Tensas Parish, Louisiana Hurricane History

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

Since 1860, 27 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Tensas Parish, Louisiana — about one every 6.1 years. Of those, 3 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Ida (2021), which passed 39 miles away on 30 August 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

6.1

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 · 25

The 27 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentIda (2021) — 39 mi away, 30 August 2021
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1909) — 75 kt (86 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1987) — 15.1 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles14 of 27
Peak monthSeptember — 10 storms (37% of all)
Most active year1985 — 2 storms
Most active decade1980s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1860–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Tensas Parish, Louisiana, September is the most active month, with 10 of the 27 recorded storms (37%). 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 27 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	1	3	0	8	10	5	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: 7 storms in 1950–1987 against 8 in 1988–2025.

1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	0	1	2	3	0	1	3	1	3	1	0	4	1	2	1	3

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Ida (2021)	30 Aug 2021	38.5 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Delta (2020)	10 Oct 2020	21.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Cristobal (2020)	8 Jun 2020	15.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Harvey (2017)	31 Aug 2017	37.0 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Humberto (2007)	14 Sep 2007	20.5 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Lili (2002)	4 Oct 2002	39.2 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Andrew (1992)	27 Aug 1992	33.3 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Florence (1988)	10 Sep 1988	16.7 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	11 Aug 1987	15.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Elena (1985)	2 Sep 1985	21.8 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Danny (1985)	16 Aug 1985	33.8 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Betsy (1965)	10 Sep 1965	47.9 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Arlene (1959)	31 May 1959	39.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Esther (1957)	19 Sep 1957	31.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1956)	14 Jun 1956	26.5 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	6 Sep 1945	23.6 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	4 Oct 1937	37.6 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	17 Jun 1934	23.1 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	20 Sep 1932	21.4 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	16 Oct 1923	20.4 mi	TS / TD	49 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	21 Sep 1909	17.0 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1908)	2 Aug 1908	26.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	30 Sep 1905	22.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	21 Sep 1898	36.3 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	9 Aug 1894	22.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	20 Aug 1888	22.1 mi	Cat 1	64 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	3 Oct 1860	41.5 mi	TS / TD	55 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	12.5 mi	25 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	18 Aug 2010	28.9 mi	15 kt
Matthew (2004)	Post-tropical	11 Oct 2004	20.1 mi	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	Post-tropical	26 Jul 1933	18.9 mi	30 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 Tensas Parish, Louisiana compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Tensas Parish, Louisiana ranks #582 — more exposed than 73.6% of them. Within Louisiana it ranks #43 of 64, against a state average of 37.0 storms per parish.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1909) passed 17 miles away on 21 September 1909 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1888) passed 22 miles away on 20 August 1888 as a hurricane, reaching 66 kt (76 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1860) passed 42 miles away on 3 October 1860 as a tropical storm, reaching 56 kt (64 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1934) passed 23 miles away on 17 June 1934 as a tropical storm, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.

27 of the 27 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 6.1 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 27 storms spread over the 166 years from 1860 to 2025. 2 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 28 years, between 1860 and 1888. It has been 4 years since the last one; 12 of the 24 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Tensas Parish, Louisiana?

3 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Tensas Parish, Louisiana at hurricane strength since 1860. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 27.

When was the last hurricane in Tensas Parish, Louisiana?

Betsy (1965), on 10 September 1965, passing 48 miles away — 61 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Ida (2021) in 2021.

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

Unnamed Storm (1909), which reached 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 17 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Tensas Parish, Louisiana?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 6.1 years — 27 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

Tensas Parish, Louisiana borders or sits close to 7 other parishes with a published storm record. Adams County, Mississippi has 38 on record.

Adams County, Mississippi38 storms within 50 mi Concordia Parish, Louisiana36 storms within 50 mi Claiborne County, Mississippi30 storms within 50 mi Catahoula Parish, Louisiana29 storms within 50 mi Madison Parish, Louisiana27 storms within 50 mi Franklin Parish, Louisiana26 storms within 50 mi Warren County, Mississippi22 storms within 50 mi