City vs city
Lake Charles vs Ponchatoula, LA
Lake Charles currently scores 4 points higher overall than Ponchatoula, with the largest gap in hail.
Use this comparison for relocation decisions, insurance shopping, and hazard-prioritized mitigation planning.
Hazard breakdown
Scores describe each city’s reference grid tile, not every property. A missing model is unavailable, not zero risk. Air quality uses an ingested EPA AirNow snapshot and may not reflect current conditions; other factors describe baseline exposure. The overall score blends different hazards and is not a probability of damage. Read the scoring methodology and sources.
Overall
Lake Charles: 57/100 · Ponchatoula: 53/100
Lake Charles is 4 points higher.
Flood
Lake Charles: 32/100 · Ponchatoula: 29/100
Lake Charles is 3 points higher.
Lake Charles: FEMA NFHL flood zones: 11 features intersect this tile.
Ponchatoula: FEMA NFHL flood zones: 14 features intersect this tile.
Wind
Lake Charles: 37/100 · Ponchatoula: 33/100
Lake Charles is 4 points higher.
Lake Charles: Wind exposure derived from ingested design wind / climatology tiles.
Ponchatoula: Wind exposure derived from ingested design wind / climatology tiles.
Lightning
Lake Charles: 79/100 · Ponchatoula: 100/100
Ponchatoula is 21 points higher.
Lake Charles: Lightning exposure derived from ingested climatology tiles.
Ponchatoula: Lightning exposure derived from ingested climatology tiles.
Tornado
Lake Charles: 85/100 · Ponchatoula: 50/100
Lake Charles is 35 points higher.
Lake Charles: Tornado risk derived from NOAA SPC historical reports.
Ponchatoula: Tornado risk derived from NOAA SPC historical reports.
Hail
Lake Charles: 98/100 · Ponchatoula: 25/100
Lake Charles is 73 points higher.
Lake Charles: Hail risk derived from NOAA SPC historical reports.
Ponchatoula: Hail risk derived from NOAA SPC historical reports.
Storm surge
Lake Charles: 94/100 · Ponchatoula: 98/100
Ponchatoula is 4 points higher.
Lake Charles: Storm surge exposure derived from NOAA SLOSH MOM (AGL) data.
Ponchatoula: Storm surge exposure derived from NOAA SLOSH MOM (AGL) data.
Wildfire
Lake Charles: 13/100 · Ponchatoula: 58/100
Ponchatoula is 45 points higher.
Lake Charles: Wildfire exposure derived from ingested fire potential tiles.
Ponchatoula: Wildfire exposure derived from ingested fire potential tiles.
Ingested air quality
Lake Charles: 18/100 · Ponchatoula: 28/100
Ponchatoula is 10 points higher.
Lake Charles: Air quality score derived from the latest ingested EPA AirNow AQI grid; may not reflect current conditions. See methodology for the recorded ingest date.
Ponchatoula: Air quality score derived from the latest ingested EPA AirNow AQI grid; may not reflect current conditions. See methodology for the recorded ingest date.