Storm risk in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana

FEMA's overall hazard score for Lafayette Parish is 95.17 (Relatively High), 153rd of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 68.67 (Relatively Low), strong wind 66.83 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 65.33 (Relatively Moderate). Expected hail loss is $10 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 19 hail reports in Lafayette Parish from 2014 to June 2026.

FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.

Lafayette Parish: expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings for hail, strong wind and tornado, on a log scale, against all U.S. counties and the counties of LA$0.1$1$10$100$1,000Hail: $10 per $1 million, 2,070th of 3,126 rated counties$10Hail2,070th of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $3.96 per $1 million, 2,717th of 3,121 rated counties$3.96Strong wind2,717th of 3,121 countiesTornado: $45 per $1 million, 2,460th of 3,144 rated counties$45Tornado2,460th of 3,144 counties
  • Lafayette 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 Lafayette Parish

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in LA
OverallRelatively High 95.17153 of 3,1446 of 64
HailRelatively Low 68.67986 of 3,12621 of 64
Strong windRelatively Moderate 66.831,044 of 3,12623 of 64
TornadoRelatively Moderate 65.331,091 of 3,12640 of 64

Expected yearly loss, in dollars

HazardThis county, total a yearPer $1M of buildingsState median countyU.S. median countyRank per $1M, U.S.Rank per $1M, state
Hail$508,534$10 $23$22 2,070 of 3,12656 of 64
Strong wind$200,629$3.96 $12$20 2,717 of 3,12151 of 64
Tornado$2,263,155$45 $382$199 2,460 of 3,14462 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 Lafayette Parish

  • FEMA expects hail in Lafayette Parish to cost $10 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.45 times the U.S. median and 0.43 times the LA county median, ranked 2,070th of 3,126 counties nationally and 56th of 64 in Louisiana.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Lafayette Parish to cost $3.96 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.19 times the U.S. median and 0.32 times the LA county median, ranked 2,717th of 3,121 counties nationally and 51st of 64 in Louisiana.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Lafayette Parish to cost $45 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.22 times the U.S. median and 0.12 times the LA county median, ranked 2,460th of 3,144 counties nationally and 62nd of 64 in Louisiana.
  • NOAA has only 19 hail reports for Lafayette Parish in 12 years, too few for a trend; FEMA's 54 counted hail events cover a longer record.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $234,200 home, the average yearly loss in Lafayette Parish is about $2.35 for hail and $0.93 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $5.23 and $4.77.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Lafayette Parish meets about 11.7 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 Lafayette 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); 64.1% of its 110,400 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 18 of the 19 hail reports in Lafayette Parish (95 percent); the quietest month is January, with 0 reports.

What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year

Enter a home value. The calculator applies Lafayette 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.

$2.35hail, a year; $5.23 at the U.S. median county rate
$0.93strong wind, a year; $4.77 at the U.S. median county rate
$66hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Lafayette Parish yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $508,534 ÷ $50,641,403,221 = 0.0000100. Wind: $200,629 ÷ $50,641,403,221 = 0.0000040. 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.

Lafayette Parish in plain numbers

  • Lafayette Parish scores 95.17 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively High): 153rd of 3,144 rated counties and 6th of 64 in Louisiana.
  • Hail scores 68.67 (Relatively Low). FEMA expects $508,534 of hail damage to buildings in Lafayette Parish a year, which is $10 per $1 million of buildings, 0.45 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 66.83 (Relatively Moderate) with $200,629 of expected yearly building loss in Lafayette Parish: $3.96 per $1 million of buildings, 0.19 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 65.33 (Relatively Moderate) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $2,263,155, counting everything exposed, or $45 per $1 million of buildings in Lafayette Parish.
  • FEMA's own event record for Lafayette Parish averages 1.41 hail events and 0.63 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 19 hail reports in Lafayette Parish between 2014 and June 2026, on 7 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 1.75 inches.
  • In Lafayette Parish, FEMA counts buildings worth 50.64 billion dollars and 241,618 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Relatively Low in Lafayette Parish.
  • Community resilience there is Relatively High, for 241,618 residents.
  • 1 city in Lafayette Parish is covered on this site: Lafayette. 11 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 Lafayette is $6,160 to $13,640.
  • Lafayette Parish ranks 136 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 159 for wind and 178 for tornado.
  • In Lafayette Parish, May is the busiest month with 8 of the 19 reports (42 percent), against 0 reports in November.
  • Lafayette Parish's worst year was 2017, with 2 hail days at 1 inch or more and 6 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 0.58 such days a year, one about every 20.6 months.
  • The median home in Lafayette Parish was built in 1988; 35.6% of its 110,400 housing units date from before 1980, 64.1% from before 2000 and 20.2% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Lafayette Parish at $234,200, and 66.1% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 18,591 single-family building permits were issued in Lafayette Parish from 2014 to 2025, about 168.4 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2021.
  • NOAA lists 3 tornado tracks in Lafayette Parish since 2014; the strongest was an EF2 on April 14, 2018 near Carencro, 4.13 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Lafayette Parish is 100 mph on January 11, 2020 at Scott.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Rapides Parish, 73 miles from the centre of Lafayette Parish; its hail score is 57.60.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 20 roofing contractor establishments in Lafayette Parish in 2023, one for every 5,520 homes.

The hail record of Lafayette Parish, year by year

NOAA logged 19 reports in Lafayette Parish; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 7 days. With so few reports the yearly bars below are small numbers, and a single storm moves them.

Lafayette Parish: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more01234562014: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch142015: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch152016: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch162017: 6 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.25 inch172018: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch182019: 1 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.88 inch192020: 3 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch202021: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch212022: 1 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.88 inch222023: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch232024: 3 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch242025: 3 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch252026: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch26*
  • reports
  • days with hail of 1 inch or more
  • * 2026 runs to June only
Lafayette Parish: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 0 reports0JanFebruary: 0 reports0FebMarch: 3 reports3MarApril: 5 reports5AprMay: 8 reports8MayJune: 2 reports2JunJuly: 1 reports1JulAugust: 0 reports0AugSeptember: 0 reports0SepOctober: 0 reports0OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: May, 8 reports.

The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
YearReportsDays, 1 inch or moreDays, 1.75 inch or moreLargest stoneDamage reported
20162111.75 in–
20176201.25 in–
20191000.88 in–
20203111.75 in–
20221000.88 in–
20243101 in–
20253211.75 in–

Biggest hail days in Lafayette Parish

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
May 5, 20201.75 in3none recordedDuson
May 1, 20161.75 in2none recordedOssun
July 6, 20251.75 in1none recordedScott
April 2, 20171.25 in3none recordedLafayette
May 6, 20251.25 in2none recordedScott

Where large hail was reported

FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Lafayette Parish the big stones fell.

Reported hail locations, Lafayette Parish

1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.5 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail Lafayette
  • 111 to 1.74 in
  • 31.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 02.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 1.75 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

14 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.

Sources: NOAA, Census county outline

Wind and tornado records for Lafayette Parish

Fastest gusts in Lafayette Parish

DateGustNear
January 11, 2020100 mphScott
May 13, 202481 mphLafayette
May 13, 202479 mph(Lft)Lafayette Rgnl
May 16, 202470 mphPitette

Strongest tornado tracks in Lafayette Parish

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
April 14, 2018EF24.13 mi0 / 0Carencro
April 2, 2017EF10.06 mi0 / 0Pitette
August 29, 2017EF00.6 mi0 / 0Ridge

3 tornado tracks in all since 2014; the strongest 3 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 Lafayette Parish’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 0.58 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Lafayette Parish: share of homes by decade built, with the hail days at 1 inch or more that an original roof from each decade has met at the county's 2014 to 2025 ratepre-1940: 1.7% of homes1.7%<1940531940s: 2.2% of homes2.2%1940s471950s: 6.9% of homes6.9%1950s411960s: 8.9% of homes8.9%1960s361970s: 16.0% of homes16%1970s301980s: 17.0% of homes17%1980s241990s: 11.4% of homes11.4%1990s182000s: 15.7% of homes15.7%2000s122010s: 18.7% of homes18.7%2010s62020+: 1.5% of homes1.5%2020+2

Bars: share of 110,400 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 built1988
Built before 198035.6%
Built before 200064.1%
Built since 201020.2%
Owner-occupied66.1%
Median home value$234,200
Single-family permits, 2014 to 202518,591
Permits per 1,000 homes168.4

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 Lafayette Parish

Roofing firms in Lafayette Parish

Roofing contractor establishments, 202320
Change since 2016+8 (+67%)
Homes per roofing firm5,520
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 2023155

Source for Lafayette 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 Lafayette Parish's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Rapides Parish, LA73 Relatively Moderate $8.710.87$6.891.7429
Calcasieu Parish, LA73 Relatively High $434.26$122.9748
Ouachita Parish, LA158 Relatively Moderate $282.78$276.8256
Bossier Parish, LA189 Relatively Moderate $919.06$112.6892
Caddo Parish, LA192 Relatively Moderate $888.80$245.97138

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Lafayette 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. 11 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Lafayette 70501 (100%), 70503 (100%), 70506 (100%) Roofers

Storm hit your roof in Lafayette Parish? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.

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Questions

How high is storm risk in Lafayette Parish?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lafayette Parish an overall score of 95.17 (Relatively High), 153rd of 3,144. Hail scores 68.67 (Relatively Low), strong wind 66.83 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 65.33 (Relatively Moderate).

In Lafayette 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 19 for Lafayette Parish between 2014 and June 2026, on 7 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 1.75 inches.

What do hail and wind cost a home in Lafayette Parish each year, on average?

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $234,200: FEMA's estimate is about $2.35 a year for hail and $0.93 for wind, before any deductible, against $5.23 and $4.77 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 Lafayette Parish compare with the rest of Louisiana?

Per $1 million of buildings Lafayette Parish loses $10 to hail a year, against $23 in the median county of the state. Among 64 rated counties it is 21st for hail, 23rd for strong wind and 40th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Lafayette Parish?

The median home was built in 1988, 38 years ago, and 64.1% of the 110,400 housing units in Lafayette 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 Lafayette Parish: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Lafayette Parish; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Lafayette Parish; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Lafayette Parish. Planning-level information about Lafayette 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).