Louisiana, 2018

Flooding in Louisiana, December 31, 2018

December 31, 2018 · NWS SHV · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Widespread heavy rainfall across the Wallace Lake basin of Northwest Louisiana on December 26th-27th resulted in moderate flooding developing on Wallace Lake along the Caddo/Desoto Parish line on the final day of 2018, which continued through the first week of 2019 before slowly receding.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS SHV wrote it up.

Widespread heavy rainfall across the Wallace Lake basin of Northwest Louisiana on December 26th-27th resulted in moderate flooding developing on Wallace Lake along the Caddo/Desoto Parish line on the final day of 2018, which continued through the first week of 2019 before slowly receding.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 31, 6:02 AM CST, 3 hours 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 31, 6:02 AM CST, 3 hours 28 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, De Soto

When
December 31, 9:30 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where
De Soto County, 3.31 mi NNE of Stonewall to 3.75 mi NNE of Stonewall
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
32.325, -93.800

Widespread heavy rainfall of two to four inches fell across the Wallace Lake basin along the Southern Caddo/Northern Desoto Parish line on December 26th-27th, atop already saturated grounds where rainfall amounts ranged from ten to in excess of twelve inches during December. As a result, Wallace Lake reached its 151 foot flood stage at 930 am on December 31st, and continued to steadily rise to near 153 feet during the first week of January 2019. The flooding resulted in the closure of Linwood Avenue at the Desoto/Caddo Parish line, as well as Keithville-Kingston Road at Missile Base Road.

Flood, Caddo

When
December 31, 10:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where
Caddo County, 1.93 mi E of Staples to 0.27 mi E of Norton
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
32.372, -93.787

Widespread heavy rainfall of two to four inches fell across the Wallace Lake basin along the Southern Caddo/Northern Desoto Parish line on December 26th-27th, atop already saturated grounds where rainfall amounts ranged from ten to in excess of twelve inches during December. As a result, Wallace Lake reached its 151 foot flood stage at 930 am on December 31st, and continued to steadily rise to near 153 feet during the first week of January 2019.

The flooding resulted in the closure of Linwood Avenue from Tyre Road to the Desoto Parish line (including Linwood Avenue at the Southern Loop and Barron Road at Linwood Avenue). Homes across these areas were cut off due to the flood waters.

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Louisiana in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, December 2018

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: 792247, 792233.