All eleven hazards below were profiled in the 2021 plan and are carried into this update. Thunderstorm hail, lightning, and wind are scored separately but share one hazard profile. Select a hazard to open its profile.

Additionally, the National Risk Index developed by FEMA was utilized to determine the composite risk to 18 natural hazards, including avalanche, coastal flooding, cold wave, drought, earthquake, hail, heat wave, hurricane, ice storm, landslide, lightning, riverine flooding, strong wind, tornado, tsunami, volcanic activity, wildfire, and winter weather.

Coastal erosion is a significant hazard in Louisiana's coastal zone and a major contributor to long-term land loss. It results from a combination of natural and human-influenced processes, including wave action, storm surge, relative sea level rise, subsidence, reduced sediment supply, changing currents, and alterations such as dredging and canal construction. Some of the most severe episodes in recent decades were tied to tropical cyclones; Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike, Laura, Delta, and Ida generated storm surge and wave action that stripped sediment and vegetation and damaged barrier islands and coastal wetlands.

Erosion is usually gradual, but severe storms can cause substantial shoreline retreat and wetland loss in a short period of time. The loss of wetlands, shorelines, and barrier islands reduces natural protection from storm surge, flooding, and wave action; increases the exposure of communities, infrastructure, and economic assets; and degrades the coastal habitats that support fisheries, wildlife, water quality, and recreation.

Subsidence is the gradual lowering of the land surface caused by natural geologic processes and human activities. Across southern Louisiana, young sediments deposited by the Mississippi River and its distributaries compact as they age, while deeper geologic adjustment, fault movement, the decomposition of organic soils, and the withdrawal of oil, gas, and groundwater also lower the surface. Wetland drainage, canal construction, and reduced sediment delivery from river management can intensify the effect.

Subsidence develops continuously rather than as a discrete event, and rates can vary considerably over short distances. Even small annual rates add up to meaningful elevation loss over decades, compounding coastal flooding, storm surge, relative sea level rise, and erosion, and undermining the accuracy of the survey benchmarks used for levee heights and base flood elevations.

Historic areas of coastal land loss and gain have been quantified for the parish using data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA). Since 1932, the average annual land loss in Louisiana is 35 square miles, while the average annual land gain has been 3 square miles, for a net loss of 32 square miles per year. Land loss is occurring throughout the entire area of the parish.

Coastal erosion in Cameron Parish primarily occurs along the open Gulf shoreline and adjacent coastal features. The most significant erosion is observed along the parish's Gulf-facing beaches, extending from the Texas border eastward toward Vermilion Parish. Holly Beach, Rutherford Beach, and other low-lying Gulf-front communities experience chronic shoreline retreat due to wave action, storm surge, and relative sea level rise.

Subsidence is also occurring throughout the parish, further exacerbating land loss, although the degree of susceptibility varies geographically. The map below shows the regional subsidence rate zones that cover Cameron Parish.

The extent of coastal erosion is measured by the amount of shoreline, wetland, beach, or other coastal land that is lost over a specified period of time. It is commonly quantified using shoreline change rates, land loss rates, wetland conversion rates, and changes in coastal elevation, expressed as feet per year of shoreline retreat or acres or square miles of land lost over time. The USGS, NOAA, and CPRA monitor these changes with aerial photography, satellite imagery, GIS, LiDAR elevation data, and field surveys.

Within Cameron Parish, the intensity of erosion varies by location and environmental conditions, as summarized below.

The extent of subsidence is measured by the amount and rate of vertical land surface movement over time. It is commonly expressed in millimeters or inches per year and evaluated over longer periods to determine cumulative change in ground elevation. Because subsidence is gradual, small annual rates can produce meaningful elevation loss when sustained for several decades.

Subsidence rates vary across Cameron Parish. The southwestern portion of the parish can expect rates of approximately 35 mm annually, while the remainder of the parish can expect rates of approximately 10 mm annually. If those rates held constant, the land surface would lower by roughly 350 mm (about 14 inches) and 100 mm (about 4 inches) respectively over ten years.

Coastal land loss is an ongoing process that includes both discrete processes (hurricanes) and continuous processes (subsidence, sea level rise). Because coastal erosion and subsidence are not typically documented as standalone disaster events, their historical effects are reflected in observed land loss, shoreline change, wetland degradation, and storm-related coastal impacts. Specific previous occurrences have not been identified as a source of direct disaster damage in Louisiana; rather, the effects of the underlying flood or hurricane storm surge hazard are recorded.

Tropical storms and hurricanes have periodically accelerated erosion in Cameron Parish by removing vegetation, redistributing sediment, damaging marshes, and increasing shoreline retreat. Subsidence has continued over time at rates of approximately 35 mm annually in the southwestern portion of the parish and approximately 10 mm annually in the remainder.

Flooding results from a combination of natural and human-influenced conditions. Precipitation, topography, vegetation, soils, drainage patterns, and seasonality interact with development, impervious surfaces, land use change, and flood-control structures to determine how water moves across the landscape. Heavy rainfall from frontal systems, thunderstorms, tropical storms, and hurricanes is one of the primary causes of flooding in Louisiana, and slow-moving weather systems can produce prolonged rainfall that drives riverine flooding.

Several types of flooding may affect the parish: riverine flooding, when waterways exceed their capacity; flash flooding, when intense rainfall produces rapidly rising water; ponding, when water collects in low or poorly drained areas; backwater flooding, when elevated downstream water levels restrict drainage; urban flooding, when rainfall exceeds the capacity of stormwater systems in developed areas; and coastal flooding, typically caused by storm surge or gradual sea level rise. A single rainfall event can produce more than one type depending on local drainage, topography, waterways, and development patterns.

Cameron Parish has experienced significant flooding in its history and can expect more in the future. The parish is located along the eastern portion of the Sabine River Basin, which makes it susceptible to riverine flooding. The Sabine River is formed by three tributaries that begin in Collin County and Hunt County in northeast Texas, and it becomes the boundary between Texas and Louisiana near Logansport, Louisiana. The southern areas of the parish are also susceptible to storm surge from the Gulf.

Coastal storm surge and low relief put most of Cameron Parish inside a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).

The extent of flooding can be characterized by the depth, duration, velocity, geographic area of inundation, and probability of occurrence of a flood. Flood probability is commonly expressed as an annual chance: a 10% annual chance flood has a 10% probability of occurring in any given year, a 1% annual chance flood a 1% probability, and a 0.2% annual chance flood a 0.2% probability. These events have historically been called the 10-year, 100-year, and 500-year floods. The terms do not mean that a flood of a given magnitude will occur only once in that many years; they describe a statistical probability for any given year.

The 1% annual chance flood, commonly called the 100-year flood or base flood, remains an important regulatory benchmark under the National Flood Insurance Program. The area it would inundate is identified as the Special Flood Hazard Area on Flood Insurance Rate Maps, and federally backed lenders generally require flood insurance for buildings in the SFHA of participating communities.

Flood severity along rivers and streams may also be described using National Weather Service flood categories, which are set for individual river forecast points. Flood impacts generally increase from minor through moderate and major to record flooding.

The National Weather Service issues a Flood Watch when conditions are favorable for flooding but flooding is neither certain nor imminent, and a Flood Warning when flooding is imminent or occurring.

Cameron Parish has experienced 12 flooding events between 1996 and 2025. Since the last plan update, there have been three flooding events within the parish. These events resulted in approximately $10,000 in reported property damage, no fatalities, and no injuries. The following table provides an overview of those events.

Based on the 12 flooding events recorded between 1996 and 2025, the annual return rate, or average annual frequency, for flooding in the Cameron Parish planning area is approximately 0.40 events per year. Expressed as an annual probability, this corresponds to approximately a 40% chance of a flooding event occurring in any given year.

The average interval between events is calculated as the inverse of the annual return rate. Based on an annual frequency of approximately 0.40 events per year, one flooding event would occur on average about every 2.5 years (about every two to three years) over the long term. This interval represents a historical average and should not be interpreted to mean that flooding events will occur on a predictable cycle.

These estimates come from the Hazus Flood Model’s 100-year flood scenario, a flood with a 1% chance of occurring in any given year, as analyzed for the 2026 plan update.

Sinkholes commonly form in karst terrain, where soluble materials such as limestone, carbonate rock, gypsum, or salt lie beneath the ground surface. As groundwater moves through soluble rock it gradually enlarges fractures and voids, and overlying soil and sediment may migrate into those openings, creating surface depressions or, in some cases, sudden ground collapse. Cover subsidence sinkholes form slowly as soil settles into openings in the rock, while cover collapse sinkholes occur when a bridge of stronger surface soil over a developing void gives way, often with little warning.

Both natural processes and human activities can contribute to sinkhole development, including groundwater withdrawal, mining, drilling, leaking water or sewer lines, irrigation, and drainage changes. In Louisiana, sinkhole hazards are particularly associated with subsurface salt formations and solution-mined caverns. Collapse of salt-related voids can develop gradually or occur suddenly and may affect large areas with limited warning, which makes salt-related sinkholes a distinct concern where salt domes and cavern development are present.

Currently, there are nine identifiable salt dome locations in Cameron Parish, dispersed throughout the parish. Of the nine, four have no people, homes, or essential infrastructure within a two-mile buffer of the salt dome location. While the majority of salt domes are located in uninhabited areas of the parish, five are located near populated areas, and those five were analyzed to determine the potential loss exposure if a sinkhole were to occur. The specific area that could be affected by a future sinkhole would depend on the location, size, and mechanism of any subsurface failure.

Sinkholes are not assigned a single hazard rating or classification that applies uniformly across all locations. Instead, their extent and severity are evaluated using geologic, hydrologic, and land use factors that influence both the likelihood of formation and the magnitude of ground collapse. Assessments generally consider three components: susceptibility (soluble bedrock, salt formations, underground caverns, or other conditions that favor subsurface voids), triggering mechanisms (fluctuating groundwater levels, heavy rainfall, drought, groundwater withdrawal, construction, drilling), and consequences (the people, structures, essential facilities, and infrastructure within the affected area).

Within Cameron Parish, anticipated sinkhole severity may range from localized subsidence affecting a relatively small area to a more substantial collapse associated with a salt dome or related subsurface features. The precise dimensions of a future sinkhole cannot be predicted in advance and would depend on local geology, cavern conditions, groundwater behavior, and the mechanism of failure.

No sinkhole formations or salt dome collapses have been recorded in Cameron Parish to date, including between 1996 and 2025 and since the last plan update. As a result, there are no reported property damages, crop damages, fatalities, or injuries associated with sinkholes during the period evaluated.

Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that extend from thunderstorms to the ground and produce some of the most intense localized winds associated with severe weather. They generally form within strong thunderstorms when warm, moist air near the surface meets cooler air aloft in the presence of wind shear, which can create horizontal rotation that strong updrafts tilt vertically. Tornadoes can develop rapidly and last from a few minutes to more than an hour. Their paths are typically narrow, but they can occur as isolated events or as part of larger outbreaks, and they may also form in association with tropical cyclones.

The National Weather Service issues a Tornado Watch when conditions are favorable for tornadoes and a Tornado Warning when a tornado has been observed or indicated by radar and poses an immediate threat. Warning times may be limited. Tornado activity in Louisiana peaks in spring, with about half of the state’s tornadoes, including many of the strongest, occurring between March and June, though activity is more evenly distributed through the year than farther north. The major health hazard is injury from flying debris or collapsing buildings.

Tornadoes occur sporadically throughout Cameron Parish, and the occurrence of a tornado in the parish is highly unpredictable, making it impossible to forecast the exact time and location of a touchdown or the path it will take. Because of this, the entire planning area is considered equally at risk, and no portion of the parish is geographically exempt. Individual tornadoes typically affect relatively narrow areas, but future events may occur anywhere in the parish.

Documented tornado touchdown locations provide context for where tornadoes have occurred, but areas with more recorded events should not necessarily be interpreted as inherently more susceptible, since tornado occurrence is highly localized and the record represents only past events. The map below shows recorded touchdown locations in the parish.

Tornado intensity is classified using the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale, which the National Weather Service has used since February 1, 2007. The EF Scale evaluates observed damage to structures, vegetation, and other objects and uses it to estimate wind speeds, from EF0 (generally lighter damage) to EF5 (the most extreme damage, with estimated winds greater than 200 mph). Before the EF Scale, tornadoes were classified using the original Fujita (F) Scale, so historical records may contain both. The table compares the two scales and summarizes typical damage.

Cameron Parish has experienced 31 tornado events between 1996 and 2025. Since the last plan update, there have been six tornado events. These events resulted in approximately $260,000 in reported property damage, no crop damage, no fatalities, and no injuries.

The NCEI Storm Events Database summary below covers all recorded tornado touchdowns in the parish.

Tropical cyclones are organized low-pressure systems that develop over warm tropical or subtropical waters, with rotating winds and thunderstorms surrounding a defined circulation. Their main energy source is the heat released as water vapor condenses over a deep layer of warm water. A system becomes a tropical storm, and is named, when sustained winds reach 39 mph, and a hurricane when they reach 74 mph. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30 and peaks in late summer and early fall. Track, intensity, forward speed, size, and angle of approach vary considerably from storm to storm, producing very different conditions across the same area.

Tropical cyclones produce several hazards at once, including damaging winds, heavy rainfall, inland and coastal flooding, tornadoes, storm surge, and large waves. Storm surge, water pushed toward shore by strong onshore winds and low pressure, is the greatest natural threat to property and life in Louisiana, and nine out of ten hurricane deaths are caused by surge flooding. Major hurricanes (Category 3 to 5) make up only about 20% of U.S. landfalls but cause over 70% of the damage. High winds damage buildings through direct wind force, flying debris, and pressure, and once debris breaks the building envelope, wind pressure can act on every surface.

Tropical cyclones typically impact multiple regions and not one specific jurisdiction, so the entire Cameron Parish planning area is susceptible to their effects, and no portion of the parish is considered geographically exempt. Hurricanes are the single biggest threat to all of South Louisiana, and any single hurricane has the potential to devastate multiple parishes at once.

Cameron Parish’s open Gulf coastline gives tropical systems a direct path inland, with essentially no land buffer to weaken winds before landfall. Although the severity of impacts varies with storm track, intensity, size, and distance from the center of circulation, future impacts may occur anywhere in the parish.

The intensity of hurricanes is classified using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which categorizes hurricanes from Category 1 through Category 5 based on maximum sustained wind speed. Hurricanes of Category 3, 4, or 5 are considered major hurricanes. Tropical depressions and tropical storms fall below hurricane strength and are not assigned a category.

Storm surge is not incorporated into the Saffir-Simpson classification and should be evaluated separately. Surge height and inland penetration depend on storm intensity, size, forward speed, track, angle of approach, coastal topography, and bathymetry, so a lower-category hurricane can produce significant surge under favorable conditions while a stronger hurricane may produce a different surge profile depending on its size and path.

Cameron Parish has experienced nine tropical cyclone events between 2002 and 2025. Since the last plan update, there have been two, which resulted in no reported property damage, crop damage, fatalities, or injuries. The narratives below add detail on each recent storm because impacts can vary considerably from one storm to another.

Based on the nine tropical cyclone events recorded between 2002 and 2025, the annual return rate, or average annual frequency, for hurricanes in the Cameron Parish planning area is approximately 0.38 events per year. Expressed as an annual probability, this corresponds to approximately a 38% chance of a hurricane event occurring in any given year.

The average interval between events is calculated as the inverse of the annual return rate. Based on an annual frequency of approximately 0.38 events per year, one hurricane event would occur on average about every 2.6 years (about every two to three years) over the long term. This interval represents a historical average and should not be interpreted to mean that hurricane events will occur on a predictable cycle.

The map below shows wind speed probability zones for Cameron Parish.

Drought is a prolonged period of abnormally dry conditions that results in a shortage of available water relative to normal conditions and demand. A lack of precipitation alone does not necessarily constitute drought, because the timing, duration, temperature, soil moisture, and seasonal needs of vegetation all influence whether dry conditions develop into drought. It is a slow-onset hazard that can persist for weeks, months, or longer, and there is no single threshold of severity for all locations or users. Types include meteorological drought (below-normal precipitation), agricultural drought (insufficient soil moisture for crops and vegetation), and hydrologic drought (reduced streamflow, reservoir levels, or groundwater).

Severity depends on the magnitude and duration of moisture deficits, the geographic extent of the affected area, and the vulnerability of local water supplies, agriculture, and ecosystems. Direct effects include crop losses, reduced livestock productivity, declining surface water and groundwater availability, and stress on vegetation and wildlife; indirect effects include higher agricultural and food costs, reduced economic activity, and water use restrictions. Drought can also contribute to or worsen other hazards, particularly extreme heat and wildfire.

Drought is a regional hazard that typically affects large geographic areas rather than one specific parish or jurisdiction. The entire planning area can experience drought, and no portion of Cameron Parish is considered geographically exempt. The major impact of a drought in the parish is on the agricultural community, where reduced soil moisture, crop stress, livestock impacts, and increased irrigation demand are felt most directly.

At the time the plan was published, data compiled by the National Drought Mitigation Center indicated normal conditions in the central portions of the parish and abnormally dry conditions in all other areas. Because drought conditions change over time, the maps below link to the current and year-ago U.S. Drought Monitor for Louisiana.

Drought severity can be measured using several indices that evaluate moisture conditions, precipitation deficits, soil moisture, and hydrologic impacts over different time periods. One commonly used measure is the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), developed to evaluate long-term moisture conditions using precipitation and temperature data within a soil moisture supply and demand framework. Because the PDSI is standardized, it allows drought conditions to be compared across locations and over time. Other indices evaluate specific types of drought or related impacts: the Palmer Hydrologic Drought Index (PHDI) for longer-term hydrologic conditions, the Crop Moisture Index (CMI) for short-term agricultural moisture, and the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) for dryness associated with wildfire potential.

Cameron Parish has experienced one drought event between 1996 and 2025, and it occurred since the last plan update. The event is summarized below. Crop damage is reported as $0, although the summary notes considerable crawfish die-offs and reduced rice and hay yields for which specific dollar estimates are unknown.

Heat waves are prolonged periods of unusually hot weather that may be accompanied by high humidity and limited nighttime cooling. In Louisiana, the humid subtropical climate can produce extended periods of extreme heat in the summer, particularly when persistent high pressure suppresses cloud formation and rainfall and allows intense solar heating. High humidity limits the body's ability to cool by perspiring, which makes prolonged heat especially hazardous. Heat waves result from the same weather patterns as drought, so the two hazards often occur together.

Severity depends on daytime temperature, humidity, duration, nighttime temperatures, soil moisture, drought conditions, and land cover. Heat disorders such as sunburn, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke result from overexposure, and seniors and children are at greatest risk. NOAA identifies extreme heat as the leading weather-related cause of death in the United States; heat-related deaths in Louisiana are not common, but they do occur. Extreme heat can also damage roads, bridges, pipelines, utilities, and railroads.

Heat waves are regional weather events that can affect large geographic areas rather than being confined to a specific portion of Cameron Parish. Because extreme heat is a climatologically based hazard, it has the same probability of occurring in the parish as in all of the adjacent parishes, and the entire planning area is equally at risk. No portion of the parish is considered geographically exempt.

Localized conditions may influence how severely heat is experienced. Developed areas with extensive pavement, buildings, and limited vegetation may retain more heat, while areas with greater tree cover or open space may experience somewhat different conditions. Even so, extreme heat should be considered a parish-wide hazard.

The severity of extreme heat can be evaluated using temperature, humidity, duration, nighttime cooling, and the potential for heat-related health and infrastructure impacts. This plan uses the National Weather Service Heat Index, which combines air temperature and relative humidity to describe how hot conditions feel and groups them into risk levels with associated protective measures.

The National Weather Service HeatRisk provides a five-level scale from 0, representing little to no risk from expected heat, to 4, representing rare or long-duration extreme heat with little to no overnight relief. Higher levels indicate increasing concern for both people and heat-sensitive systems. It is shown here for reference; the worst case for Cameron Parish was assessed on the Heat Index scale above.

Per the NCEI Storm Events Database, there have been no significant excessive heat events in Cameron Parish between 1996 and 2025, including since the last plan update. As a result, there are no reported property damages, crop damages, fatalities, or injuries associated with excessive heat during the period evaluated.

A thunderstorm is any precipitation event in which thunder is heard or lightning is seen, often accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds and occasionally by hail. Thunderstorms form when heated, humid air becomes unstable and rises, and they are classified as single-cell, multi-cell, squall line, or supercell, with supercells the longest-lived and most severe. NOAA characterizes a thunderstorm as severe when it produces hail of one inch in diameter or larger, wind gusts of 58 mph or greater, or a tornado. Because tornadoes and flooding are profiled separately, this page covers the thunderstorm sub-hazards of hail, lightning, and thunderstorm wind. Severe thunderstorms occur most often in late spring and early summer and again in late summer and early fall.

Hail forms within strong thunderstorms when updrafts carry water droplets into portions of the cloud where temperatures are below freezing. The droplets freeze and may be carried repeatedly through supercooled water, adding layers of ice until the hailstone becomes too heavy for the updraft to support. Stronger and longer-lasting updrafts produce larger hailstones, and hail can vary considerably in size and intensity within the same storm.

Larger hailstones can damage roofs, windows, vehicles, crops, outdoor equipment, and other exposed property, while smaller hail may cause little or no damage. Damage to individual structures is often minor, but the cumulative cost to communities can be significant. Hail rarely causes loss of life, although large hailstones can cause bodily injury.

Lightning is an electrical discharge associated with thunderstorms and may occur within a cloud, between clouds, or between a cloud and the ground. Intra-cloud lightning is the most common type and generally poses less direct risk at the surface. Cloud-to-ground lightning presents the greatest direct threat: a strike may affect an object directly or transmit current through the ground, wiring, plumbing, or other conductive materials, and it can strike several miles away from the main rain core of a storm.

Positive cloud-to-ground lightning is less common but can be particularly intense, with higher currents and longer-duration discharges that make fire ignition more likely. Lightning can injure people, ignite fires, and damage structures, utilities, and electronic equipment, and it remains one of the top three storm-related killers in the United States according to FEMA.

High winds occur in a number of ways, with and without thunderstorms. The high winds of present concern for this hazard are thunderstorm winds and downbursts. Thunderstorm winds are a frequent hazard in Louisiana, especially in spring and summer, and can last from a few minutes to several hours; downbursts occur with medium to high frequency and last roughly 15 to 20 minutes.

Major damage directly caused by thunderstorm winds is relatively rare, while minor damage is common and pervasive, and is most noticeable when it contributes to power outages. Those outages can bring a greater tendency for traffic accidents, increased vulnerability to fire, food spoilage, and other losses.

Because hailstorms are a climatologically based occurrence that can occur anywhere thunderstorms develop, the entire Cameron Parish planning area is at risk, and no portion of the parish is considered geographically exempt. Individual hail events may affect only a relatively small area, and the location of future hail events cannot be predicted with precision.

Because lightning is a climatologically based occurrence that can occur anywhere thunderstorms develop, the entire planning area is at risk from lightning strikes. Individual lightning events are highly localized, but thunderstorms capable of producing lightning may affect any part of the parish. Differences in the number and location of recorded events reflect the localized nature of thunderstorm activity and the limits of event reporting rather than a permanent pattern of higher or lower susceptibility.

Because thunderstorm winds are a climatologically based occurrence that can occur anywhere, the entire planning area is at risk. The location and intensity of future thunderstorm wind events cannot be predicted with precision, and areas with fewer documented events may still experience damaging winds during future storms.

The severity of a hailstorm is primarily characterized by hailstone size, although storm duration, wind speed, and the concentration of exposed property also influence the resulting impacts. The National Weather Service considers hail with a diameter of 1 inch or greater to meet the severe thunderstorm criteria. The TORRO Hailstorm Intensity Scale relates hailstone size and kinetic energy to potential damage, from H0 (hard hail with little or no damage) to H10 (extremely destructive hail capable of extensive structural damage and severe or fatal injuries).

The severity of lightning activity can be characterized by the frequency of lightning strikes within a defined observation area. The Lightning Activity Level (LAL) scale describes thunderstorm development and the number of lightning strikes during a 15-minute period, from Level 1 (no thunderstorms) to Level 5 (numerous thunderstorms with more than 25 strikes).

The severity of thunderstorm wind events is characterized primarily by wind speed, duration, and the resulting effects on the built and natural environment. A thunderstorm is considered severe when it produces gusts of 58 mph (50 knots) or greater. The Beaufort Wind Scale, first developed in 1805 by Sir Francis Beaufort, relates wind speed to the appearance of wind effects on land, from calm conditions at Force 0 to hurricane-force winds at Force 12.

Cameron Parish has experienced 43 hail events between 1996 and 2025. Since the last plan update, there have been five hail events recorded by the NCEI Storm Events Database. These events resulted in approximately $0 in reported property damage, $0 in reported crop damage, no fatalities, and no injuries.

Cameron Parish has experienced 10 significant lightning events between 1996 and 2025. Since the last plan update, there has been one significant lightning event, which resulted in approximately $5,000 in reported property damage, no crop damage, no fatalities, and no injuries.

Cameron Parish has experienced 93 thunderstorm wind events between 1996 and 2025. Since the last plan update, there have been 14 events. These events resulted in approximately $253,000 in reported property damage, no crop damage, no fatalities, and no injuries. Most of that total came from a single event on 5/27/2025.

Wildfires may be ignited naturally, most commonly by lightning, or by human activity, either intentionally or accidentally. Behavior is influenced by the type and condition of available fuels, weather, and topography, and dry vegetation, low humidity, high temperatures, and strong winds make it more likely that a fire will spread rapidly and become difficult to contain. Wildfires are generally classified as ground fires, which burn organic matter in and beneath the forest floor; surface fires, which burn grasses, litter, and shrubs near the ground; and crown fires, which spread rapidly through the tops of trees and are the most intense and difficult to control.

Wildfires are less frequent in Louisiana than in the western United States, but they do occur, and periods of drought, low relative humidity, high temperatures, and strong winds raise wildfire potential. Human activity is an important source of ignition, with many fires associated with intentional burning, debris burning, equipment use, or other accidental causes. The wildland-urban interface, where developed land meets or intermingles with wildland vegetation, is of particular concern because both the vegetation and the built environment can contribute to fire spread, and as development expands near wildland settings, more people, structures, and utilities are exposed.

Wildfires are most likely to occur in areas with forests, grasslands, brush, and other vegetated land capable of providing fuel for fire spread. Susceptibility in Cameron Parish is generally greater in undeveloped or less densely developed areas and where wildland vegetation is adjacent to or intermingled with residential, commercial, or other developed land, forming the wildland-urban interface and intermix.

Susceptibility varies across the parish based on vegetation, land cover, development patterns, fuel availability, and access for fire suppression.

Wildfire extent can be characterized by the intensity of fire behavior, including flame length, spotting potential, and the ability of a fire to generate strong localized winds. The Southern Group of State Foresters developed the Southern Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal to help identify areas with differing levels of wildfire potential. The portal assigns fire intensity levels from Level 1, the lowest anticipated intensity, to Level 5, the highest.

Per the NCEI Storm Events Database, Cameron Parish has experienced one significant wildfire event between 1996 and 2025. Since the previous plan update, there have been no significant wildfire events within the parish.

Based on the one wildfire event recorded between 1996 and 2025, the annual return rate, or average annual frequency, for wildfire in the Cameron Parish planning area is approximately 0.03 events per year. Expressed as an annual probability, this corresponds to approximately a 3% chance of a wildfire event occurring in any given year.

The average interval between events is calculated as the inverse of the annual return rate. Based on an annual frequency of approximately 0.03 events per year, one wildfire event would occur on average about every 33 years over the long term. This interval represents a historical average and should not be interpreted to mean that wildfire events will occur on a predictable cycle.