Louisiana Hurricane Season

Q: How often does Louisiana get hit by hurricanes?

NOAA's landfall list records 65 hurricane strikes on Louisiana between 1851 and 2025, which averages out to about one every 3 years. Treat that as an average and not a schedule: strikes cluster, decades can pass quietly, and NOAA itself cautions that the earliest decades of the record are incomplete in places. 20 of those strikes were major (Category 3 or higher) in Louisiana.

Q: What was the strongest hurricane to hit Louisiana?

By NOAA's own per-state attribution, the strongest in the record: Camille in 1969 (Category 5 in Louisiana, 900 mb at landfall); Ida in 2021 (Category 4 in Louisiana, 931 mb at landfall); Last Island in 1856 (Category 4 in Louisiana, 934 mb at landfall). The full table on this page lists every entry with NOAA's category, central pressure, and maximum winds.

Q: When was the last hurricane to hit Louisiana?

The most recent hurricane strike in NOAA's list for Louisiana is Francine in 2024 (Category 2 in this state). The list runs through the 2025 season; anything newer than that, and anything currently active, belongs to the National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov.

Q: Has a hurricane ever hit Louisiana in November?

Not in NOAA's landfall list for Louisiana. November strikes on the US are rare everywhere: the record's November entries are concentrated in Florida and the Carolinas. The season officially runs through November 30 all the same.

Q: Is a hurricane coming to Louisiana right now?

The panel near the top of this page republishes the latest NHC public advisories and outlook, verbatim and timestamped. The National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov publishes every active storm, forecast, watch and warning, and your state and local emergency management agencies issue evacuation decisions. During any active storm, those are the sources to act on.

Season dates, the months storms have actually arrived, and every strike NOAA has recorded, from the agency record.

Hurricane season is open right now: it runs June 1 to November 30. For anything live, use the National Hurricane Center, not this page.

Season

Jun 1 to Nov 30

NOAA recorded strikes

Peak month here

September

Is there a storm near Louisiana right now? Go to the National Hurricane Center.

The panel just below republishes the National Hurricane Center’s own latest advisories and outlook, verbatim and timestamped. Tracks, cones and forecasts are the National Hurricane Center’s. If a storm is active or approaching, NHC is the source of official forecasts and warnings, and your emergency management agency is the source of evacuation and shelter decisions.

National Hurricane Center for current storms, forecasts, watches, and warnings
Your state emergency management agency for evacuation orders and shelter information
Ready.gov hurricane preparedness for how to prepare, in FEMA’s own words

“It only takes one hurricane (or tropical storm) to cause a disaster.” NOAA Climate Prediction Center

What NHC is saying right now

Republished verbatim from the National Hurricane Center via the National Weather Service API, with NHC’s own issuance times. For anything that matters, read it at nhc.noaa.gov where it is always current.

Loading the latest NHC products…

Louisiana hurricane season at a glance

Climatology and history, never a forecast

Today

The bar marks mid August to mid October. NHC: "The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is September 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October." The season itself runs June 1 to November 30.

hurricane strikes in NOAA's list

1851 to 2025

major (Cat 3+) strikes

as attributed by NOAA AOML

September

busiest month here

28 of 65 in the record

~3 yrs

average gap between events

an average, not a schedule

Louisiana's marsh coast sits at the northern end of the Gulf, square in the path of storms that cross it from the Yucatan Channel or spin up over the warm shelf. The record here includes some of the strongest landfalls in the national list.

The dates

When is hurricane season in Louisiana?

The season dates are set by NOAA, they are the same for the whole Atlantic basin, and they are worth quoting rather than paraphrasing:

“The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.”National Hurricane Center, source

“The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is September 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October.”National Hurricane Center, source

Those are basin-wide dates. What they mean for Louisiana specifically is in the month histogram below: the calendar of storms that have actually arrived here, which is narrower than the season and different for every state.

The season dates are also not walls. NHC is explicit that storms sometimes form outside the official window; the off season page counts exactly how often. See the December to May record.

NOAA’s outlook for the 2026 season

NOAA Climate Prediction Center, issued 6 August 2026. Snapshot taken 2026-08-27; always current at the source.

“NOAA's updated outlook for the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season indicates that a below-normal season is the most likely outcome, with low chances for a near-normal season, and a very small chance that the season would be above-normal.”

7 to 13 named storms
2 to 6 hurricanes
0 to 2 major hurricanes

“NOAA does not make seasonal hurricane landfall predictions. Hurricane landfalls are largely determined by the weather patterns in place as the hurricane approaches, and those patterns are usually only predictable when the storm is within several days of making landfall.” NOAA Climate Prediction Center

Satellite image of Hurricane Hugo, a large hurricane with a well defined eye, approaching the southeastern United States coast — Hurricane Hugo from NOAA's polar orbiting satellite on September 21, 1989, approaching its South Carolina landfall. September is the peak of the season basin-wide, and September leads the strike record in Louisiana. “Hugo 1989-09-21 1844Z” — NOAA Satellite and Information Service — Public domain

The calendar

Which months hurricanes actually hit in Louisiana

This histogram counts the hurricane strikes NOAA's landfall list attributes to Louisiana, by month, across the whole 1851 to 2025 record. It is a record of what happened, not a forecast of any year.

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Hurricane strikes on Louisiana by month, 1851 to 2025, as attributed by NOAA AOML's continental US hurricane landfall list.

September accounts for 28 of the 65 events in the record here. A month with zero strikes is not a month with zero risk: the basin-wide season runs June through November everywhere, and the routing block at the top of this page applies in all of them.

Satellite image of Hurricane Nicole, a broad late season hurricane over the western Atlantic, approaching the Florida east coast at night — Hurricane Nicole from NOAA’s VIIRS satellite on November 10, 2022, two days before the end of climatology charts would suggest the Atlantic quiets down. November strikes are rare and real: the month pages count every one. “Hurricane Nicole at 0657 UTC November 10, 2022” — NOAA-20 VIIRS via CIMSS — Public domain

The record

Every hurricane strike NOAA has recorded on Louisiana

Reproduced from NOAA AOML’s continental US hurricane landfall list, with NOAA’s own per-state category attribution. “Category in Louisiana” is the Saffir-Simpson category NOAA assigns for this state specifically, which is often lower than the storm’s landfall category elsewhere.

Year	Month	Name	Category in Louisiana	Highest US category	Pressure	Max wind
2024	Sep	Francine	Category 2	Cat 2	972 mb	90 kt
2021	Aug	Ida	Category 4	Cat 4	931 mb	130 kt
2020	Aug	Laura	Category 4	Cat 4	939 mb	130 kt
2020	Oct	Delta	Category 2	Cat 2	970 mb	85 kt
2020	Oct	Zeta	Category 3	Cat 3	970 mb	100 kt
2019	Jul	Barry	Category 1	Cat 1	993 mb	65 kt
2017	Oct	Nate	Category 1	Cat 1	983 mb	65 kt
2012	Aug	Isaac	Category 1	Cat 1	966 mb	70 kt
2008	Sep	Gustav	Category 2	Cat 2	954 mb	90 kt
2008	Sep	Ike	Category 1	Cat 2	950 mb	95 kt
2007	Sep	Humberto	Category 1	Cat 1	985 mb	80 kt
2005	Jul	Cindy	Category 1	Cat 1	991 mb	65 kt
2005	Aug	Katrina	Category 3	Cat 3	920 mb	110 kt
2005	Sep	Rita	Category 3	Cat 3	937 mb	100 kt
2002	Oct	Lili	Category 1	Cat 1	963 mb	80 kt
1997	Jul	Danny	Category 1	Cat 1	984 mb	70 kt
1992	Aug	Andrew	Category 3	Cat 5	922 mb	145 kt
1988	Sep	Florence	Category 1	Cat 1	984 mb	70 kt
1985	Aug	Danny	Category 1	Cat 1	987 mb	80 kt
1985	Oct	Juan	Category 1	Cat 1	971 mb	75 kt
1979	Jul	Bob	Category 1	Cat 1	986 mb	n/a
1977	Sep	Babe	Category 1	Cat 1	995 mb	n/a
1974	Sep	Carmen	Category 3	Cat 3	952 mb	n/a
1971	Sep	Edith	Category 2	Cat 2	978 mb	n/a
1969	Aug	Camille	Category 5	Cat 5	900 mb	150 kt
1965	Sep	Betsy	Category 4	Cat 4	946 mb	115 kt
1964	Oct	Hilda	Category 2	Cat 2	959 mb	90 kt
1960	Sep	Ethel	Category 1	Cat 1	980 mb	80 kt
1957	Jun	Audrey	Category 3	Cat 3	946 mb	110 kt
1956	Sep	Flossy	Category 1	Cat 1	974 mb	80 kt
1948	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	983 mb	70 kt
1947	Sep	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 4	943 mb	115 kt
1940	Aug	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	972 mb	85 kt
1938	Aug	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	995 mb	65 kt
1934	Jun	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	966 mb	85 kt
1926	Aug	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	955 mb	100 kt
1923	Oct	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	983 mb	70 kt
1920	Sep	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	975 mb	85 kt
1918	Aug	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	955 mb	105 kt
1917	Sep	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 3	949 mb	100 kt
1915	Aug	Galveston	Category 1	Cat 4	940 mb	115 kt
1915	Sep	New Orleans	Category 3	Cat 3	944 mb	110 kt
1909	Sep	Grand Isle	Category 3	Cat 3	952 mb	105 kt
1906	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 2	958 mb	95 kt
1901	Aug	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	973 mb	75 kt
1897	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	978 mb	75 kt
1893	Sep	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	970 mb	85 kt
1893	Oct	Chenier Caminanda	Category 4	Cat 4	948 mb	115 kt
1889	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	982 mb	70 kt
1888	Aug	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 3	945 mb	110 kt
1887	Oct	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	978 mb	75 kt
1886	Jun	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	970 mb	85 kt
1886	Oct	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	950 mb	105 kt
1879	Aug	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	964 mb	90 kt
1879	Sep	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	945 mb	110 kt
1877	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	982 mb	70 kt
1869	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	982 mb	70 kt
1867	Oct	Galveston	Category 2	Cat 2	965 mb	90 kt
1865	Sep	Sabine River	Category 2	Cat 2	965 mb	90 kt
1860	Aug	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	945 mb	110 kt
1860	Sep	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	965 mb	90 kt
1860	Oct	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	965 mb	90 kt
1856	Aug	Last Island	Category 4	Cat 4	934 mb	130 kt
1855	Sep	Middle Gulf Shore	Category 3	Cat 3	945 mb	110 kt
1852	Aug	Great Mobile	Category 2	Cat 3	961 mb	100 kt

How complete is this record?

“Because of the sparseness of towns and cities before 1900 in some coastal locations along the United States, the above list is not complete for all states. Before the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts became settled, hurricanes may have been underestimated in their intensity or missed completely for small-sized systems (i.e., 2004's Hurricane Charley).”NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Hurricane Research Division, source

NOAA AOML estimates reliable records for Louisiana begin around 1880; earlier decades are likely incomplete.

Wrecked wooden houses collapsed into fields of splintered debris after the 1900 Galveston hurricane — Galveston, Texas after the September 1900 hurricane, the deadliest natural disaster in US history and the first entry most people know in the strike list this page reproduces. The oldest entries in NOAA's record for Louisiana sit in living memory of this photograph. “Wrecked Houses in the Aftermath of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900” — SMU Central University Libraries — Public domain

Reading the table

What the categories mean, and how they land in Louisiana

NHC’s definitions, in its own words: a tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph, a hurricane 74 mph or higher, and a major hurricane 111 mph or higher, corresponding to Category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Category measures wind only: water, historically the deadlier hazard, is not in the number, which is one more reason a history page must never stand in for the National Hurricane Center during a real storm.

Cat 1

Cat 2

Cat 3

Cat 4

Cat 5

Hurricane strikes on Louisiana by NOAA-attributed category in this state, 1851 to 2025.

A car left tipped onto a chain link fence by Hurricane Camille storm surge in Biloxi, Mississippi — Hurricane Camille's storm surge left this car on a fence in Biloxi, Mississippi in August 1969. NOAA photograph. Camille is one of the very few Category 5 entries in the landfall list this page reproduces. “Camille Biloxi Car” — NOAA — Public domain

Common questions

Louisiana hurricane season FAQ

When is hurricane season in Louisiana?

The National Hurricane Center's dates apply to the whole Atlantic basin, Louisiana included: "The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30." NHC also states: "The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is September 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October." For Louisiana specifically, the strike record peaks in September, with 28 of the 65 recorded strikes.

How often does Louisiana get hit by hurricanes?

What was the strongest hurricane to hit Louisiana?

When was the last hurricane to hit Louisiana?

Has a hurricane ever hit Louisiana in November?

Is a hurricane coming to Louisiana right now?

What do hurricane categories actually measure?

Wind, and only wind. NHC defines a hurricane as a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or higher, and a major hurricane as 111 mph or higher (Category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale). Storm surge and rainfall flooding are not part of the category, which is one reason the category of an approaching storm never tells the whole story and official guidance does.

Keep planning

More for the Louisiana coast

Louisiana beach conditionsLive rip current and surf risk from the National Weather Service, reproduced as issued.Louisiana mosquito forecastThe weeks after a tropical system are peak mosquito weeks. Timing and risk by state.Hurricane season nationwideSeason dates, the September 10 peak, and strike history for every coastal state.

Hurricane season by state

Hurricane season by month

Strike counts and categories are reproduced from NOAA AOML’s continental US hurricane landfall list (Revised in March 2026 to add in the 2025 season) and NOAA HURDAT2. Season dates and peak are NHC’s, quoted. These are historical records and season climatology. For a live forecast or watch: nhc.noaa.gov.
Hero image: “Katrina 2005-08-28 2245Z” — U.S. Navy / Naval Research Laboratory — Public domain