Franklin Parish, Louisiana Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1888, 26 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Franklin Parish, Louisiana — about one every 5.3 years. Of those, 2 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Delta (2020), which passed 1 miles away on 10 October 2020.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.3

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 · 24

The 26 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentDelta (2020) — 1 mi away, 10 October 2020
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1909) — 71 kt (82 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordDelta (2020) — 0.5 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles14 of 26
Peak monthSeptember — 11 storms (42% of all)
Most active year1957 — 2 storms
Most active decade1980s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1888–2020

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Franklin Parish, Louisiana, September is the most active month, with 11 of the 26 recorded storms (42%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 85% of all activity. The 1980s was the most active decade on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 26 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	4	0	7	11	4	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1880s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 7 storms in 1950–1987 against 7 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Delta (2020)	10 Oct 2020	0.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Cristobal (2020)	8 Jun 2020	2.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Harvey (2017)	31 Aug 2017	15.9 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Isaac (2012)	30 Aug 2012	39.1 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Humberto (2007)	14 Sep 2007	3.0 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Lili (2002)	4 Oct 2002	18.3 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Florence (1988)	10 Sep 1988	11.1 mi	TS / TD	18 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	11 Aug 1987	9.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Elena (1985)	3 Sep 1985	18.1 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Danny (1985)	16 Aug 1985	13.3 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Betsy (1965)	10 Sep 1965	29.1 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Esther (1957)	19 Sep 1957	49.0 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Audrey (1957)	28 Jun 1957	40.1 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1956)	14 Jun 1956	43.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	6 Sep 1945	21.2 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	4 Oct 1937	19.3 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	17 Jun 1934	44.5 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	20 Sep 1932	42.5 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	16 Oct 1923	36.0 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1920)	22 Sep 1920	47.1 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	21 Sep 1909	9.9 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1908)	2 Aug 1908	6.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	30 Sep 1905	39.2 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	21 Sep 1898	14.8 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	9 Aug 1894	32.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	20 Aug 1888	42.0 mi	Cat 1	64 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 4 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	33.5 mi	25 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	18 Aug 2010	49.8 mi	15 kt
Matthew (2004)	Post-tropical	11 Oct 2004	31.8 mi	24 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	Post-tropical	26 Jul 1933	3.0 mi	30 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1888–2025. 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 Franklin Parish, Louisiana compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Franklin Parish, Louisiana ranks #609 — more exposed than 72.4% of them. Within Louisiana it ranks #44 of 64, against a state average of 37.0 storms per parish.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1909) passed 10 miles away on 21 September 1909 as a hurricane, reaching 71 kt (82 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1888) passed 42 miles away on 20 August 1888 as a hurricane, reaching 65 kt (75 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Betsy (1965) passed 29 miles away on 10 September 1965 as a tropical storm, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Elena (1985) passed 18 miles away on 3 September 1985 as a tropical storm, reaching 50 kt (58 mph) while within 50 miles.

26 of the 26 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.3 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 26 storms spread over the 138 years from 1888 to 2025. 3 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; 9 of the 22 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Franklin Parish, Louisiana?

2 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Franklin Parish, Louisiana at hurricane strength since 1888. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 26.

When was the last hurricane in Franklin Parish, Louisiana?

Unnamed Storm (1909), on 21 September 1909, passing 10 miles away — 117 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Delta (2020) in 2020.

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

Unnamed Storm (1909), which reached 71 kt (82 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 10 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Franklin Parish, Louisiana?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.3 years — 26 storms over the 138 years from 1888 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby parishes

Franklin Parish, Louisiana borders or sits close to 5 other parishes with a published storm record. Catahoula Parish, Louisiana has 29 on record.

Catahoula Parish, Louisiana29 storms within 50 mi Tensas Parish, Louisiana27 storms within 50 mi Madison Parish, Louisiana27 storms within 50 mi Richland Parish, Louisiana23 storms within 50 mi Caldwell Parish, Louisiana21 storms within 50 mi