in | 1 | none recorded | Bell City |
Where large hail was reported
FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Calcasieu Parish the big stones fell.
Reported hail locations, Calcasieu Parish
- 351 to 1.74 in
- 71.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
- 12.75 in and up, baseball
Largest plotted stone: 3 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.
43 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.
Sources: NOAA, Census county outlineWind and tornado records for Calcasieu Parish
Fastest gusts in Calcasieu Parish
| Date | Gust | Near |
|---|---|---|
| October 31, 2018 | 81 mph | Denge |
| May 13, 2024 | 75 mph | Westlake |
| June 9, 2015 | 74 mph | (Lch)Lk Charles Muni |
| February 14, 2026 | 72 mph | (Lch)Lk Charles Muni |
Strongest tornado tracks in Calcasieu Parish
| Date | Scale | Length | Injured / killed | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 2024 | EF2 | 3.44 mi | 0 / 0 | Lockmoor |
| April 10, 2024 | EF2 | 1.05 mi | 0 / 0 | Lake Charles |
| January 24, 2023 | EF2 | 12.14 mi | 0 / 0 | Nibletts Bluff |
| January 24, 2023 | EF2 | 4.12 mi | 0 / 0 | Buhler |
32 tornado tracks in all since 2014; the strongest 4 are listed.
How old the roofs are
Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at Calcasieu Parish’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 1.58 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.
Bars: share of 94,462 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.
| Median year built | 1988 |
| Built before 1980 | 42.1% |
| Built before 2000 | 65.0% |
| Built since 2010 | 19.7% |
| Owner-occupied | 72.2% |
| Median home value | $208,500 |
| Single-family permits, 2014 to 2025 | 9,821 |
| Permits per 1,000 homes | 104.0 |
Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.
Roofers and past disasters in Calcasieu Parish
Roofing firms in Calcasieu Parish
| Roofing contractor establishments, 2023 | 15 |
| Change since 2016 | +5 (+50%) |
| Homes per roofing firm | 6,297 |
| Median across counties | 5,189 |
| Employees, 2023 | 76 |
Source for Calcasieu Parish: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160.
Nearby counties
The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by Calcasieu Parish's.
| County | Miles | Overall | Hail loss | Hail, times here | Wind loss | Wind, times here | NOAA hail reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Parish, LA | 73 | Relatively High | $10 | 0.23 | $3.96 | 0.34 | 19 |
| Rapides Parish, LA | 80 | Relatively Moderate | $8.71 | 0.20 | $6.89 | 0.59 | 29 |
| Caddo Parish, LA | 164 | Relatively Moderate | $88 | 2.06 | $24 | 2.01 | 138 |
| Bossier Parish, LA | 164 | Relatively Moderate | $91 | 2.13 | $11 | 0.90 | 92 |
| Ouachita Parish, LA | 168 | Relatively Moderate | $28 | 0.65 | $27 | 2.30 | 56 |
Cities and ZIP areas in Calcasieu Parish
1 city in this county is on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 15 such areas have more than half their land here.
| City | ZIP areas (share of land in the county) | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Charles | 70601 (100%) | Roofers |
Storm hit your roof in Calcasieu Parish? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.
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How high is storm risk in Calcasieu Parish?
FEMA's National Risk Index gives Calcasieu Parish an overall score of 95.71 (Relatively High), 136th of 3,144. Hail scores 93.92 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 84.29 (Relatively High) and tornado 95.58 (Relatively High).
In Calcasieu Parish, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?
A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 48 for Calcasieu Parish between 2014 and June 2026, on 19 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 3 inches.
What do hail and wind cost a home in Calcasieu Parish each year, on average?
Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $208,500: FEMA's estimate is about $8.93 a year for hail and $2.45 for wind, before any deductible, against $4.66 and $4.25 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.
How does Calcasieu Parish compare with the rest of Louisiana?
Per $1 million of buildings Calcasieu Parish loses $43 to hail a year, against $23 in the median county of the state. Among 64 rated counties it is 4th for hail, 11th for strong wind and 4th for tornado.
How old are the roofs in Calcasieu Parish?
The median home was built in 1988, 38 years ago, and 65.0% of the 94,462 housing units in Calcasieu Parish date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.
What does expected annual loss mean?
It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.
Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?
No. The index compares counties and cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.
Sources for Calcasieu Parish: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Calcasieu Parish; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Calcasieu Parish; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Calcasieu Parish. Planning-level information about Calcasieu Parish, not an inspection and not insurance advice.
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).