29 Inches of Rain in Louisiana: Extreme Weather Grips the US
The remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur have unleashed catastrophic flooding across the Deep South, with over 29 inches of rain falling in parts of Louisiana in just 12 hours — a deluge that may break the state’s all-time 24-hour rainfall record. At least three people have died, hundreds of homes have been flooded, and more than 40 million Americans are under heat advisories as extreme weather simultaneously grips the West Coast.
Record-Breaking Rainfall
More than 29 inches of rain was reported on June 18 and 19 in Cottonport, Louisiana, much of it within just 12 hours, according to Scott Kleebauer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center, as reported by USA Today. A volunteer rain gauge in nearby Plaucheville recorded 23.35 inches in 24 hours — nearly all of it falling in a six-hour window between 6 a.m. and noon on June 18. If officially verified, this would surpass Louisiana’s current 24-hour rainfall record of 22 inches, set in Hackberry in August 1962.
Donald Jones, a meteorologist with the NWS in Lake Charles, described the event succinctly: “Even by this region’s standards, that’s catastrophic rain,” he told IBTimes UK.
The New Orleans NWS office issued 18 flash flood warnings on June 18 — the second-highest single-day total for that office in nearly 40 years, second only to August 12, 2016, during one of Louisiana’s worst flooding events. NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center placed a rare ‘high risk’ rating (Level 4 of 4) on a corridor stretching from eastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.
Widespread Flooding and Destruction
Nearly 200 homes were flooded in rural Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, according to the Associated Press, as cited by WPLG Local 10. In Mississippi, Highway 49 was covered with up to three feet of water, stranding cars. Approximately 38 people were rescued in Harrison County, Mississippi, where rescuers used canoe paddles to smash windows and haul people out of trapped RVs at a campground in Perkinston.
In Plaucheville, Louisiana, resident Avery Moses described the devastation to KPLC: “It’s bad. That’s where I raised my family, you know. That’s why I raised my kids, and it’s our life right here. Our whole life. Very proud to be right here. I loved it back here. Never had these problems before. I don’t know what’s going on.”
Patrick Wright, an at-large alderman in Simmesport, echoed the sentiment to The Advocate: “We’ve never had anything like this here in our lives. We don’t know what we’re gonna do.”
Tornadoes and Fatalities
Eight tornadoes were confirmed across Louisiana and Mississippi on June 18, according to the National Weather Service, as reported by KPLC/WVUE. The most significant was an EF-1 tornado that tracked 12.42 miles from St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, to Hancock County, Mississippi, with winds up to 105 mph and a width of up to 300 yards. An EF-1 tornado also tracked 7.26 miles from Bridge City through New Orleans to the University of New Orleans area. Two injuries were reported from the storms, but no tornado-related fatalities.
At least three deaths have been linked to the broader weather system: a 53-year-old woman near San Antonio, Texas, whose car was swept off the road by fast-moving water; a 15-year-old boy who drowned in a flooded retention pond north of Houston; and a Mississippi county road crew worker killed during storm clean-up operations, confirmed by Gov. Tate Reeves.
Tropical Storm Arthur: A Short-Lived but Destructive System
Arthur was the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, lasting only 12 hours as a named entity on Wednesday, June 17 — one of the shortest-lived named storms in Atlantic basin records. It formed over warm Gulf waters, peaked with sustained winds of around 40 mph, and made landfall before its remnants proved far more destructive than the storm itself.
Scientists note that atmospheric water vapor has been steadily climbing, setting a record in 2024. Sea temperatures near the US coastline are running above average, loading storms like Arthur with extra fuel. Since 2013, the majority of tropical storm fatalities have been linked not to winds but to freshwater flooding from heavy rainfall.
A Nation of Weather Extremes
The flooding in the South is unfolding alongside a major heat wave across the West Coast. More than 40 million people were under heat advisories and warnings during Juneteenth celebrations. Portland, Oregon, is forecast to reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit on June 22, with Seattle expected to hit at least 90 degrees. Highs in the Desert Southwest are forecast to climb into the 110s midweek, as reported by OPB.
Cooling centers have been activated across the Pacific Northwest, and burn bans have been enacted in several Oregon counties due to elevated wildfire risk.
What’s Next
Moderate to major river flooding is expected to persist along the I-10 corridor across the central Gulf Coast. A moderate risk (Level 3 of 4) of excessive rainfall continues through June 20 for parts of the region. Meanwhile, rainfall and potential flooding are expected across parts of the Central US — including Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri — through June 25.
The weather is forecast to calm by Father’s Day on June 21, but the full extent of property damage and economic losses remains unknown. Questions also remain about whether the Plaucheville rainfall total will be officially verified as a new Louisiana state record, and whether FEMA will declare major disaster areas in the affected regions.