NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Arcadia, LA
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
15 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Arcadia, Louisiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 131 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 15
- Tornadoes
- 131
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Arcadia
None of the 15 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Arcadia; the strongest was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm with 68 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The record near Arcadia begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020. Of the 15 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Of the 245 Louisiana cities on this site, 91% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Arcadia. The highest rating among the 131 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 11 times; the most recent, on April 25, 2019, came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on February 12, 1950, killed 5 people. Of the 131, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 59 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 48. The most recent tornado was on March 4, 2025. Arcadia has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 59% of the 245 Louisiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 78 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Arcadia has more hail reports within 10 miles than 79% of the 245 Louisiana cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Arcadia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | BarryJul 14 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | IsaacAug 30 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2005 | RitaSep 25 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2002 | LiliOct 4 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | DannyAug 16 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | BetsySep 10 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 21 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Arcadia: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Arcadia
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s19(1 EF3+)
- 2000s23
- 1990s14(3 EF3+)
- 1980s20(3 EF3+)
- 1970s16(2 EF3+)
- 1960s14
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 12, 1950 | F3 | 7 mi | 74.5 mi | 5 / 25 |
| Apr 25, 2019 | EF3 | 14 mi | 11.15 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Dec 3, 1978 | F3 | 9 mi | 60 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1999 | F3 | 17 mi | 14.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1999 | F3 | 9 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 3, 1992 | F3 | in town | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1984 | F3 | 14 mi | 61 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Nov 19, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 1982 | F3 | 6 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 3, 1978 | F3 | 21 mi | 61.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1952 | F3 | 16 mi | 50.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 11, 2020 | EF2 | 3 mi | 31.79 mi | 3 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 131, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Arcadia
The Storm Prediction Center has 78 hail reports within 10 miles of Arcadia since 1958, made on 61 separate days. Of these, 55 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 30, 2004. The most recent report is from March 23, 2025. May has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Arcadia
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bienville 3 NE, LA, 14 miles south of Arcadia at 307 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 36°F. January is the wettest at 6.2 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 60.8 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 43% of the year's precipitation (26.3 of 60.8 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 15 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 3.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 88 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 42 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.5 inches a year, most of it in January and December. That 60.8 inches is more than at 42 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (52%). Simsboro, 7 miles southeast, has its own station (Ruston La Tech, LA): 55.8 inches a year, 5.0 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 36 | 6.2 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 61 | 39 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Mar | 70 | 46 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 77 | 53 | 5.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 84 | 61 | 5.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 90 | 69 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 72 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 93 | 71 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 89 | 65 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 78 | 53 | 4.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 67 | 43 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 59 | 37 | 6.1 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Year | 77 | 54 | 60.8 | 73 | 0.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bienville 3 NE, LA (307 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Arcadia
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 108 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Arcadia: 94 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $295,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on April 5, 1997. March has had the most flash floods, 4 of 10. Of the 239 Louisiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 74 have had fewer than Arcadia.
December 24, 2009: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Arcadia — 1 injured, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “Water was running over Saline Ridge Road and swept a truck off the road. A high water rescue was needed for an elderly man who was trapped in a truck.”
July 5, 2002: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Arcadia — $120,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Arcadia's ZIP code 71001 have filed 15 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $119,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 13% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 219 Louisiana cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 6 have fewer than Arcadia.
Bienville Parish, which includes Arcadia, has been named in 35 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 hurricanes, 4 floods, 3 ice storms, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 18, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bienville Parish a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.7 million a year, the 56th highest of 64 Louisiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.8 million (31%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Arcadia
- Simsboro, LA7 mi
- Grambling, LA12 mi
- Dubach, LA15 mi
- Ruston, LA16 mi
- Homer, LA16 mi
- Quitman, LA20 mi
- Minden, LA22 mi
- Bernice, LA23 mi
- Sibley, LA23 mi
- Choudrant, LA24 mi
- Heflin, LA25 mi
- Jonesboro, LA27 mi
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