Cameron County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Louisiana Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Cameron County is about the same as Louisiana average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Cameron County is much lower than Louisiana average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #47
| Cameron County | 0.01 |
| Louisiana | 0.03 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Cameron County | 0.0000 |
| Louisiana | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #60
| Cameron County | 154.08 |
| Louisiana | 235.86 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 4,002 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Cameron County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 0 | Cold: | 5 | Dense Fog: | 1 | Drought: | 33 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 384 | Hail: | 1,094 | Heat: | 15 | Heavy Snow: | 3 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 24 | Ice Storm: | 9 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 11 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 2,192 | Tropical Storm: | 22 | Wildfire: | 3 | Winter Storm: | 8 | Winter Weather: | 18 |
| Other: | 180 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Cameron County.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 1 historical earthquake event that had a recorded magnitude of 3.5 or above found in or near Cameron County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 28.7 | 1983-10-16 | 3.8 | 5 | 30.24 | -93.39 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 49 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Cameron County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 2.8 | 1970-10-11 | 2 | 29°54'N / 93°12'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 1 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Cameron | |
| 7.0 | 1972-03-20 | 2 | 29°49'N / 93°04'W | 0.30 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Cameron | |
| 10.8 | 1984-05-20 | 3 | 29°48'N / 93°21'W | 29°48'N / 93°18'W | 3.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Cameron |
| 14.6 | 1974-10-28 | 2 | 29°46'N / 93°28'W | 29°49'N / 93°19'W | 9.70 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Cameron |
| 20.4 | 1979-10-22 | 2 | 29°46'N / 93°29'W | 1.00 Mile | 550 Yards | 0 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Cameron | |
| 21.7 | 1999-01-02 | 2 | 30°05'N / 92°56'W | 30°07'N / 92°54'W | 4.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Calcasieu |
| Brief Description: A strong tornado moved across southern and eastern sections of Hayes, destroying several homes and one farm. A couple was injured slightly when their permanent wood home was completely flattened in the tornado. Another home was lifted in the air and moved 75 yards from it's original location. Seven people in the home escaped with no injuries. A large trash can was found struck in a tree 50 feet up in a large oak tree, that had travelled at least one mile from it's original position. | |||||||||||
| 23.6 | 1957-04-27 | 2 | 30°10'N / 93°22'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Calcasieu | |
| 25.0 | 1971-02-12 | 3 | 30°13'N / 93°12'W | 30°15'N / 93°10'W | 3.60 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Calcasieu |
| 26.1 | 1973-04-17 | 3 | 30°15'N / 93°10'W | 0.50 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Calcasieu | |
| 26.1 | 1983-05-20 | 3 | 29°45'N / 93°36'W | 29°50'N / 93°35'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cameron |
| 26.9 | 1966-02-10 | 2 | 30°06'N / 92°48'W | 0.20 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Jefferson Davis | |
| 27.7 | 1979-10-22 | 2 | 30°14'N / 93°22'W | 1.00 Mile | 500 Yards | 0 | 11 | 2.5M | 0 | Calcasieu | |
| 28.4 | 1974-05-31 | 2 | 30°12'N / 93°24'W | 30°16'N / 93°23'W | 5.10 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Calcasieu |
| 28.6 | 1992-11-21 | 3 | 30°13'N / 93°02'W | 30°18'N / 92°57'W | 6.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Calcasieu |
| 30.3 | 1957-03-31 | 2 | 30°03'N / 92°48'W | 30°09'N / 92°40'W | 10.60 Miles | 267 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jefferson Davis |
| 31.9 | 1981-06-05 | 2 | 29°46'N / 93°41'W | 0.10 Mile | 17 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Cameron | |
| 32.5 | 1975-05-08 | 2 | 30°14'N / 92°49'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Jefferson Davis | |
| 33.2 | 1971-05-11 | 2 | 30°05'N / 92°40'W | 0.30 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Jefferson Davis | |
| 34.2 | 1965-01-22 | 2 | 30°22'N / 93°12'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Calcasieu | |
| 34.8 | 1952-04-04 | 3 | 30°10'N / 92°52'W | 30°16'N / 92°37'W | 16.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 10 | 250K | 0 | Jefferson Davis |
| 35.1 | 1974-10-29 | 3 | 30°06'N / 92°41'W | 30°08'N / 92°37'W | 4.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 12 | 25.0M | 0 | Jefferson Davis |
| 35.2 | 1982-09-11 | 2 | 30°14'N / 92°45'W | 1.00 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jefferson Davis | |
| 36.2 | 1973-04-17 | 3 | 30°10'N / 93°40'W | 0.50 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Calcasieu | |
| 38.8 | 1952-02-01 | 2 | 30°05'N / 93°46'W | 1.00 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Orange | |
| 39.3 | 1999-03-02 | 2 | 30°23'N / 93°32'W | 30°20'N / 93°29'W | 4.00 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 75K | 0 | Calcasieu |
| Brief Description: A strong tornado moved into rural Calcasieu Parish between DeQuincy and Starks, tearing up trees in its path. At least one home was destroyed 12 miles northwest of Sulphur. | |||||||||||
| 39.8 | 1977-11-08 | 2 | 30°00'N / 92°31'W | 1.00 Mile | 27 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Vermilion | |
| 40.0 | 1957-11-07 | 4 | 30°06'N / 93°44'W | 29°58'N / 93°53'W | 12.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 1 | 81 | 2.5M | 0 | Orange |
| 40.9 | 2009-12-24 | 2 | 29°58'N / 92°31'W | 30°03'N / 92°29'W | 6.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 0K | Vermilion |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The Gueydan Tornado began about 4 miles southwest of town near Ellis Bridge Road, blowing down a few trees Burnell Road and Humble Road. The tornado then moved north-northeastward causing extensive roof and siding damage to several homes just east of Highway 91 south of Gueydan. One tied-down mobile home was rolled over and completely destroyed, and another mobile home had its entire roof blown off. Trees and powerlines were also blown down in the area. The tornado then moved across Gueydan, causing intermittent damage to homes and trees along a narrow swath. One small outbuilding was blown into the water tower located in the northeast portion of town and destroyed. Continuing north-northeastward, the tornado blew down numerous trees at a farm on the southern end of JD Simon Road, and knocked down a power pole along Highway 713 west of Dallas Guidry Road. The tornado then curved northward, blowing down several tree limbs at a residence along Bill Searle Road west of Calvin Road, before dissipating. In total, approximately 50 homes were damaged by this tornado. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A powerful upper level storm system moved across the Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley from Wednesday, December 23, 2009, through Thursday, December 24, 2009. Numerous showers and elevated thunderstorms, including some supercells, repeatedly developed and moved northward across much of southwest Louisiana and the northern Gulf of Mexico from late Wednesday evening into Thursday morning. As the main upper level system approached Louisiana early Thursday morning, a squall line developed across east Texas and moved rapidly eastward across Louisiana, causing several reports of wind damage in southern Louisiana. Meanwhile, some of the elevated supercells became surface-based and tracked north-northeastward across south-central and east-central Louisiana, spawning at least a dozen tornadoes. In addition, the widespread rainfall caused flooding in some of these same areas. In total, at least 12 tornadoes affected portions of Vermilion, Acadia, St. Landry, Evangeline, and Avoyelles Parishes within a two hour timespan from 7-9 AM. Seven tornadoes affected Acadia Parish alone, the biggest single outbreak of tornadoes ever recorded in that parish. Three tornadoes were rated EF2, three were rated EF1, and six were rated EF0. Other tornadoes likely occurred that were reported by area residents but could not be confirmed by NWS storm surveys. These included a likely tornado just east of I-49 in extreme northeastern Evangeline Parish, a possible tornado about 8 miles southwest of Gueydan, and another east of Palmetto in far northeastern St. Landry Parish. This was the largest outbreak of tornadoes in the NWS Lake Charles county warning area since November 23, 2004. | |||||||||||
| 41.3 | 1999-01-02 | 2 | 30°28'N / 93°14'W | 30°28'N / 93°14'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0 | Beauregard |
| Brief Description: A small but strong tornado moved across rural areas south of Ragley. One new mobile home that was in the path was completely destroyed. Debris was scattered for over a mile. The residents had heard the warnings and escaped the home minutes before it was destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 42.2 | 1970-10-11 | 3 | 29°55'N / 93°53'W | 29°58'N / 93°51'W | 4.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 19 | 2.5M | 0 | Jefferson |
| 43.2 | 1960-04-29 | 2 | 30°18'N / 92°48'W | 30°24'N / 92°36'W | 13.80 Miles | 1667 Yards | 0 | 4 | 25K | 0 | Jefferson Davis |
| 43.4 | 1959-06-03 | 2 | 30°27'N / 93°27'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Calcasieu | |
| 43.7 | 1964-08-05 | 2 | 29°42'N / 93°52'W | 0.20 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 6 | 250K | 0 | Jefferson | |
| 44.7 | 1968-02-01 | 2 | 29°56'N / 93°55'W | 29°56'N / 93°54'W | 1.30 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jefferson |
| 44.9 | 1957-11-07 | 3 | 29°57'N / 93°56'W | 29°58'N / 93°53'W | 3.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 2 | 59 | 2.5M | 0 | Jefferson |
| 45.4 | 1974-10-29 | 3 | 30°08'N / 92°37'W | 30°13'N / 92°22'W | 16.10 Miles | 200 Yards | 2 | 40 | 25.0M | 0 | Acadia |
| 45.6 | 1975-05-08 | 2 | 30°10'N / 92°29'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Acadia | |
| 46.0 | 1959-07-02 | 2 | 29°54'N / 93°56'W | 0.10 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jefferson | |
| 47.3 | 1957-03-17 | 2 | 29°57'N / 93°57'W | 0.90 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Jefferson | |
| 47.6 | 1970-10-11 | 2 | 29°47'N / 93°58'W | 29°52'N / 93°57'W | 6.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Jefferson |
| 47.6 | 1993-04-07 | 2 | 30°25'N / 93°40'W | 30°40'N / 93°03'W | 43.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 5 | 500K | 0 | Beauregard |
| Brief Description: A cluster of thunderstorms produced a tornado that moved along an intermittent path that began 10 miles southwest of Fields. The tornado moved northeast through Fields and Singer then turned east before ending in Dry Creek. A damage survey conducted by the Beauregard Parish emergency manager showed that 3 single family homes were destroyed, 4 single family homes, 5 mobile homes and 2 businesses received major damage, and 8 single family homes, and 5 mobile homes suffered minor damage. The majority of this property damage was in the Singer and Dry Creek areas where 5 people were injured. In addition, the tornado destroyed hundreds of trees. | |||||||||||
| 47.7 | 1976-03-24 | 2 | 30°26'N / 92°42'W | 0.50 Mile | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jefferson Davis | |
| 48.0 | 1972-11-13 | 2 | 29°51'N / 93°58'W | 2.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Jefferson | |
| 49.0 | 1974-10-28 | 2 | 29°51'N / 93°59'W | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Jefferson | |||
| 49.0 | 1956-02-14 | 2 | 29°59'N / 93°57'W | 30°13'N / 93°56'W | 16.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jefferson |
| 49.5 | 1980-09-06 | 2 | 29°59'N / 93°59'W | 0.10 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jefferson | |
| 49.9 | 1999-01-02 | 2 | 30°16'N / 92°32'W | 30°21'N / 92°28'W | 10.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Acadia |
| Brief Description: A long tornado touched down in northern Acadia Parish. The most extensive damage occurred near the Richard community, where one house was nearly destroyed and another 6 received minor damage. A small airplane parked on the ground east of Iota was picked up and moved 100 yards. At least 20 homes and businesses received some form of damage along this path. | |||||||||||
| 50.0 | 1956-11-05 | 2 | 29°54'N / 94°00'W | 0.20 Mile | 17 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Jefferson | |
| 50.0 | 1957-11-07 | 3 | 29°54'N / 94°00'W | 1.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Jefferson | |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.