St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana Hurricane History

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

Since 1852, 59 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana — about one every 2.9 years. Of those, 22 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Zeta (2020), which passed 43 miles away on 29 October 2020.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

2.9

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 5 · 1Cat 3 · 6Cat 2 · 6Cat 1 · 9TS / TD · 37

The 59 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 5.

Key facts

Most recentZeta (2020) — 43 mi away, 29 October 2020
Strongest stormCamille (1969) — 150 kt (173 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1893) — 2.5 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1893) — 2.5 miles
Passes within 25 miles30 of 59
Peak monthSeptember — 26 storms (44% of all)
Most active year2002 — 3 storms
Most active decade1970s and 2000s — 7 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi7
Record span1852–2020

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, September is the most active month, with 26 of the 59 recorded storms (44%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 83% of all activity. The 1970s and 2000s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 7 storms. 7 of the 59 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	5	13	26	10	1	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 14 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
3	3	3	4	3	4	1	3	2	4	3	2	7	5	2	7	1	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Zeta (2020)	29 Oct 2020	42.8 mi	Cat 2	85 kt
Cristobal (2020)	8 Jun 2020	39.0 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Nate (2017)	8 Oct 2017	11.3 mi	Cat 1	69 kt
Ida (2009)	10 Nov 2009	40.6 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Katrina (2005)	29 Aug 2005	20.4 mi	Cat 3	107 kt
Cindy (2005)	6 Jul 2005	24.1 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Isidore (2002)	26 Sep 2002	38.5 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Hanna (2002)	14 Sep 2002	25.3 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Bertha (2002)	5 Aug 2002	32.2 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Allison (2001)	11 Jun 2001	48.4 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Georges (1998)	28 Sep 1998	30.3 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Danny (1997)	18 Jul 1997	21.0 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Florence (1988)	10 Sep 1988	30.2 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Beryl (1988)	8 Aug 1988	17.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Juan (1985)	31 Oct 1985	39.2 mi	TS / TD	59 kt
Elena (1985)	2 Sep 1985	33.5 mi	Cat 3	100 kt
Unnamed Storm (1980)	20 Jul 1980	29.9 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Unnamed Storm (1978)	10 Aug 1978	36.0 mi	TD	—
Unnamed Storm (1977)	25 Oct 1977	6.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1976)	24 Sep 1976	23.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1975)	17 Oct 1975	44.5 mi	TD	—
Unnamed Storm (1975)	29 Jul 1975	14.8 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Fern (1971)	5 Sep 1971	18.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1971)	9 Aug 1971	29.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Camille (1969)	18 Aug 1969	6.0 mi	Cat 5	145 kt
Ethel (1960)	15 Sep 1960	29.1 mi	Cat 1	71 kt
Flossy (1956)	24 Sep 1956	41.9 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1955)	27 Aug 1955	6.8 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Brenda (1955)	1 Aug 1955	14.2 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	4 Sep 1948	40.1 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	19 Sep 1947	26.2 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	6 Sep 1945	22.4 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	10 Sep 1944	26.1 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	26 Sep 1939	19.2 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	23 Aug 1936	30.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	21 Sep 1926	31.9 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	16.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	26 Jun 1923	6.8 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1914)	18 Sep 1914	19.0 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	21 Sep 1907	16.8 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	27 Sep 1906	42.9 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	15 Aug 1901	10.9 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	13 Sep 1900	11.8 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	16 Aug 1895	8.3 mi	TS / TD	46 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	2 Oct 1893	2.5 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Unnamed Storm (1892)	12 Sep 1892	29.0 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	23 Sep 1889	31.3 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	19 Oct 1887	8.8 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	14 Jun 1887	34.2 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	26 Sep 1885	11.0 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	7 Oct 1879	16.2 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	19 Sep 1877	19.1 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	11 Jul 1872	16.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1867)	5 Oct 1867	49.8 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	15 Sep 1860	11.6 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	12 Aug 1860	13.6 mi	Cat 3	100 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	15 Sep 1859	45.5 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1855)	16 Sep 1855	11.2 mi	Cat 3	105 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	26 Aug 1852	39.7 mi	Cat 3	100 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
Five (2010)	Remnant low	12 Aug 2010	17.8 mi	25 kt
Bonnie (2010)	Remnant low	25 Jul 2010	49.1 mi	24 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	Post-tropical	16 Oct 1932	43.9 mi	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1863)	Post-tropical	1 Oct 1863	49.2 mi	40 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1852–2025. 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 St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana ranks #121 — more exposed than 94.5% of them. Within Louisiana it ranks #5 of 64, against a state average of 37.0 storms per parish.

Notable storms

Cat 5 Camille (1969) passed 6 miles away on 18 August 1969 as a hurricane, reaching 150 kt (173 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Katrina (2005) passed 20 miles away on 29 August 2005 as a hurricane, reaching 110 kt (127 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1893) passed 3 miles away on 2 October 1893 as a hurricane, reaching 110 kt (127 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1855) passed 11 miles away on 16 September 1855 as a hurricane, reaching 110 kt (127 mph) while within 50 miles.

50 of the 59 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 2.9 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 59 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 11 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 10 years, between 1926 and 1936. It has been 5 years since the last one; 9 of the 46 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana?

22 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana at hurricane strength since 1852. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 59.

When was the last hurricane in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana?

Zeta (2020), on 29 October 2020, passing 43 miles away — 6 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Zeta (2020) in 2020.

What was the strongest storm to affect St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana?

Camille (1969), which reached 150 kt (173 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 6 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 2.9 years — 59 storms over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby parishes

St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana borders or sits close to 5 other parishes with a published storm record. Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana has 59 on record.

Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana59 storms within 50 mi Hancock County, Mississippi59 storms within 50 mi Harrison County, Mississippi58 storms within 50 mi Orleans Parish, Louisiana53 storms within 50 mi St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana51 storms within 50 mi