Storm risk in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
FEMA's overall hazard score for Ouachita Parish is 87.50 (Relatively Moderate), 394th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 86.45 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 90.71 (Relatively High) and tornado 96.02 (Relatively High). Expected hail loss is $28 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 56 hail reports in Ouachita Parish from 2014 to June 2026.
FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.
- Ouachita 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 Ouachita Parish
| Hazard | Rating | Score (0 to 100) | Rank in U.S. | Rank in LA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Relatively Moderate | 87.50 | 394 of 3,144 | 17 of 64 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 86.45 | 427 of 3,126 | 9 of 64 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 90.71 | 293 of 3,126 | 5 of 64 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 96.02 | 126 of 3,126 | 2 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 | $892,758 | $28 | $23 | $22 | 1,389 of 3,126 | 26 of 64 |
| Strong wind | $863,109 | $27 | $12 | $20 | 1,291 of 3,121 | 23 of 64 |
| Tornado | $10,416,615 | $326 | $382 | $199 | 935 of 3,144 | 38 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 Ouachita Parish
- FEMA expects hail in Ouachita Parish to cost $28 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.25 times the U.S. median and 1.21 times the LA county median, ranked 1,389th of 3,126 counties nationally and 26th of 64 in Louisiana.
- FEMA expects strong wind in Ouachita Parish to cost $27 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.33 times the U.S. median and 2.20 times the LA county median, ranked 1,291st of 3,121 counties nationally and 23rd of 64 in Louisiana.
- FEMA expects tornado in Ouachita Parish to cost $326 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.64 times the U.S. median and 0.85 times the LA county median, ranked 935th of 3,144 counties nationally and 38th of 64 in Louisiana.
- Applying FEMA's estimate to a $183,000 home, the average yearly loss in Ouachita Parish is about $5.11 for hail and $4.94 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $4.09 and $3.73.
- If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Ouachita Parish meets about 30.0 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
- Built in 1983, the median home in Ouachita Parish is 43 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 74.6% of its 70,667 homes are at least 26 years old.
- March to June holds 40 of the 56 hail reports in Ouachita Parish (71 percent); the quietest month is August, with 0 reports.
What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year
Enter a home value. The calculator applies Ouachita 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 × Ouachita Parish yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $892,758 ÷ $31,950,100,490 = 0.0000279. Wind: $863,109 ÷ $31,950,100,490 = 0.0000270. 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.
Ouachita Parish in plain numbers
- Ouachita Parish scores 87.50 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Moderate): 394th of 3,144 rated counties and 17th of 64 in Louisiana.
- Hail scores 86.45 (Relatively Moderate). FEMA expects $892,758 of hail damage to buildings in Ouachita Parish a year, which is $28 per $1 million of buildings, 1.25 times the U.S. median.
- Strong wind scores 90.71 (Relatively High) with $863,109 of expected yearly building loss in Ouachita Parish: $27 per $1 million of buildings, 1.33 times the U.S. median.
- Tornado scores 96.02 (Relatively High) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $10,416,615, counting everything exposed, or $326 per $1 million of buildings in Ouachita Parish.
- FEMA's own event record for Ouachita Parish averages 3.26 hail events and 3.62 strong-wind events a year.
- NOAA logged 56 hail reports in Ouachita Parish between 2014 and June 2026, on 20 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 2.5 inches.
- In Ouachita Parish, FEMA counts buildings worth 31.95 billion dollars and 160,298 residents.
- Social vulnerability is Very High in Ouachita Parish.
- Community resilience there is Relatively High, for 160,298 residents.
- 1 city in Ouachita Parish is covered on this site: Monroe. 8 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 Monroe is $6,160 to $13,640.
- Ouachita Parish ranks 95 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 37 for wind and 56 for tornado.
- In Ouachita Parish, April is the busiest month with 21 of the 56 reports (38 percent), against 0 reports in October.
- Ouachita Parish's worst year was 2023, with 3 hail days at 1 inch or more and 11 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 1.50 such days a year, one about every 8.0 months.
- The median home in Ouachita Parish was built in 1983; 45.8% of its 70,667 housing units date from before 1980, 74.6% from before 2000 and 10.7% from 2010 on.
- Census puts the median home value in Ouachita Parish at $183,000, and 59.5% of homes are lived in by their owners.
- 4,940 single-family building permits were issued in Ouachita Parish from 2014 to 2025, about 69.9 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2016.
- NOAA lists 10 tornado tracks in Ouachita Parish since 2014; the strongest was an EF3 on April 12, 2020 near Bawcomville, 8.01 miles long.
- The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Ouachita Parish is 96 mph on May 6, 2025 at Lapine.
- The nearest county with a page here is Bossier Parish, 85 miles from the centre of Ouachita Parish; its hail score is 92.37.
- Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 15 roofing contractor establishments in Ouachita Parish in 2023, one for every 4,711 homes.
The hail record of Ouachita Parish, year by year
NOAA logged 56 reports in Ouachita Parish; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 20 days. That is 1.5 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: April, 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1.75 in | – |
| 2016 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1.75 in | – |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.75 in | – |
| 2019 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1.75 in | – |
| 2020 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1.75 in | – |
| 2021 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1.25 in | – |
| 2022 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 in | – |
| 2023 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 2.5 in | – |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.5 in | – |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1.75 in | – |
| 2026 (to June) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 in | – |
Biggest hail days in Ouachita Parish
| Date | Largest stone | Reports that day | Damage reported | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 9, 2023 | 2.5 in | 9 | none recorded | Phillips |
| March 18, 2016 | 1.75 in | 5 | none recorded | Lock Arbor |
| June 8, 2014 | 1.75 in | 1 | none recorded | Deshard |
| April 6, 2018 | 1.75 in | 1 | none recorded | Bosco |
| April 4, 2019 | 1.75 in | 1 | none recorded | Pine Grove |
Where large hail was reported
FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Ouachita Parish the big stones fell.
Reported hail locations, Ouachita Parish
- 361 to 1.74 in
- 111.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
- 02.75 in and up, baseball
Largest plotted stone: 2.5 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.
47 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 Ouachita Parish
Fastest gusts in Ouachita Parish
| Date | Gust | Near |
|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2025 | 96 mph | Lapine |
| April 2, 2017 | 81 mph | West Monroe |
| April 14, 2018 | 81 mph | Fowler |
| April 12, 2020 | 81 mph | Frizzell |
Strongest tornado tracks in Ouachita Parish
| Date | Scale | Length | Injured / killed | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 12, 2020 | EF3 | 8.01 mi | 0 / 0 | Bawcomville |
| April 12, 2020 | EF3 | 2.6 mi | 0 / 0 | Phillips |
| October 13, 2014 | EF2 | 9.05 mi | 0 / 0 | Cheniere |
| April 12, 2022 | EF1 | 2.55 mi | 1 / 0 | Frizzell |
10 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 Ouachita Parish’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 1.50 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 70,667 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 | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 45.8% |
| Built before 2000 | 74.6% |
| Built since 2010 | 10.7% |
| Owner-occupied | 59.5% |
| Median home value | $183,000 |
| Single-family permits, 2014 to 2025 | 4,940 |
| Permits per 1,000 homes | 69.9 |
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 Ouachita Parish
Roofing firms in Ouachita Parish
| Roofing contractor establishments, 2023 | 15 |
| Change since 2016 | +4 (+36%) |
| Homes per roofing firm | 4,711 |
| Median across counties | 5,189 |
| Employees, 2023 | 155 |
Source for Ouachita 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 Ouachita Parish's.
| County | Miles | Overall | Hail loss | Hail, times here | Wind loss | Wind, times here | NOAA hail reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bossier Parish, LA | 85 | Relatively Moderate | $91 | 3.26 | $11 | 0.39 | 92 |
| Rapides Parish, LA | 91 | Relatively Moderate | $8.71 | 0.31 | $6.89 | 0.26 | 29 |
| Caddo Parish, LA | 93 | Relatively Moderate | $88 | 3.16 | $24 | 0.88 | 138 |
| Lafayette Parish, LA | 158 | Relatively High | $10 | 0.36 | $3.96 | 0.15 | 19 |
| Calcasieu Parish, LA | 168 | Relatively High | $43 | 1.53 | $12 | 0.43 | 48 |
Cities and ZIP areas in Ouachita 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. 8 such areas have more than half their land here.
| City | ZIP areas (share of land in the county) | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| Monroe | 71203 (100%), 71201 (100%), 71202 (100%), 71256 (0%) | Roofers |
Storm hit your roof in Ouachita 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 Ouachita Parish?
FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ouachita Parish an overall score of 87.50 (Relatively Moderate), 394th of 3,144. Hail scores 86.45 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 90.71 (Relatively High) and tornado 96.02 (Relatively High).
In Ouachita 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 56 for Ouachita Parish between 2014 and June 2026, on 20 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 2.5 inches.
What do hail and wind cost a home in Ouachita Parish each year, on average?
Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $183,000: FEMA's estimate is about $5.11 a year for hail and $4.94 for wind, before any deductible, against $4.09 and $3.73 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 Ouachita Parish compare with the rest of Louisiana?
Per $1 million of buildings Ouachita Parish loses $28 to hail a year, against $23 in the median county of the state. Among 64 rated counties it is 9th for hail, 5th for strong wind and 2nd for tornado.
How old are the roofs in Ouachita Parish?
The median home was built in 1983, 43 years ago, and 74.6% of the 70,667 housing units in Ouachita 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 Ouachita Parish: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Ouachita Parish; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Ouachita Parish; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Ouachita Parish. Planning-level information about Ouachita 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).