After Laura in 2020, know your evacuation route in Lake Charles and see hurricane, surge and tornado alerts for Calcasieu Parish
Lake Charles took Laura in 2020, the strongest hurricane in the record near the city. 18 hurricanes have come near, and 145 tornadoes have started within 25 miles, 64 since 2000.
No National Weather Service watches, warnings or advisories are in effect for the center of Lake Charles right now. Lake Charles is in Calcasieu Parish.
Severe weather and weather alerts in Lake Charles right now, with tornado warning, flood warning and heat advisory status
Each row is checked against the National Weather Service alerts for the center of the city, which is in Calcasieu Parish.
| Alert type | Right now |
|---|---|
| Tornado warning or watch | None in effect |
| Severe thunderstorm warning or watch | None in effect |
| Flood warning, flood watch or flash flood warning | None in effect |
| Winter storm warning, blizzard or ice storm | None in effect |
| Heat advisory or excessive heat warning | None in effect |
| Hurricane or tropical storm warning or watch | None in effect |
A watch means conditions are possible, so be ready. A warning means the hazard is happening or expected soon, so act now. What watches, warnings and advisories mean → · Tornado watch vs warning, and what to do in each → · All tornado watches and warnings →
Tornado history near Lake Charles
Every tornado in the official record that started within 25 miles of the city center, 1950 to 2025.
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 1 |
| Date | Rating | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 4, 1952 | EF3 | 0 | 10 |
| November 21, 1992 | EF3 | 0 | 2 |
| April 17, 1973 | EF3 | 0 | 1 |
| February 12, 1971 | EF3 | 0 | 1 |
| April 17, 1973 | EF3 | 0 | 0 |
Most have come from March through May. The single busiest month is May (16% of the total).
Counts use each tornado's starting point and are limited to the official record, so they cover where tornadoes began, not every place they passed. A tornado that crosses a state line is listed once for each state. Ratings are the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, assigned after National Weather Service damage surveys. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Past counts do not predict the next tornado.
Hurricanes and tropical storms near Lake Charles
Storms whose center passed within 60 nautical miles (about 69 miles) with at least 39 mph winds, 1851 to 2025.
| Storm | Date | Winds at closest pass | Strength | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laura (2020) | August 27, 2020 | 150 mph | Category 4 | 31 mi |
| Audrey (1957) | June 27, 1957 | 125 mph | Category 3 | 40 mi |
| Unnamed (1918) | August 6, 1918 | 120 mph | Category 3 | 31 mi |
| Unnamed (1886) | October 12, 1886 | 120 mph | Category 3 | 33 mi |
| Rita (2005) | September 24, 2005 | 115 mph | Category 3 | 62 mi |
Winds are the storm's maximum sustained winds when its center was closest to the city center in the six-hourly record, not the winds felt in the city, which depend on the storm's size and which side of it you were on. Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2.
Flood zone map for Lake Charles
Flood zones are mapped by FEMA, and they are set street by street, so the city center cannot tell you whether your address is in one. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center lets you search an address and see its flood zone.
Be ready in Lake Charles
Steps from official sources, with each point linked to the page it comes from.
- In a tornado warning, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building, or to your basement or safe room. Avoid windows. (NWS: Tornado watches and warnings)
- A mobile home or tent is not safe. Move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris. (NWS: During a tornado)
- Being in a vehicle during a tornado is not safe. The best option is to drive to the closest shelter. (NWS: During a tornado)
- Identify and practice going to a safe shelter: a safe room built to FEMA criteria or a storm shelter built to ICC 500 standards. (Ready.gov: Tornadoes)
- The next best protection is a small, interior, windowless room or basement on the lowest level of a sturdy building. (Ready.gov: Tornadoes)
- During a tornado, cover your head and neck with your arms and put furniture or blankets around or on top of you. (Ready.gov: Tornadoes)
- Know your evacuation zone by contacting your local government or emergency management office. (NWS: Hurricane plan)
- Build an emergency kit and check equipment such as flashlights, generators and storm shutters. (NWS: Hurricane plan)
- Write or review a family emergency plan: how you will reach each other, where you will go and what you will do. (NWS: Hurricane plan)
- It is never safe to drive or walk into flood waters. Turn around, don't drown. (NWS: Turn Around Don't Drown)
- Never drive around the barriers blocking a flooded road. The road may have collapsed under the water. (NWS: Turn Around Don't Drown)
- Evacuate immediately when water starts to rise, and get to higher ground if you are in a flood-prone or low-lying area. (NWS: During a flood)
- When thunder roars, go indoors. Move from outdoors into a building or a car with a roof. (Ready.gov: Thunderstorms & Lightning)
- Avoid using electronic devices connected to an electrical outlet, and avoid running water. (Ready.gov: Thunderstorms & Lightning)
- Do not drive through flooded roadways. Six inches of fast-moving water can knock you down, and one foot can sweep a vehicle away. (Ready.gov: Thunderstorms & Lightning)
- Do not rely on a fan as your primary cooling device. Fans do not reduce body temperature or prevent heat-related illness. (Ready.gov: Extreme Heat)
- If your home has no air conditioning, find a cooling center, take cool showers or baths, and drink plenty of fluids. (Ready.gov: Extreme Heat)
- Never leave people or pets in a closed car on a warm day. Check on family members, older adults and neighbors. (Ready.gov: Extreme Heat)
Nearby cities
Common questions about weather in Lake Charles
What county is Lake Charles in?
Lake Charles is in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana.
Is there a tornado watch, tornado warning, winter storm, ice storm, snow or other weather warning in Lake Charles and the rest of Calcasieu Parish right now?
The National Weather Service has no active alerts for the center of Lake Charles right now. An alert can cover only part of Calcasieu Parish, so the Louisiana alerts page lists every county with an active National Weather Service alert.
What happened in the EF3 tornado near Lake Charles on April 4, 1952?
It is the strongest tornado in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center record that started within 25 miles of the center of Lake Charles. It was rated EF3, caused no deaths and 10 injuries, and began in Louisiana. Of the 145 tornadoes that started that close since 1950, 19 were rated EF2 or stronger. Ratings before 2007 use the original Fujita scale.
How many tornadoes have started within 25 miles of Lake Charles?
145 tornadoes from 1950 through 2025, 64 of them since 2000. In the last 10 years (2016 to 2025) there were 42, and 2024 was the busiest year with 12. Most came from March through May, and May is the busiest single month (16% of the total). One tornado that crosses a county or state line can appear as two records.
When did a tornado last start near Lake Charles?
The most recent tornado in the database that started within 25 miles of the center of Lake Charles began on October 25, 2025 and was rated EF0. The database runs through 2025, so it does not include anything after that.
How does Lake Charles compare with other Louisiana cities for tornadoes?
Lake Charles has 145 tornadoes within 25 miles of its center, which ranks 3rd of the 5 Louisiana cities that have a page here. Lafayette has the most with 197, followed by Shreveport with 165. The counts depend on how big an area each city's circle covers, so use them as a rough comparison.
What is the strongest hurricane to pass near Lake Charles?
Laura in 2020 is the strongest on record: winds of 150 mph (Category 4) at its closest recorded position on August 27, 2020, about 31 miles away. In all, 40 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 60 nautical miles (about 69 miles) of Lake Charles since 1851, 18 of them with hurricane-strength winds. September has the most (43%). Wind and damage in the city itself depend on a storm's size and path.
Alerts come from the National Weather Service, the NOAA Storm Prediction Center and the National Hurricane Center.