Hail and Damaging Winds in Louisiana, May 21, 1985

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Louisiana, May 21, 1985
Start: 1985-05-21T08:30
End: 1985-05-21T13:25
Location: Louisiana

May 21, 1985 · NWS AT · 29 events in 17 counties and zones

28 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 4
Injuries: 9
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 29

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

28 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Calcasieu

When: May 21, 8:30 AM CST
Where: Calcasieu County
Coordinates: 30.220, -93.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson Davis

When: May 21, 8:30 AM CST
Where: Jefferson Davis County
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 30.230, -93.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson Davis

When: May 21, 9:30 AM CST
Where: Jefferson Davis County
Coordinates: 30.220, -92.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Vermilion

When: May 21, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Vermilion County
Coordinates: 29.670, -92.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Vermilion

When: May 21, 10:15 AM CST
Where: Vermilion County
Coordinates: 29.970, -92.080

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Landry

When: May 21, 10:15 AM CST
Where: St. Landry County
Coordinates: 30.530, -92.080

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Mary

When: May 21, 10:30 AM CST
Where: St. Mary County
Coordinates: 29.800, -91.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Iberia

When: May 21, 10:45 AM CST
Where: Iberia County
Coordinates: 29.820, -92.000

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Mary

When: May 21, 10:45 AM CST
Where: St. Mary County
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 29.680, -91.670

Thunderstorm Wind, St. James

When: May 21, 11:15 AM CST
Where: St. James County
Coordinates: 30.020, -90.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Lafourche

When: May 21, 11:15 AM CST
Where: Lafourche County
Coordinates: 29.800, -90.830

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Mary

When: May 21, 11:15 AM CST
Where: St. Mary County
Coordinates: 29.700, -91.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Assumption

When: May 21, 11:15 AM CST
Where: Assumption County
Coordinates: 29.930, -91.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Lafourche

When: May 21, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Lafourche County
Coordinates: 29.800, -90.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Terrebonne

When: May 21, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Terrebonne County
Coordinates: 29.600, -90.720

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Charles

When: May 21, 12:06 PM CST
Where: St. Charles County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 29.980, -90.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: May 21, 12:15 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 29.980, -90.230

Thunderstorm Wind, West Baton Rouge

When: May 21, 12:18 PM CST
Where: West Baton Rouge County
Coordinates: 30.470, -91.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: May 21, 12:30 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Coordinates: 29.920, -90.050

Hail, Orleans

When: May 21, 12:35 PM CST
Where: Orleans County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.950, -90.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Orleans

When: May 21, 12:35 PM CST
Where: Orleans County
Coordinates: 29.950, -90.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Tangipahoa

When: May 21, 12:45 PM CST
Where: Tangipahoa County
Coordinates: 30.500, -90.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: May 21, 12:50 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 29.980, -90.230

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Bernard

When: May 21, 1:00 PM CST
Where: St. Bernard County
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 30.000, -89.700

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Tammany

When: May 21, 1:05 PM CST
Where: St. Tammany County
Coordinates: 30.480, -90.100

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Tammany

When: May 21, 1:05 PM CST
Where: St. Tammany County
Coordinates: 30.530, -89.870

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Tammany

When: May 21, 1:05 PM CST
Where: St. Tammany County
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 30.270, -89.780

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Bernard

When: May 21, 1:10 PM CST
Where: St. Bernard County
Coordinates: 29.930, -89.970

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Bernard

When: May 21, 1:25 PM CST
Where: St. Bernard County
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 29.870, -89.870

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Kind
Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson	1985-05-21	Direct
Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson	1985-05-21	Direct
Thunderstorm Wind, St. Bernard	1985-05-21	Direct
Thunderstorm Wind, St. Bernard	1985-05-21	Direct

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Louisiana in 1985 Every state in 1985 This day in weather history

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10044689, 10044690, 10044691, 10044692, 10044693, 10044694, 10044695, 10044696, 10044697, 10044698, 10044699, 10044700, 10044701, 10044702, 10044703, 10044704, 10044705, 10044706, 10044707, 10044708, 10044709, 10044710, 10044711, 10044712, 10044713, 10044714, 10044715, 10044716, 10044717.