St. Charles Parish, Louisiana Hurricane History

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

Since 1860, 59 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of St. Charles Parish, Louisiana — about one every 2.8 years. Of those, 22 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Francine (2024), which passed 18 miles away on 12 September 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

2.8

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 · 1Cat 3 · 4Cat 2 · 7Cat 1 · 10TS / TD · 37

The 59 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 4.

Key facts

Most recentFrancine (2024) — 18 mi away, 12 September 2024
Strongest stormIda (2021) — 125 kt (144 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordFern (1971) — 3.5 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1915) — 8.5 miles
Passes within 25 miles27 of 59
Peak monthSeptember — 23 storms (39% of all)
Most active year1971 — 3 storms
Most active decade2000s — 8 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi5
Record span1860–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, September is the most active month, with 23 of the 59 recorded storms (39%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 80% of all activity. The 2000s was the most active decade on record, with 8 storms. 5 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	7	5	14	23	10	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1860s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 14 storms in 1950–1987 against 17 in 1988–2025.

1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
3	3	2	3	1	3	5	4	4	4	3	7	2	1	8	1	5

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Francine (2024)	12 Sep 2024	17.6 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Ida (2021)	30 Aug 2021	14.5 mi	Cat 3	105 kt
Claudette (2021)	19 Jun 2021	8.9 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Zeta (2020)	28 Oct 2020	13.7 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Cristobal (2020)	8 Jun 2020	17.4 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Isaac (2012)	29 Aug 2012	29.4 mi	TS / TD	61 kt
Gustav (2008)	1 Sep 2008	49.1 mi	Cat 2	88 kt
Katrina (2005)	29 Aug 2005	45.6 mi	Cat 3	107 kt
Cindy (2005)	6 Jul 2005	30.1 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Matthew (2004)	10 Oct 2004	32.5 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Bill (2003)	30 Jun 2003	13.8 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Isidore (2002)	26 Sep 2002	23.8 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Bertha (2002)	5 Aug 2002	29.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Allison (2001)	11 Jun 2001	10.7 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Hermine (1998)	20 Sep 1998	19.9 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Florence (1988)	10 Sep 1988	21.3 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Beryl (1988)	9 Aug 1988	10.0 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Bob (1979)	11 Jul 1979	10.3 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1977)	25 Oct 1977	35.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1975)	17 Oct 1975	14.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1975)	30 Jul 1975	29.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Fern (1971)	6 Sep 1971	3.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1971)	1 Sep 1971	25.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1971)	9 Aug 1971	21.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Debbie (1965)	30 Sep 1965	42.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Betsy (1965)	10 Sep 1965	25.6 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Hilda (1964)	4 Oct 1964	48.0 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Esther (1957)	18 Sep 1957	25.3 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1956)	13 Jun 1956	14.6 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1955)	27 Aug 1955	19.5 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Brenda (1955)	1 Aug 1955	34.1 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	4 Sep 1949	21.8 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	4 Sep 1948	19.2 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	19 Sep 1947	5.4 mi	Cat 2	84 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	22 Aug 1947	43.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	26 Sep 1939	37.4 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	23 Aug 1936	34.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	27 Jul 1936	9.9 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1931)	15 Jul 1931	48.0 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	21 Sep 1926	40.0 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	26 Aug 1926	38.2 mi	Cat 1	74 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	16 Oct 1923	38.7 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	26 Jun 1923	43.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1920)	22 Sep 1920	48.8 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	29 Sep 1915	8.5 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Unnamed Storm (1914)	18 Sep 1914	15.0 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	13 Jun 1912	46.9 mi	TS / TD	51 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	9 Oct 1905	36.6 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	7 Sep 1893	4.7 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1892)	12 Sep 1892	21.0 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1890)	27 Aug 1890	24.0 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	19 Aug 1888	32.3 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	19 Oct 1887	35.3 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	7 Oct 1879	48.5 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	1 Sep 1879	41.1 mi	Cat 2	85 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	18 Sep 1877	36.2 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1869)	5 Sep 1869	3.7 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1867)	4 Oct 1867	49.0 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	12 Aug 1860	36.3 mi	Cat 3	100 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 5 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	27.9 mi	45 kt
Lee (2011)	Post-tropical	5 Sep 2011	44.6 mi	38 kt
Bonnie (2010)	Remnant low	25 Jul 2010	11.2 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	Post-tropical	16 Oct 1932	7.7 mi	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1863)	Post-tropical	1 Oct 1863	37.4 mi	40 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1860–2025. 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. Charles 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. Charles Parish, Louisiana ranks #122 — more exposed than 94.5% of them. Within Louisiana it ranks #6 of 64, against a state average of 37.0 storms per parish.

Notable storms

Cat 4 Ida (2021) passed 15 miles away on 30 August 2021 as a hurricane, reaching 125 kt (144 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Katrina (2005) passed 46 miles away on 29 August 2005 as a hurricane, reaching 108 kt (124 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1860) passed 36 miles away on 12 August 1860 as a hurricane, reaching 107 kt (123 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Betsy (1965) passed 26 miles away on 10 September 1965 as a hurricane, reaching 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles.

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

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 2.8 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 59 storms spread over the 166 years from 1860 to 2025. 14 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 12 years, between 1893 and 1905. It has been 1 year since the last one; 30 of the 43 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

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

22 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of St. Charles Parish, Louisiana at hurricane strength since 1860. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 59.

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

Francine (2024), on 12 September 2024, passing 18 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 St. Charles Parish, Louisiana?

Ida (2021), which reached 125 kt (144 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 15 miles.

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

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 2.8 years — 59 storms over the 166 years from 1860 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby parishes

St. Charles Parish, Louisiana borders or sits close to 4 other parishes with a published storm record. Lafourche Parish, Louisiana has 65 on record.

Lafourche Parish, Louisiana65 storms within 50 mi Jefferson Parish, Louisiana64 storms within 50 mi Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana50 storms within 50 mi St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana49 storms within 50 mi