Louisiana, 1997

Flash Flood in Louisiana, May 2, 1997

May 2, 1997 · NWS SHV · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 75 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:28 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Bienville

When
May 2, 10:30 AM CST to 2:15 PM CST
Where
Bienville County, Arcadia
Coordinates
32.347, -93.056 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong thunderstorms produced locally heavy rainfall across much of the Parish but the northeastern third was hit the hardest with 4.90 inches of rain in less than one hour. Many businesses along Hwy 151 North suffered water damage including a shopping center, a grocery store, and an auto parts store. Water reached two feet in some businesses in downtown while many cars were stalled in high water. Numerous roads were closed and/or washed out including U.S. Hwy 80 between Gibsland and Arcadia which had to be closed for several hours.

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Louisiana in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, May 1997

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: 5598002.