Tornado and Flash Flooding in Louisiana, August 11 to 27, 2016

Heavy rain led to flash flooding throughout Destrehan, Boutte, Luling and Paradis. Numerous roads were closed in these areas and 15 homes flooded.

Four to seven inches of rain fell over the course of a few hours across St. James Parish, leading to Flash flooding. Several roads were impassible and 4 homes suffered flood damage. Two of the homes were in the Convent area and the other two were in the Welcome area.

Five to Seven inches of rain fell over a five hours across southern Ascension Parish, leading to Flash flooding throughout Donaldsonville, Darrow, Aben and Burnside. Numerous roads were closed and 4 homes were damaged in Donaldsonville.

Sixteen to twenty inches of rainfall over a 2 day period led to widespread flash flooding in St. Helena Parish. As water drained into area rivers, rapid rises and record flooding occurred along the Amite and Tickfaw Rivers. As floodwaters rose, numerous high water rescues were necessary across the parish. Road closures due to high water were common and over 400 homes and businesses suffered various degrees of damage. A section of Louisiana Highway 10 near the Coleman Town community was overtopped with some of the road washed out. In Greensburg, flood waters rose high enough to enter the parish hospital. Two fatalities are attributed to the flash flooding. A 54 year old man drowned when his truck was submerged after being swept off a road east of Greensburg Friday afternoon. A 44 year old woman drowned when her vehicle was swept off Hwy 1045 near Montpelier Friday night.

Twenty to thirty inches of rainfall over a 2 day period led to widespread flash flooding in Livingston Parish. As water drained into the local rivers, record levels were recorded. Additional details of the river flooding can be found in the flood report for the parish. As floodwaters rose, hundreds of high water rescues were necessary across the parish. More than 20,000 homes and businesses suffered various degrees of flooding, though it's difficult to determine how many were due to initial flash flooding and how many were due to subsequent river flooding.

Twelve to eighteen inches of rainfall over a 2 day period led to widespread flash flooding across roughly the northwestern half of Tangipahoa Parish. As water drained into the local rivers, record levels were recorded on the Tangipahoa and Natalbany Rivers. Additional details of the river flooding can be found in the flood report for the parish. As floodwaters rose, hundreds of high water rescues were necessary across the parish. On Friday the 12th, I-55 was closed due to high water near exit 40 in Independence and from exit 50 to exit 53 between Fluker and Arcoloa. More than 11,000 homes and businesses suffered various degrees of flooding, though it's difficult to determine how many were due to initial flash flooding and how many were due to subsequent river flooding. Two fatalities are attributed to the flash flooding in Tangipahoa Parish. A 49 year old man drowned when his vehicle left the road and ended up in flood waters off of Interstate 55 Friday morning. A 59 year old man drowned after being swept away by a strong current while walking along Hwy 440 near the town of Tangipahoa Friday afternoon.

Ten to fifteen inches of rainfall over a 2 day period led to widespread flash flooding in West Feliciana Parish. Road closures due to high water were common and approximately 130 homes and businesses suffered various degrees of damage due to the flash flooding.

Twelve to eighteen inches of rainfall over a 2 day period led to widespread flash flooding in East Feliciana Parish. As floodwaters rose, numerous high water rescues were necessary across the parish. Road closures due to high water were common and over 425 homes and businesses suffered various degrees of damage due to the flash flooding.

Six to eight inches of rain falling on already saturated ground led to widespread flash flooding across Ascension Parish. Around 75 roads were closed due to high water at different points throughout the day and numerous homes suffered damage. As water drained into the Amite River from here and upstream, record levels were recorded on the river. Details of the resultant river flooding are included in the flood event report for the parish. In all, approximately 16,000 homes and businesses suffered varying degrees of damage, though it is somewhat difficult to determine how many were due to the initial flash flooding and how many were due to the subsequent river flooding.

Twenty to thirty inches of rainfall over a 2 day period led to widespread flash flooding in East Baton Rouge Parish. As water drained into the local rivers, record levels were recorded. Additional details of the river flooding can be found in the flood report for the parish. As floodwaters rose, hundreds of high water rescues were necessary across the parish. Portions of interstates 10 and 110 were closed due to water crossing the roadway during the flash flooding. In all, approximately 25,000 homes and hundreds of additional businesses suffered various degrees of flooding, though it's difficult to determine how many were due to initial flash flooding and how many were due to subsequent river flooding. During the flash flooding, a 68 year old man drowned when he slipped into a drainage ditch trying to escape his home in Zachary, LA Friday morning.

Numerous trees blown down or snapped about 30 feet off the ground. Multiple buildings with roof and/or chimney damage. Power lines knocked down. A double carport was destroyed and a 15,000 pound fifth wheel camper rolled over.

Six to 10 inches of rain fell across Pointe Coupee Parish on Friday, leading to to widespread flash flooding. Road closures due to high water were common and a few homes flooded. Additional flooding occurred as water drained into the lower lying areas, details of which are included in the flood report for the parish.

Eight to twelve inches of rain over a two day period led to flash flooding across northwestern Washington Parish as water drained into the Bogue Chitto River and its tributaries. Numerous roads were impassible and several homes suffered flood damage from Mount Hermon to Franklinton.

Moderate flooding along the Bogue Chitto River occurred as ten to fifteen inches of rain across the western part of Washington Parish drained into the river. Approximately 40 homes suffered varying degrees of damage, many of which were in the Bogue Chitto Heights subdivision.

Six to twelve inches of rainfall, most of which fell in one day, led to major flooding along the Tchefuncte River in St. Tammany Parish. Approximately 100 homes and businesses suffered varying degrees of damage due to the flooding and numerous roads, including Hwy 21 were closed due to high water. These same areas were also impacted by the major flooding in March of this year. The end time of the event is based on when the Tchefuncte River near Covington dropped below flood stage.

Ten to fourteen inches of rain fell over a two day period across Pointe Coupee Parish. This rain led to flash flooding across the parish, details of which are included in the flash flood entry for the parish. As the water drained into lower lying areas, flooding began on the north side of New Roads, prompting evacuations. By Sunday, water began rising in the False River area, and numerous homes started flooding. In all, approximately 300 homes suffered varying degrees of flood damage due to the flooding and flash flooding across the parish. The majority of the flooded homes were in the False River area as record water levels were recorded. The others were spread throughout the parish and it is difficult to determine how many were damaged by the initial flash flooding and how many were damaged by the subsequent areal flooding as the water drained into the lower lying areas.

Twelve to eighteen inches of rainfall over a 2 day period led to widespread flash flooding across the northwestern half of Tangipahoa Parish, details of which are contained in the flash flood report for the parish. As water drained into the local rivers, major to record flooding occurred along the Tangipahoa River. Flooding far exceeded the 1% annual risk flood plain. Interstate 55 was closed from exit 50 to exit 53 between Fluker and Arcola due to water over the roadway. Additionally, the entirety of Interstate 12 through Tangipahoa Parish was closed as flood crests on both the Tangipahoa and Natalbany Rivers pushed high water onto the roadway. The end time of the event is based on when the Tangipahoa River near Robert dropped below moderate flood stage, though minor lowland flooding continued beyond this date. In all, 11,000 homes and businesses suffered various degrees of flooding throughout the parish, though it's difficult to determine how many were due to initial flash flooding and how many were due to subsequent river flooding. One fatality is attributed to the river flooding. A 20 year old woman was found drowned in her vehicle in the Cherokee Beach area where Hwy 442 crosses the Tangipahoa River.

Twelve to eighteen inches of rainfall over a 2 day period led to widespread flash flooding across the northwestern half of Tangipahoa Parish, details of which are contained in the flash flood report for the parish. As water drained into the local rivers, major to record flooding occurred along the Natalbany River. The entirety of Interstate 12 through Tangipahoa Parish was closed as flood crests on both the Tangipahoa and Natalbany Rivers pushed high water onto the roadway. The end time of the event is based on when the Natalbany River dropped below flood stage near Baptist. In all, 11,000 homes and businesses suffered various degrees of flooding throughout the parish, though it's difficult to determine how many were due to initial flash flooding and how many were due to subsequent river flooding.

Six to eight inches of rain fell on Friday 8/12 across West Baton Rouge Parish, leading to flash flooding generally over the western half of the parish. Several roads were closed due to high water and approximately 40 homes suffered flood damage.

Twenty to thirty inches of rainfall over a 2 day period led to widespread flash flooding in Livingston Parish, details of which are contained in the flash flood report for the parish. As water drained into the local rivers, record levels were recorded along the Amite and Tickfaw Rivers. Flooding far exceeded the 1% annual risk flood plain with around 90% of the parish being inundated. Interstate 12 was closed through the entire parish as water flowed over the roadway in the vicinity of both the Amite and Tickfaw Rivers. The end time of the event is based on when the Amite near Little French Settlement dropped below moderate flood stage. Though minor flooding continued, there were very few structures impacted at this point. In all, more than 20,000 homes and businesses suffered various degrees of flooding throughout the parish, though it's difficult to determine how many were due to initial flash flooding and how many were due to subsequent river flooding. 2 fatalities are attributed to the river flooding. The body of a man in his 50s was recovered in a wooded area near Denham Springs, while the death is attributed to drowning, there is no estimate on time or exact location. Additionally, a 93 year old woman died of pneumonia Wednesday August 17 after inhaling flood water while being evacuated.

Twenty to thirty inches of rainfall over a 2 day period led to widespread flash flooding in East Baton Rouge Parish, details of which are contained in the flash flood report for the parish. As water drained into the local rivers, record levels were recorded along the Amite and Comite Rivers, with flooding far exceeding the 1% annual risk flood plain. Portions of interstates 10 and 12 were closed due to high water on the roadways as crests moved downstream. In all, approximately 25,000 homes and hundreds of additional businesses suffered various degrees of flooding, though it's difficult to determine how many were due to initial flash flooding and how many were due to subsequent river flooding. Due to the extremely high water levels on the Amite river, water flowed back upstream on many streams and bayous, leading to a significant back water flooding problem. Much of the flooding in the southern part of the parish was due to this back water flooding. The end time of the flood is based on when Bayou Manchac near Little Prairie dropped below flood stage. However, some back water flooding continued on the Bluff Swamp for several more days. Four fatalities are attributed to the flooding. A 58 year old man drowned near the Mallard Lakes subdivision off Hoo Shoo Too Rd, likely some time the morning of Sunday 8/14. He was last seen late Saturday night riding a 4-wheeler. A 63 year old woman drowned the afternoon of Sunday 8/14 when her vehicle was swept away while trying to turn around in flood waters near the intersection of North Ridge Dr. and Hwy 423. A 55 year old man drowned in the Sherwood Forrest area, likely some time Sunday 8/14 or Monday 8/15, possibly after falling off the top of his mobile home where he was planning to wait out the flood according to a news media report. A 57 year old man drowned in the Greenwell Spring area, some time Sunday 8/14 or Monday 8/15.

As water from two days of heavy rain across Ascension Parish and upstream drained into the Amite River, record levels were recorded on the river. Due to the extremely high water levels on the river, water actually flowed back upstream along streams and bayous throughout Ascension Parish leading to a significant backwater flooding problem. Flooding for this event far exceeded the 1% annual risk flood plain. In all, approximately 16,000 homes and businesses suffered varying degrees of damage, though it is somewhat difficult to determine how many were due to the initial flash flooding and how many were due to the subsequent river flooding. The end time of the flood event is approximately 24 hours after cuts were made into Aligator Bayou Road to drain water that was trapped in the area. Some lingering flooding did continue beyond this date.

Record levels on the Amite River resulted in water flowing upstream along several streams and bayous, resulting in backwater flooding. This backwater flooding affected St. James Parish when water flowed upstream along the Blind River. Numerous roads were closed due to high water, including US HWY 61. Thirteen homes suffered damage due to the flooding - nine of them in Gramercy and the other four in Paulina.

Record levels on the Amite River resulted in water flowing upstream along several streams and bayous, resulting in backwater flooding. This backwater flooding affected Iberville Parish when water flowed upstream along Bayou Manchac, Bayou Paul and Bayou Braud. Numerous roads were closed due to high water and approximately 150 homes suffered varying degrees of damage. The end time of the event is set as approximately 24 hours after cuts were made into Bayou Manchac Raod to drain water that was trapped in the area. Some flooding did linger beyond this date.