Catahoula Parish, Louisiana Hurricane History

No active tropical cyclones are within 500 miles of Catahoula Parish, Louisiana as of Thursday, 10 September 2026. Official forecasts at nhc.noaa.gov.

Since 1875, 29 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Catahoula Parish, Louisiana — about one every 5.2 years. Of those, 3 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Delta (2020), which passed 9 miles away on 10 October 2020.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.2

Avg. years between

Years since the last

Storm tracks within 50 miles

TS / TDCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5

Each line is one storm track, coloured by the strongest category it reached while within 50 miles. The dashed ring marks that 50-mile radius; hairlines are one-degree graticule. Source: NOAA NHC HURDAT2.

How strong they get

Cat 1 · 2TS / TD · 27

The 29 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentDelta (2020) — 9 mi away, 10 October 2020
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1909) — 79 kt (91 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordDelta (2020) — 8.6 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles17 of 29
Peak monthSeptember — 11 storms (38% of all)
Most active year1985 — 2 storms
Most active decade1930s and 1980s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1875–2020

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, September is the most active month, with 11 of the 29 recorded storms (38%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 86% of all activity. The 1930s and 1980s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 29 storms were major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) while within 50 miles.

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	0	0	3	1	10	11	4	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1870s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 5 storms in 1950–1987 against 8 in 1988–2025.

1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	2	2	3	1	2	4	1	1	1	0	4	1	2	2	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Delta (2020)	10 Oct 2020	8.6 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Cristobal (2020)	8 Jun 2020	20.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Harvey (2017)	31 Aug 2017	26.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Isaac (2012)	30 Aug 2012	14.7 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Humberto (2007)	14 Sep 2007	19.7 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Lili (2002)	3 Oct 2002	17.8 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Andrew (1992)	26 Aug 1992	42.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Florence (1988)	10 Sep 1988	20.4 mi	TS / TD	19 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	11 Aug 1987	43.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Elena (1985)	3 Sep 1985	16.4 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Danny (1985)	16 Aug 1985	16.9 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Betsy (1965)	10 Sep 1965	13.0 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Brenda (1955)	2 Aug 1955	31.3 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	6 Sep 1945	12.0 mi	TS / TD	21 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	3 Oct 1937	10.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	17 Jun 1934	45.4 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	20 Sep 1932	38.0 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1931)	16 Jul 1931	23.7 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	16 Oct 1923	49.7 mi	TS / TD	49 kt
Unnamed Storm (1920)	22 Sep 1920	24.8 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	13 Aug 1911	46.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	21 Sep 1909	10.8 mi	Cat 1	72 kt
Unnamed Storm (1908)	2 Aug 1908	23.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	29 Sep 1905	44.5 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	21 Sep 1898	16.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	9 Aug 1894	20.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	20 Aug 1888	49.9 mi	Cat 1	66 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	15 Jun 1886	46.1 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	18 Sep 1875	45.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 3 systems passed within 50 miles after losing tropical characteristics. These are excluded from the counts above because they were no longer tropical cyclones at their closest approach — but several were highly damaging, so they are listed here.

Storm	Status	Closest approach	Distance	Wind
Beta (2020)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 2020	18.0 mi	25 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	18 Aug 2010	49.8 mi	15 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	Post-tropical	26 Jul 1933	16.1 mi	30 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1875–2025. Tracks are recorded every six hours and are interpolated to one-hour steps before distances are measured, so closest-approach figures are not distorted by the sampling interval. Distances are measured to the parish's Census internal point, not to its nearest boundary, so a storm listed at 55 miles may still have crossed the coastline — see Methodology. Records before about 1900 are sparser and less precise than modern ones, and storms that stayed at sea were less likely to be recorded at all.

How Catahoula Parish, Louisiana compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana ranks #541 — more exposed than 75.5% of them. Within Louisiana it ranks #40 of 64, against a state average of 37.0 storms per parish.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1909) passed 11 miles away on 21 September 1909 as a hurricane, reaching 79 kt (91 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1888) passed 50 miles away on 20 August 1888 as a hurricane, reaching 65 kt (75 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Betsy (1965) passed 13 miles away on 10 September 1965 as a hurricane, reaching 60 kt (69 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1934) passed 45 miles away on 17 June 1934 as a tropical storm, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.

29 of the 29 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.2 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 29 storms spread over the 151 years from 1875 to 2025. 2 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 20 years, between 1965 and 1985. It has been 5 years since the last one; 10 of the 26 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Catahoula Parish, Louisiana?

3 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Catahoula Parish, Louisiana at hurricane strength since 1875. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 29.

When was the last hurricane in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana?

Betsy (1965), on 10 September 1965, passing 13 miles away — 61 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Delta (2020) in 2020.

What was the strongest storm to affect Catahoula Parish, Louisiana?

Unnamed Storm (1909), which reached 79 kt (91 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 11 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Catahoula Parish, Louisiana?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.2 years — 29 storms over the 151 years from 1875 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby parishes

Catahoula Parish, Louisiana borders or sits close to 6 other parishes with a published storm record. Concordia Parish, Louisiana has 36 on record.

Concordia Parish, Louisiana36 storms within 50 mi Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana35 storms within 50 mi Tensas Parish, Louisiana27 storms within 50 mi Franklin Parish, Louisiana26 storms within 50 mi LaSalle Parish, Louisiana24 storms within 50 mi Caldwell Parish, Louisiana21 storms within 50 mi