Rapides Parish, Louisiana Hurricane History

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

Since 1875, 31 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Rapides Parish, Louisiana — about one every 4.9 years. Of those, 4 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Delta (2020), which passed 13 miles away on 10 October 2020.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

4.9

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 2 · 1Cat 1 · 3TS / TD · 27

The 31 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 2.

Key facts

Most recentDelta (2020) — 13 mi away, 10 October 2020
Strongest stormLaura (2020) — 92 kt (106 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordBeryl (1988) — 3.8 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles13 of 31
Peak monthSeptember — 12 storms (39% of all)
Most active year1926 — 2 storms
Most active decade1920s, 1950s, 1980s, 2000s and 2010s — 3 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 Rapides Parish, Louisiana, September is the most active month, with 12 of the 31 recorded storms (39%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 84% of all activity. The 1920s, 1950s, 1980s, 2000s and 2010s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 3 storms. 0 of the 31 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	2	3	10	12	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: 9 storms in 1950–1987 against 9 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Delta (2020)	10 Oct 2020	13.0 mi	TS / TD	54 kt
Laura (2020)	27 Aug 2020	45.2 mi	Cat 2	85 kt
Barry (2019)	14 Jul 2019	40.8 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Harvey (2017)	31 Aug 2017	8.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Isaac (2012)	30 Aug 2012	36.6 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Gustav (2008)	2 Sep 2008	13.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Humberto (2007)	13 Sep 2007	10.1 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Lili (2002)	3 Oct 2002	16.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Beryl (1988)	10 Aug 1988	3.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Danny (1985)	16 Aug 1985	12.1 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Chris (1982)	11 Sep 1982	45.7 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Debra (1978)	29 Aug 1978	37.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Carmen (1974)	8 Sep 1974	46.5 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1966)	27 Jul 1966	27.2 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Betsy (1965)	10 Sep 1965	36.3 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Gerda (1958)	22 Sep 1958	28.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Audrey (1957)	27 Jun 1957	37.0 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Brenda (1955)	2 Aug 1955	14.4 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	20 Sep 1947	13.1 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	24 Sep 1940	46.5 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	3 Oct 1937	31.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1931)	16 Jul 1931	29.0 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	22 Sep 1926	36.4 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	26 Aug 1926	28.9 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1920)	22 Sep 1920	27.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	13 Aug 1911	8.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1908)	2 Aug 1908	16.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	20 Sep 1898	12.1 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	7 Oct 1895	46.9 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	15 Jun 1886	28.3 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	18 Sep 1875	24.7 mi	TS / TD	33 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 2 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
Nicholas (2021)	Remnant low	17 Sep 2021	38.6 mi	15 kt
Beta (2020)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 2020	24.7 mi	25 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 Rapides Parish, Louisiana compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Rapides Parish, Louisiana ranks #500 — more exposed than 77.4% of them. Within Louisiana it ranks #38 of 64, against a state average of 37.0 storms per parish.

Notable storms

Cat 2 Laura (2020) passed 45 miles away on 27 August 2020 as a hurricane, reaching 92 kt (106 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Audrey (1957) passed 37 miles away on 27 June 1957 as a hurricane, reaching 71 kt (82 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Delta (2020) passed 13 miles away on 10 October 2020 as a hurricane, reaching 66 kt (76 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Gustav (2008) passed 14 miles away on 2 September 2008 as a tropical storm, reaching 64 kt (74 mph) while within 50 miles.

26 of the 31 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 4.9 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 31 storms spread over the 151 years from 1875 to 2025. 2 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 14 years, between 1988 and 2002. It has been 5 years since the last one; 11 of the 28 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Rapides Parish, Louisiana?

4 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Rapides Parish, Louisiana at hurricane strength since 1875. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 31.

When was the last hurricane in Rapides Parish, Louisiana?

Delta (2020), on 10 October 2020, passing 13 miles away — 6 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Delta (2020) in 2020.

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

Laura (2020), which reached 92 kt (106 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 45 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Rapides Parish, Louisiana?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 4.9 years — 31 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

Rapides Parish, Louisiana borders or sits close to 7 other parishes with a published storm record. Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana has 35 on record.

Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana35 storms within 50 mi Evangeline Parish, Louisiana35 storms within 50 mi Allen Parish, Louisiana34 storms within 50 mi Vernon Parish, Louisiana31 storms within 50 mi Grant Parish, Louisiana26 storms within 50 mi LaSalle Parish, Louisiana24 storms within 50 mi Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana24 storms within 50 mi