Hurricane Gustav was the 2nd major hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season. It took shape as a tropical depression on the morning of August 25th just southeast of Haiti, and rapidly strengthened to hurricane status by the morning of August 26th. After inflicting serious damage on portions of Haiti, Jamaica, and Cuba, Gustav entered into the southeastern portion of the Gulf of Mexico and took aim at the Gulf Coast of the United States. Although Gustav attained Category 4 status earlier in its life, Gustav eventually made landfall as a strong Category 2 system at Cocodrie, Louisiana, on September 1st, containing maximum sustained winds around 110 mph. Gustav slowed down and weakened as it continued on its northwest track across southern Louisiana where major damage was inflicted. The pace of the system continued to slow dramatically over the next few days as it turned gradually to the right around a large ridge of high pressure over the Southeast. The remnants of Gustav finally began moving rapidly away from the Lower Mississippi Valley on the 4th as an incoming disturbance deflected it to the northeast. Gustav was responsible for multiple hazardous weather elements across the service area such as tropical storm force winds, tornadoes, flash flooding, and areal flooding from extensive rains.
As the center of Gustav crossed much of southern Louisiana, tropical storm force winds extended into southern Mississippi and portions of east central Louisiana. Sustained winds were between 35 and 45 mph with higher gusts between 70 and 100 mph occurred. Tree and power line damage was extensive across these areas which resulted in widespread power outages, some of which lasted for 3 to 5 days.
As Gustav slowed across central Louisiana, the outer rainbands continued to rotate across much of southern and central Mississippi. This kept those portions of Mississippi in the region which was favorable for tornadoes. Over 3 days, 26 tornadoes were confirmed, all of which were in the EF0 to EF1 range.
As Gustav slowed on September 2nd, flash flooding became a major issue which lasted into the 3rd as the storm slowly lifted to the north and northeast. The first round of heavy rain and flash flooding was across portions of southeast Mississippi as the outer rainbands started to move across the same areas. Total rainfall across this area was between 4 and 7 inches. The heaviest rains fell across areas near and west of the Mississippi River. Some of the Mississippi counties boarding the river received 8 to 11 inches of rain. Areas west of the river across Louisiana and southeast Arkansas saw extreme rainfall. Many locations received between 11 and 20 inches of rain. The highest measured rainfall was at Larto Lake where 21 inches fell. The flooding rains had a tremendous impact on area crops. Crop damage was extensive across Louisiana and western Mississippi. The flooding rains came at a crucial time as most crops will be harvested in September. Crop damage from Gustav will range between 300-400 million dollars.

Tropical Storm in MADISON, LOUISIANA
From 01-SEP-08 15:00:00 to 02-SEP-08 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 200.00K
Crop damage: 200.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Tropical storm force winds occurred across Madison Parish as the outer edges of Hurricane Gustav moved across southern and central Louisiana. Many trees and several power lines were blown down, especially across the southwest half of the parish.

Flash Flood in RICHLAND, LOUISIANA
From 03-SEP-08 00:55:00 to 03-SEP-08 06:30:00 (CST-6)
Location: MANGHAM
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 10.00M
Crop damage: 31.00M
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Heavy rainfall fell across all of Richland Parish as persistent rain bands continued to impact the area from weakening Hurricane Gustav. Rainfall amounts between 8 and 15 inches fell across the parish, mostly during the evening of the 2nd and early morning of the 3rd.
Numerous roads were flooded with some washed out. Some homes were also flooded across the parish as multiple rounds of heavy rain impacted the area.
Agriculture was extremely hard hit as farmland was flooded and crops became water logged. Many areas saw total loss of some crops while other areas experienced very low yields. Cotton, soybeans and sweet potatoes were some of the hardest hit crops.

Flash Flood in MADISON, LOUISIANA
From 03-SEP-08 06:00:00 to 03-SEP-08 09:50:00 (CST-6)
Location: AFTON
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 2.00M
Crop damage: 34.00M
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Heavy rainfall fell across all of Madison Parish as persistent rain bands continued to impact the area from weakening Hurricane Gustav. Rainfall amounts between 7 and 13 inches fell across the parish, mostly during the evening of the 2nd and early morning of the 3rd.
Numerous roads were flooded with some washed out. Agriculture was extremely hard hit as farmland was flooded and crops became water logged. Many areas saw total loss of some crops while other areas experienced very low yields. Cotton, soybeans and sweet potatoes were some of the hardest hit crops.

Flash Flood in MOREHOUSE, LOUISIANA
From 03-SEP-08 01:00:00 to 03-SEP-08 05:00:00 (CST-6)
Location: BASTROP
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 4.00M
Crop damage: 34.00M
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Heavy rainfall fell across all of Morehouse Parish as persistent rain bands continued to impact the area from weakening Hurricane Gustav. Rainfall amounts between 7 and 13 inches fell across the parish, mostly during the evening of the 2nd and early morning of the 3rd.
Numerous roads were flooded with some washed out. Agriculture was extremely hard hit as farmland was flooded and crops became water logged. Many areas saw total loss of some crops while other areas experienced very low yields. Cotton, soybeans and sweet potatoes were some of the hardest hit crops.

Flash Flood in WEST CARROLL, LOUISIANA
From 03-SEP-08 04:00:00 to 03-SEP-08 08:00:00 (CST-6)
Location: EPPS
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 1.30M
Crop damage: 33.00M
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Heavy rainfall fell across all of West Carroll Parish as persistent rain bands continued to impact the area from weakening Hurricane Gustav. Rainfall amounts between 7 and 13 inches fell across the parish, mostly during the evening of the 2nd and early morning of the 3rd.
Numerous roads were flooded with some washed out. Agriculture was extremely hard hit as farmland was flooded and crops became water logged. Many areas saw total loss of some crops while other areas experienced very low yields. Cotton, soybeans and sweet potatoes were some of the hardest hit crops.

Flash Flood in EAST CARROLL, LOUISIANA
From 03-SEP-08 06:00:00 to 03-SEP-08 09:30:00 (CST-6)
Location: ROOSEVELT
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 1.50M
Crop damage: 36.00M
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Heavy rainfall fell across all of East Carroll Parish as persistent rain bands continued to impact the area from weakening Hurricane Gustav. Rainfall amounts between 7 and 13 inches fell across the parish, mostly during the evening of the 2nd and early morning of the 3rd.
Numerous roads were flooded with some washed out. Agriculture was extremely hard hit as farmland was flooded and crops became water logged. Many areas saw total loss of some crops while other areas experienced very low yields. Cotton, soybeans and sweet potatoes were some of the hardest hit crops.

Flash Flood in CATAHOULA, LOUISIANA
From 02-SEP-08 19:00:00 to 03-SEP-08 14:30:00 (CST-6)
Location: JONESVILLE
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 32.00K
Crop damage: 25.00K
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Persistent heavy rains fell from the bands around weakening Hurricane Gustav. These slow moving bands produced tremendous rainfall amounts across nearly all of Catahoula Parish. Rainfall totals ranged between 10 and 20 inches. The heaviest of rains fell during the evening of the 2nd and early morning hours of the 3rd. Of the entire rainfall event during Gustav, Larto Lake had the highest recorded rainfall with 21 inches. At Haha Bayou pumping station, 19.97 inches was measured.
This extreme rainfall flooded numerous roads across the parish and many of these were closed for several days. Many other roads were washed out along with some bridges damaged or destroyed. Dozens of homes and businesses were flooded along with apartment complexes. Flood damage was significant in most cases.
Agriculture was very hard hit across the parish as well. Nearly all farm land was flooded at some point with varying levels of standing water from minor to extreme depths. Many areas experienced total losses with some crops while the rest had very low yields. The hardest hit crops were cotton, soybeans, and sweet potatoes.

Flash Flood in FRANKLIN, LOUISIANA
From 02-SEP-08 19:15:00 to 03-SEP-08 07:00:00 (CST-6)
Location: LIDDIEVILLE
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 25.00M
Crop damage: 38.00M
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Persistent heavy rains fell from the bands around weakening Hurricane Gustav. These slow moving bands produced tremendous rainfall amounts across nearly all of Franklin Parish. Rainfall totals ranged between 10 and 20 inches. The heaviest of rains fell during the evening of the 2nd and early morning hours of the 3rd. During this rainfall event some of the highest measured amounts fell in Franklin Parish. Jigger measured 20 inches of rain and Winnsboro measured 17.54 inches.
This extreme rainfall flooded numerous roads across the parish and many of these were closed for several days. Many other roads were washed out along with some bridges damaged or destroyed. Dozens of homes and businesses were flooded. Flood damage was significant in most cases.
Agriculture was very hard hit across the parish as well. Nearly all farm land was flooded at some point with varying levels of standing water from minor to extreme depths. Many areas experienced total losses with some crops while the rest had very low yields. The hardest hit crops were cotton, soybeans, and sweet potatoes.

Flash Flood in TENSAS, LOUISIANA
From 02-SEP-08 22:20:00 to 03-SEP-08 07:00:00 (CST-6)
Location: SOMERSET
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 10.00M
Crop damage: 34.00M
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Heavy rainfall fell across all of Tensas Parish as persistent rain bands continued to impact the area from weakening Hurricane Gustav. Rainfall amounts between 9 and 17 inches fell across the parish, mostly during the evening of the 2nd and early morning of the 3rd. Local officials said they have never seen that much rain or water across the parish ever. The flooding was widespread and significant.
Numerous roads were flooded with some washed out. Dozens of homes were also flooded across the parish as multiple rounds of heavy rain impacted the area.
Agriculture was extremely hard hit as farmland was flooded and crops became water logged. Many areas saw total loss of some crops while other areas experienced very low yields. Cotton, soybeans and sweet potatoes were some of the hardest hit crops.

Tropical Storm in MOREHOUSE, LOUISIANA
From 01-SEP-08 16:00:00 to 02-SEP-08 05:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 800.00K
Crop damage: 300.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Tropical storm force winds occurred across Madison Parish as the outer edges of Hurricane Gustav moved across central Louisiana. Numerous trees and several power lines were blown down and blocked area roads. Wind gusts peaked between 40 and 50 mph.

Tornado in CATAHOULA, LOUISIANA
From 02-SEP-08 21:25:00 to 02-SEP-08 21:33:00 (CST-6)
Location: JONESVILLE
Tornado F-scale: EF1
Property damage: 600.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey

This tornado touched down just to the northwest of Jonesville and tracked north northeast for nearly 6 miles before it lifted in the Wallace Ridge Community. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted along the path as well as several structures damaged. A couple mobile homes were heavily damaged. A few homes sustained roof damage as a portion of the roof was pealed off. One large metal shed was heavily damaged with the roof blown off and a wall blown down. Maximum winds were around 105 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind in CONCORDIA, LOUISIANA
From 02-SEP-08 22:27:00 to 02-SEP-08 22:28:00 (CST-6)
Location: FROGMORE
Magnitude: 53.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Several trees were blown down.

Tornado in CONCORDIA, LOUISIANA
From 03-SEP-08 03:37:00 to 03-SEP-08 03:39:00 (CST-6)
Location: NEW ERA
Tornado F-scale: EF1
Property damage: 7.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey

This tornado touched down in the New Era area and downed several trees along the 1.8 mile path. A mobile home was damaged as well with windows blown out and the home shifted off the blocks. Maximum winds were around 90 mph.

Tornado in CATAHOULA, LOUISIANA
From 03-SEP-08 16:22:00 to 03-SEP-08 16:24:00 (CST-6)
Location: QUAID
Tornado F-scale: EF1
Property damage: 400.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey

This tornado touched down just north of Jonesville along Highway 124 and tracked north east for almost a mile. Several travel trailers were damaged or destroyed along with some trees snapped and uprooted. A metal building was also damaged along the path. Maximum winds were around 100 mph.

Tornado in CATAHOULA, LOUISIANA
From 03-SEP-08 17:10:00 to 03-SEP-08 17:12:00 (CST-6)
Location: WALLACE RIDGE
Tornado F-scale: EF1
Property damage: 150.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey

This tornado briefly touched down in the Wallace Ridge Community and was on the ground for about 1 mile. Numerous trees were blown down along with many limbs snapped. A few mobile homes were damaged by fallen trees. Maximum winds were around 90 mph.

Flash Flood in CONCORDIA, LOUISIANA
From 02-SEP-08 19:30:00 to 03-SEP-08 14:30:00 (CST-6)
Location: CONCORDIA JCT
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 25.00M
Crop damage: 30.00M
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Persistent heavy rains fell from the bands around weakening Hurricane Gustav. These slow moving bands produced tremendous rainfall amounts across nearly all of Concordia Parish. Rainfall totals ranged between 10 and 20 inches with the heaviest across the western side of the parish. The heaviest of rains fell during the evening of the 2nd and early morning hours of the 3rd.
This extreme rainfall flooded numerous roads across the parish and many of these were closed for several days. Many other roads were washed out along with some bridges damaged or destroyed. Dozens of homes and businesses were flooded along with apartment complexes. Flood damage was significant in most cases.
Agriculture was very hard hit across the parish as well. Nearly all farm land was flooded at some point with varying levels of standing water from minor to extreme depths. Many areas experienced total losses with some crops while the rest had very low yields. The hardest hit crops were cotton, soybeans, and sweet potatoes.

Tropical Storm in CONCORDIA, LOUISIANA
From 01-SEP-08 14:00:00 to 02-SEP-08 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 6.00M
Crop damage: 300.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Tropical storm force winds occurred across Concordia Parish as the outer edges of Hurricane Gustav moved across southern and central Louisiana. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Many homes sustained minor roof damage with less than 10 percent of the shingles pealed off. Homes and buildings with tin roofs also sustained damage as some tin was torn off. All damage was widespread across the parish as wind gusts peaked between 50 and 70 mph for several hours. Many roads were blocked by downed trees and the power outages were extensive and lasted for several days. Sustained winds were around 40 mph.

Tropical Storm in CATAHOULA, LOUISIANA
From 01-SEP-08 14:00:00 to 02-SEP-08 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 5.00M
Crop damage: 300.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Tropical storm force winds occurred across Catahoula Parish as the outer edges of Hurricane Gustav moved across southern and central Louisiana. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Many homes sustained minor roof damage with less than 10 percent of the shingles pealed off. Homes and buildings with tin roofs also sustained damage as some tin was torn off. All damage was widespread across the parish as wind gusts peaked between 50 and 70 mph for several hours. Many roads were blocked by downed trees and the power outages were extensive and lasted for several days. Sustained winds were around 40 mph.

Tropical Storm in TENSAS, LOUISIANA
From 01-SEP-08 14:00:00 to 02-SEP-08 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 1.00M
Crop damage: 300.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Tropical storm force winds occurred across Tensas Parish as the outer edges of Hurricane Gustav moved across southern and central Louisiana. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Tree damage was widespread across the parish as wind gusts peaked between 50 and 60 mph for several hours. Many roads were blocked by downed trees and the power outages were extensive. Sustained winds were around 40 mph.

Tropical Storm in FRANKLIN, LOUISIANA
From 01-SEP-08 15:00:00 to 02-SEP-08 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 2.00M
Crop damage: 300.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Tropical storm force winds occurred across Franklin Parish as the outer edges of Hurricane Gustav moved across southern and central Louisiana. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Tree damage was widespread across the parish as wind gusts peaked between 50 and 60 mph for several hours. Many roads were blocked by downed trees and the power outages were extensive. Sustained winds were around 40 mph.

Tropical Storm in RICHLAND, LOUISIANA
From 01-SEP-08 15:00:00 to 02-SEP-08 05:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 800.00K
Crop damage: 200.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Tropical storm force winds occurred across Richland Parish as the outer edges of Hurricane Gustav moved across southern and central Louisiana. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Tree damage was widespread across the parish as wind gusts peaked between 40 and 50 mph for several hours. Many roads were blocked by downed trees and the power outages were extensive.

Flash Flood in WEST CARROLL, LOUISIANA
From 03-SEP-08 17:40:00 to 03-SEP-08 21:00:00 (CST-6)
Location: KILBOURNE
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 2.00M
Crop damage: 4.00M
Reported by: Emergency Manager

During the late afternoon of the 3rd, another heavy band of storms developed across the region and produced another 3 to 5 inches of rainfall. This rain fell on already soaked and flooded land. This new rainfall flooded around 50 homes and numerous roads.

Flash Flood in EAST CARROLL, LOUISIANA
From 03-SEP-08 17:40:00 to 03-SEP-08 21:00:00 (CST-6)
Location: LAKE PROVIDENCE
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 3.00M
Crop damage: 6.00M
Reported by: Emergency Manager

During the late afternoon of the 3rd, another heavy band of storms developed across the region and produced another 3 to 5 inches of rainfall. This rain fell on already soaked and flooded land. This new rainfall flooded around several homes and numerous roads. Crops were also damaged by additional rainfall.

Flash Flood in CATAHOULA, LOUISIANA
From 03-SEP-08 18:30:00 to 03-SEP-08 20:00:00 (CST-6)
Location: HARRISONBURG
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 400.00K
Crop damage: 800.00K
Reported by: Newspaper

During the afternoon of the 3rd, another heavy band of storms developed across the region and produced another 2 to 4 inches of rainfall. This rain fell on already soaked and flooded land. This new rainfall flooded a few homes and several roads.

Flash Flood in TENSAS, LOUISIANA
From 03-SEP-08 20:20:00 to 03-SEP-08 22:00:00 (CST-6)
Location: LAKE BRUIN
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 500.00K
Crop damage: 2.00M
Reported by: Emergency Manager

During the evening of the 3rd, another band of heavy rainfall moved across the parish. An additional 2 to 3 inches fell across an area that was extremely saturated and still flooded from earlier rainfall. This last round of rain caused parish roads to flood again.