Vernon Parish, Louisiana Hurricane History

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

Since 1865, 31 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Vernon Parish, Louisiana — about one every 5.2 years. Of those, 7 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Delta (2020), which passed 45 miles away on 10 October 2020.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.2

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 3 · 1Cat 1 · 5TS / TD · 25

The 31 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 3.

Key facts

Most recentDelta (2020) — 45 mi away, 10 October 2020
Strongest stormLaura (2020) — 107 kt (123 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordDebra (1978) — 2.2 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Laura (2020) — 9.4 miles
Passes within 25 miles15 of 31
Peak monthAugust — 13 storms (42% of all)
Most active year1886 — 2 storms
Most active decade1950s and 1980s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi1
Record span1865–2020

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Vernon Parish, Louisiana, August is the most active month, with 13 of the 31 recorded storms (42%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 84% of all activity. The 1950s and 1980s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 1 of the 31 storms was major hurricane (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	3	2	13	10	3	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: 10 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	1	2	2	1	2	2	1	1	4	1	2	4	0	2	3	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Delta (2020)	10 Oct 2020	45.0 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Laura (2020)	27 Aug 2020	9.4 mi	Cat 2	85 kt
Barry (2019)	14 Jul 2019	3.6 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Harvey (2017)	30 Aug 2017	22.6 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Cindy (2017)	22 Jun 2017	36.4 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Gustav (2008)	2 Sep 2008	18.1 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Humberto (2007)	13 Sep 2007	18.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Beryl (1988)	10 Aug 1988	29.3 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	10 Aug 1987	47.5 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Danny (1985)	16 Aug 1985	47.2 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Chris (1982)	11 Sep 1982	8.8 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Debra (1978)	29 Aug 1978	2.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Carmen (1974)	8 Sep 1974	28.2 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1966)	27 Jul 1966	45.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Gerda (1958)	21 Sep 1958	12.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Audrey (1957)	27 Jun 1957	5.3 mi	Cat 1	72 kt
Unnamed Storm (1955)	27 Aug 1955	41.7 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Brenda (1955)	2 Aug 1955	33.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	20 Sep 1947	15.6 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1938)	15 Aug 1938	25.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	22 Sep 1926	32.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	27 Aug 1926	16.3 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1918)	6 Aug 1918	45.3 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	13 Aug 1911	22.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1908)	1 Aug 1908	11.6 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	20 Sep 1898	48.8 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	7 Oct 1895	18.7 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	13 Oct 1886	30.3 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	15 Jun 1886	36.5 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	18 Sep 1875	29.7 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1865)	14 Sep 1865	19.6 mi	TS / TD	57 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
Nicholas (2021)	Remnant low	17 Sep 2021	23.7 mi	15 kt
Beta (2020)	Post-tropical	23 Sep 2020	37.6 mi	25 kt
Allison (1989)	Post-tropical	28 Jun 1989	31.1 mi	30 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1865–2025. 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 Vernon Parish, Louisiana compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Vernon Parish, Louisiana ranks #501 — more exposed than 77.3% of them. Within Louisiana it ranks #39 of 64, against a state average of 37.0 storms per parish.

Notable storms

Cat 3 Laura (2020) passed 9 miles away on 27 August 2020 as a hurricane, reaching 107 kt (123 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Audrey (1957) passed 5 miles away on 27 June 1957 as a hurricane, reaching 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1918) passed 45 miles away on 6 August 1918 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1886) passed 30 miles away on 13 October 1886 as a hurricane, reaching 70 kt (81 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 5.2 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 31 storms spread over the 161 years from 1865 to 2025. 5 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 19 years, between 1988 and 2007. It has been 5 years since the last one; 13 of the 25 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Vernon Parish, Louisiana?

7 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Vernon Parish, Louisiana at hurricane strength since 1865. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 31.

When was the last hurricane in Vernon Parish, Louisiana?

Delta (2020), on 10 October 2020, passing 45 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 Vernon Parish, Louisiana?

Laura (2020), which reached 107 kt (123 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 9 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Vernon Parish, Louisiana?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.2 years — 31 storms over the 161 years from 1865 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby parishes

Vernon Parish, Louisiana borders or sits close to 6 other parishes with a published storm record. Allen Parish, Louisiana has 34 on record.

Allen Parish, Louisiana34 storms within 50 mi Beauregard Parish, Louisiana31 storms within 50 mi Rapides Parish, Louisiana31 storms within 50 mi Newton County, Texas30 storms within 50 mi Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana24 storms within 50 mi Sabine Parish, Louisiana23 storms within 50 mi