Lafourche Parish, Louisiana Hurricane History

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

Since 1856, 65 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana — about one every 2.6 years. Of those, 30 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Francine (2024), which passed 30 miles away on 12 September 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

2.6

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 4 · 5Cat 3 · 5Cat 2 · 7Cat 1 · 14TS / TD · 34

The 65 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 5 of them reached Cat 4.

Key facts

Most recentFrancine (2024) — 30 mi away, 12 September 2024
Strongest stormIda (2021) — 130 kt (150 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordZeta (2020) — 3.3 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Zeta (2020) — 3.3 miles
Passes within 25 miles28 of 65
Peak monthSeptember — 28 storms (43% of all)
Most active year1971 — 3 storms
Most active decade1970s and 2000s — 8 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi10
Record span1856–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, September is the most active month, with 28 of the 65 recorded storms (43%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 80% of all activity. The 1970s and 2000s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 8 storms. 10 of the 65 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	7	6	15	28	9	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1850s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 15 storms in 1950–1987 against 18 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	4	1	4	6	1	2	4	3	6	3	3	8	3	2	8	1	5

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Francine (2024)	12 Sep 2024	30.2 mi	Cat 1	66 kt
Ida (2021)	29 Aug 2021	5.9 mi	Cat 4	118 kt
Claudette (2021)	19 Jun 2021	20.2 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Zeta (2020)	28 Oct 2020	3.3 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Cristobal (2020)	7 Jun 2020	33.0 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Isaac (2012)	29 Aug 2012	9.0 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Gustav (2008)	1 Sep 2008	27.3 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Katrina (2005)	29 Aug 2005	47.8 mi	Cat 3	110 kt
Cindy (2005)	6 Jul 2005	21.8 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Matthew (2004)	10 Oct 2004	30.8 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Bill (2003)	30 Jun 2003	26.0 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Isidore (2002)	26 Sep 2002	15.1 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Bertha (2002)	5 Aug 2002	41.7 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Allison (2001)	11 Jun 2001	35.7 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Hermine (1998)	20 Sep 1998	24.4 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Danny (1997)	18 Jul 1997	35.7 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Florence (1988)	10 Sep 1988	40.9 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Beryl (1988)	9 Aug 1988	35.3 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Juan (1985)	31 Oct 1985	38.8 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Bob (1979)	11 Jul 1979	9.8 mi	TS / TD	61 kt
Unnamed Storm (1977)	25 Oct 1977	14.7 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Babe (1977)	5 Sep 1977	48.4 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1975)	17 Oct 1975	4.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Carmen (1974)	8 Sep 1974	49.8 mi	Cat 4	113 kt
Fern (1971)	6 Sep 1971	6.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1971)	1 Sep 1971	4.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1971)	9 Aug 1971	41.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1966)	26 Jul 1966	38.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Debbie (1965)	30 Sep 1965	14.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Betsy (1965)	10 Sep 1965	6.9 mi	Cat 3	105 kt
Esther (1957)	18 Sep 1957	27.4 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1956)	13 Jun 1956	13.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1955)	27 Aug 1955	47.6 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	4 Sep 1949	14.4 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	4 Sep 1948	7.6 mi	Cat 1	66 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	19 Sep 1947	30.4 mi	Cat 2	88 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	22 Aug 1947	19.1 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1946)	15 Jun 1946	47.8 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	10 Sep 1944	44.3 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	26 Sep 1939	24.4 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	27 Jul 1936	11.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1931)	15 Jul 1931	39.9 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	26 Aug 1926	32.0 mi	Cat 2	91 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	16 Oct 1923	36.9 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	26 Jun 1923	32.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1920)	22 Sep 1920	34.9 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	29 Sep 1915	9.6 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1914)	18 Sep 1914	43.5 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	14 Aug 1901	44.9 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1897)	12 Sep 1897	48.1 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	15 Aug 1895	44.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	2 Oct 1893	36.0 mi	Cat 4	115 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	7 Sep 1893	18.8 mi	Cat 1	74 kt
Unnamed Storm (1892)	12 Sep 1892	7.6 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1890)	27 Aug 1890	24.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	23 Sep 1889	42.9 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	19 Aug 1888	26.2 mi	Cat 2	83 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	19 Oct 1887	17.7 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	21 Sep 1885	48.0 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	18 Sep 1877	9.4 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1869)	5 Sep 1869	12.1 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1867)	4 Oct 1867	20.3 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	15 Sep 1860	47.8 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	11 Aug 1860	29.2 mi	Cat 3	108 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	10 Aug 1856	44.0 mi	Cat 4	130 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
Olga (2019)	Post-tropical	26 Oct 2019	30.9 mi	45 kt
Bonnie (2010)	Remnant low	25 Jul 2010	14.8 mi	21 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	Post-tropical	15 Oct 1932	14.2 mi	50 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1856–2025. 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 Lafourche Parish, Louisiana compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana ranks #73 — more exposed than 96.7% of them. Within Louisiana it ranks #1 of 64, against a state average of 37.0 storms per parish.

Notable storms

Cat 4 Ida (2021) passed 6 miles away on 29 August 2021 as a hurricane, reaching 130 kt (150 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 4 Unnamed Storm (1856) passed 44 miles away on 10 August 1856 as a hurricane, reaching 130 kt (150 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 4 Carmen (1974) passed 50 miles away on 8 September 1974 as a hurricane, reaching 117 kt (135 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 4 Betsy (1965) passed 7 miles away on 10 September 1965 as a hurricane, reaching 115 kt (132 mph) while within 50 miles.

54 of the 65 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 2.6 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 65 storms spread over the 170 years from 1856 to 2025. 12 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while stretches of a decade or more have passed with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 13 years, between 1901 and 1914. It has been 1 year since the last one; 33 of the 51 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Lafourche Parish, Louisiana?

30 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana at hurricane strength since 1856. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 65.

When was the last hurricane in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana?

Francine (2024), on 12 September 2024, passing 30 miles away — 2 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Francine (2024) in 2024.

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

Ida (2021), which reached 130 kt (150 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 6 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Lafourche Parish, Louisiana?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 2.6 years — 65 storms over the 170 years from 1856 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby parishes

Lafourche Parish, Louisiana borders or sits close to 7 other parishes with a published storm record. Jefferson Parish, Louisiana has 64 on record.

Jefferson Parish, Louisiana64 storms within 50 mi Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana63 storms within 50 mi Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana59 storms within 50 mi St. Charles Parish, Louisiana59 storms within 50 mi St. James Parish, Louisiana52 storms within 50 mi Assumption Parish, Louisiana50 storms within 50 mi St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana49 storms within 50 mi