Flash Flood — St. James, Louisiana

2024-09-11 to 2024-09-12 · near Vacherie, St. James, Louisiana

Event narrative

Francine produced heavy rain across the parish with widespread totals of 4-8 inches. The highest totals were across northern portions of the parish and resulted in numerous streets being impassable due to high water. Hwy 20 was impassable between Vacherie and Chackbay due to high water from the rainfall. Flooding in the parish also affected a few homes, and water was also pushed into several additional homes from vehicles driving down flooded roads. In total, approximately 250 structures suffered damage from either wind or flooding, with an estimated damage cost of 15-18 million dollars across the parish.

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Francine formed as a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico on September 9, 2024, and intensified into a Category 2 hurricane before making landfall near Houma, Louisiana, on the morning of September 11. With sustained winds of 100 mph and gusts peaking at 105 mph, Francine brought widespread damage to southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi. A storm surge of 6-9 feet inundated low-lying coastal areas, while torrential rainfall of 10-15 inches caused significant flash flooding, including in the New Orleans metro area. Over 400,000 residents experienced power outages, and extensive wind damage was reported, with numerous trees and powerlines downed. There were a total of 6 direct injuries, 0 indirect injuries and 0 fatalities. The Louisiana Department of Health reported 18 ED visits for carbon dioxide exposure across various parishes in southeast Louisiana. In terms of dollar damage, the best estimate around $100 million but that could be very conservative as some online reports suggest much more than that.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (29.9833, -90.6847)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1217875. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.