Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
A shallow water table limits basements on 79% of Morehouse Parish's mapped land, a higher share than 88% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 30%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 123 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 58% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1977.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Morehouse Parish
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 29.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 79.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 71.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 29.6% |
| Mapped soil | 516,300 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Perry | 21% | 91% |
| Hebert | 16% | n/a |
| Portland | 7% | n/a |
| Rilla | 6% | n/a |
| Sterlington | 6% | n/a |
| Frizzell | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas LA067 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.7% by land area here, and 30% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 30% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 30% of Morehouse Parish's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 79% of Morehouse Parish's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 38.87 in, 17.64 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 56.51 in.
USDA rates 71% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 26 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 29% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
123 flood losses since 2016, $5.5 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 79. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 82% slabs, 2% crawl spaces, 16% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 16 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 79 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 11 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 10 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 56.51 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 38.87 in (-17.64) |
| 2025 | 54.67 in (-1.84) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1991: 81.72 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2010: 33.50 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at OAK RIDGE (14 mi away) | 17.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 11,898 |
| Median year built | 1977 |
| Built before 1980 | 58% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 69% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $118,800 |
| Single-family detached | 76% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Carroll Parish, LA | 20 mi | 13% | 93% |
| Ashley County, AR | 26 mi | 11% | 80% |
| Richland Parish, LA | 28 mi | 27% | 74% |
| Ouachita Parish, LA | 31 mi | 24% | 54% |
| Union Parish, LA | 33 mi | 10% | 48% |
| East Carroll Parish, LA | 33 mi | 56% | 83% |
| Chicot County, AR | 42 mi | 51% | 72% |
| Madison Parish, LA | 46 mi | 72% | 89% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status