Storm risk in Rapides Parish, Louisiana

FEMA's overall hazard score for Rapides Parish is 84.29 (Relatively Moderate), 495th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 57.60 (Relatively Low), strong wind 77.48 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 68.7 (Relatively Moderate). Expected hail loss is $8.71 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 29 hail reports in Rapides Parish from 2014 to June 2026.

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

Rapides 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: $8.71 per $1 million, 2,179th of 3,126 rated counties$8.71Hail2,179th of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $6.89 per $1 million, 2,453rd of 3,121 rated counties$6.89Strong wind2,453rd of 3,121 countiesTornado: $70 per $1 million, 2,252nd of 3,144 rated counties$70Tornado2,252nd of 3,144 counties
  • Rapides 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 Rapides Parish

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in LA
OverallRelatively Moderate 84.29495 of 3,14422 of 64
HailRelatively Low 57.601,334 of 3,12629 of 64
Strong windRelatively Moderate 77.48709 of 3,12617 of 64
TornadoRelatively Moderate 68.70985 of 3,12635 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$227,855$8.71 $23$22 2,179 of 3,12659 of 64
Strong wind$180,254$6.89 $12$20 2,453 of 3,12141 of 64
Tornado$1,822,653$70 $382$199 2,252 of 3,14460 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 Rapides Parish

  • FEMA expects hail in Rapides Parish to cost $8.71 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.39 times the U.S. median and 0.38 times the LA county median, ranked 2,179th of 3,126 counties nationally and 59th of 64 in Louisiana.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Rapides Parish to cost $6.89 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.34 times the U.S. median and 0.56 times the LA county median, ranked 2,453rd of 3,121 counties nationally and 41st of 64 in Louisiana.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Rapides Parish to cost $70 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.35 times the U.S. median and 0.18 times the LA county median, ranked 2,252nd of 3,144 counties nationally and 60th of 64 in Louisiana.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $179,100 home, the average yearly loss in Rapides Parish is about $1.56 for hail and $1.23 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $4.00 and $3.65.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Rapides 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 1980, the median home in Rapides Parish is 46 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 75.8% of its 58,321 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 22 of the 29 hail reports in Rapides Parish (76 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 Rapides 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.

$1.56hail, a year; $4.00 at the U.S. median county rate
$1.23strong wind, a year; $3.65 at the U.S. median county rate
$56hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Rapides Parish yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $227,855 ÷ $26,161,955,369 = 0.0000087. Wind: $180,254 ÷ $26,161,955,369 = 0.0000069. 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.

Rapides Parish in plain numbers

  • Rapides Parish scores 84.29 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Moderate): 495th of 3,144 rated counties and 22nd of 64 in Louisiana.
  • Hail scores 57.60 (Relatively Low). FEMA expects $227,855 of hail damage to buildings in Rapides Parish a year, which is $8.71 per $1 million of buildings, 0.39 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 77.48 (Relatively Moderate) with $180,254 of expected yearly building loss in Rapides Parish: $6.89 per $1 million of buildings, 0.34 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 68.7 (Relatively Moderate) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $1,822,653, counting everything exposed, or $70 per $1 million of buildings in Rapides Parish.
  • FEMA's own event record for Rapides Parish averages 2.02 hail events and 1.58 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 29 hail reports in Rapides Parish between 2014 and June 2026, on 18 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 3.5 inches.
  • In Rapides Parish, FEMA counts buildings worth 26.16 billion dollars and 129,664 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Relatively High in Rapides Parish.
  • Community resilience there is Very High, for 129,664 residents.
  • 1 city in Rapides Parish is covered on this site: Alexandria. 19 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 Alexandria is $6,160 to $13,640.
  • Rapides Parish ranks 140 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 134 for wind and 167 for tornado.
  • In Rapides Parish, April is the busiest month with 8 of the 29 reports (28 percent), against 1 report in October.
  • Rapides Parish's worst year was 2022, with 4 hail days at 1 inch or more and 5 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 Rapides Parish was built in 1980; 50.6% of its 58,321 housing units date from before 1980, 75.8% from before 2000 and 11.4% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Rapides Parish at $179,100, and 65.3% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 2,873 single-family building permits were issued in Rapides Parish from 2014 to 2025, about 49.3 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2016.
  • NOAA lists 33 tornado tracks in Rapides Parish since 2014; the strongest was an EF3 on December 16, 2019 near Hineston, 30.22 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Rapides Parish is 110 mph on June 20, 2019 at Libuse.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Lafayette Parish, 73 miles from the centre of Rapides Parish; its hail score is 68.67.

The hail record of Rapides Parish, year by year

NOAA logged 29 reports in Rapides Parish; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 18 days. That is 1.5 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.

Rapides Parish: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more024682014: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch142015: 4 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch152016: 4 reports, 4 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.25 inch162017: 7 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.75 inch172018: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch182019: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch192020: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch202021: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch212022: 5 reports, 4 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch222023: 5 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 3.5 inch232024: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.25 inch242025: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 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
Rapides Parish: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 1 reports1JanFebruary: 5 reports5FebMarch: 3 reports3MarApril: 8 reports8AprMay: 7 reports7MayJune: 4 reports4JunJuly: 0 reports0JulAugust: 0 reports0AugSeptember: 0 reports0SepOctober: 1 reports1OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: April, 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
20154211.75 in–
20164401.25 in–
20177212.75 in$1,000
20181101 in–
20202101.5 in–
20225401.5 in–
20235323.5 in$500,000
20241101.25 in–

Biggest hail days in Rapides Parish

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
June 20, 20233.5 in3$500,000Echo
May 3, 20172.75 in4$1,000Forest Hill
March 26, 20232.75 in1none recordedCheneyville
April 19, 20151.75 in3none recordedSmithville
February 5, 20201.5 in2none recordedZimmerman

Where large hail was reported

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

Reported hail locations, Rapides Parish

1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail2 in hail2.75 in hail2.75 in hail3.5 in hail Alexandria
  • 221 to 1.74 in
  • 41.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 32.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 3.5 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

29 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 Rapides Parish

Fastest gusts in Rapides Parish

DateGustNear
June 20, 2019110 mphLibuse
April 29, 2024100 mphLee Hgts
August 28, 202490 mph(Aex)England Afb Alx
August 10, 201575 mphBall

Strongest tornado tracks in Rapides Parish

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
December 16, 2019EF330.22 mi0 / 0Hineston
April 22, 2020EF28.98 mi0 / 1Lecompte Arpt
April 22, 2020EF28.43 mi0 / 0Elmer
December 16, 2019EF23.56 mi0 / 0Union Hill

33 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 Rapides 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.

Rapides 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: 4.5% of homes4.5%<19401361940s: 8.4% of homes8.4%1940s1221950s: 10.2% of homes10.2%1950s1061960s: 11.7% of homes11.7%1960s921970s: 15.8% of homes15.8%1970s761980s: 13.3% of homes13.3%1980s621990s: 11.9% of homes11.9%1990s462000s: 12.8% of homes12.8%2000s322010s: 10.3% of homes10.3%2010s162020+: 1.1% of homes1.1%2020+4

Bars: share of 58,321 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 built1980
Built before 198050.6%
Built before 200075.8%
Built since 201011.4%
Owner-occupied65.3%
Median home value$179,100
Single-family permits, 2014 to 20252,873
Permits per 1,000 homes49.3

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.

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 Rapides Parish's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Lafayette Parish, LA73 Relatively High $101.15$3.960.5819
Calcasieu Parish, LA80 Relatively High $434.92$121.7148
Ouachita Parish, LA91 Relatively Moderate $283.21$273.9256
Bossier Parish, LA117 Relatively Moderate $9110.45$111.5492
Caddo Parish, LA121 Relatively Moderate $8810.15$243.43138

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Rapides 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. 19 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Alexandria 71301 (100%), 71302 (100%), 71303 (100%) Roofers

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Questions

How high is storm risk in Rapides Parish?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Rapides Parish an overall score of 84.29 (Relatively Moderate), 495th of 3,144. Hail scores 57.60 (Relatively Low), strong wind 77.48 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 68.7 (Relatively Moderate).

In Rapides 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 29 for Rapides Parish between 2014 and June 2026, on 18 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 3.5 inches.

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

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $179,100: FEMA's estimate is about $1.56 a year for hail and $1.23 for wind, before any deductible, against $4.00 and $3.65 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 Rapides Parish compare with the rest of Louisiana?

Per $1 million of buildings Rapides Parish loses $8.71 to hail a year, against $23 in the median county of the state. Among 64 rated counties it is 29th for hail, 17th for strong wind and 35th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Rapides Parish?

The median home was built in 1980, 46 years ago, and 75.8% of the 58,321 housing units in Rapides 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 Rapides Parish: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Rapides Parish; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Rapides Parish. Planning-level information about Rapides 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).