NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ball, 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
31 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ball, Louisiana since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Delta in 2020. Since 1950, 101 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 28
- Tornadoes
- 101
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
18 deaths in all
What the records show for Ball
The strongest storm to pass near Ball was Laura in 2020, a Category 1 hurricane with 90 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1909, whose centre came within 41 miles. The record near Ball begins with an unnamed storm in 1856; the most recent system was Delta in 2020, a tropical storm 11 miles away. Of the 31 systems, 8 have come since 2000. Of the 245 Louisiana cities on this site, 71% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Ball. The strongest of the 101 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on December 3, 1953; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 9 people. Of the 101, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 57 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2025. Of the 245 Louisiana cities, 73% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ball. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 97 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Ball has more hail reports within 10 miles than 86% of the 245 Louisiana cities.
Compare Ball's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ball
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | DeltaOct 10 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 49 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | BarryJul 14 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2017 | HarveyAug 30 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2012 | IsaacAug 30 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2008 | GustavSep 2 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2007 | HumbertoSep 13 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2002 | LiliOct 3 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1992 | AndrewAug 26 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | ElenaSep 3 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | DannyAug 16 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1982 | ChrisSep 11 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1974 | CarmenSep 8 | 67 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1973 | Unnamed 1973 stormSep 13 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1965 | BetsySep 10 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 27 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1955 | Unnamed 1955 stormAug 27 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 20 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormJul 16 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormAug 26 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 41 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormAug 1 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 29 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 21 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 15 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 12 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ball: 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 Ball
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s29(1 EF3+)
- 2000s14
- 1990s15
- 1980s12(1 EF3+)
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s8(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 3, 1953 | F4 | 15 mi | 85.5 mi | 9 / 50 |
| Nov 7, 1957 | F3 | 9 mi | 13.3 mi | 3 / 16 |
| Dec 16, 2019 | EF3 | 4 mi | 62.61 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1981 | F3 | 7 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jun 22, 1971 | F3 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 6, 1951 | F3 | 2 mi | 16.8 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Mar 22, 1953 | F2 | 24 mi | 234.7 mi | 2 / 22 |
| Apr 22, 2020 | EF2 | 16 mi | 8.98 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 1957 | F2 | 15 mi | 18.3 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 22, 2020 | EF2 | 18 mi | 8.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 31, 2018 | EF2 | 2 mi | 37.89 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 11, 2018 | EF2 | 24 mi | 0.39 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 101, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ball
The Storm Prediction Center has 97 hail reports within 10 miles of Ball since 1955, made on 68 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 12, 2003. The most recent report is from March 31, 2025. April has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ball
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Alexandria Esler Regional Airport, LA, 6 miles east of Ball at 112 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 60°F and 37°F. January is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 57.0 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 46% of the year's precipitation (26.1 of 57.0 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 31 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (14); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 102 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 35 nights a year. That 57.0 inches is more than at 16 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (20%). Pineville, 4 miles south, has its own station (Alexandria, LA): 61.0 inches a year, 4.0 more than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | 37 | 5.8 | 7 |
| Feb | 64 | 40 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Mar | 72 | 47 | 5.4 | 7 |
| Apr | 78 | 53 | 4.9 | 5 |
| May | 85 | 61 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 68 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Jul | 93 | 71 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Aug | 94 | 70 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 89 | 65 | 3.6 | 4 |
| Oct | 80 | 53 | 4.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 69 | 43 | 5.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 62 | 38 | 5.6 | 7 |
| Year | 78 | 54 | 57.0 | 73 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Alexandria Esler Regional Airport, LA (112 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 Ball
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 157 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ball: 119 thunderstorm wind reports, 31 flash floods, 3 floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 3 people and injured 12, and the NWS estimated $50.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on June 20, 2019. November has had the most flash floods, 6 of 31. Of the 239 Louisiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 179 have had fewer than Ball.
July 10, 2016: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Ball — 1 killed, 1 injured.
April 10, 2024: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Ball — 1 killed, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree was blown down onto a trailer crushing the occupant. Deputies were called to the scene at 7:30 AM.”
October 22, 2009: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Ball — 1 killed, $5,000 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 Ball's ZIP code 71405 have filed 54 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $1.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 28% 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, 41 have fewer than Ball.
Rapides Parish, which includes Ball, has been named in 49 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 26 of them major disasters (by incident: 23 hurricanes, 10 floods, 3 coastal storms, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Ida, on August 29, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Rapides Parish a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $39.6 million a year, the 23rd highest of 64 Louisiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.4 million (41%), 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 Ball
- Pineville, LA4 mi
- Pollock, LA8 mi
- Alexandria, LA10 mi
- Deville, LA12 mi
- Dry Prong, LA14 mi
- Boyce, LA18 mi
- Woodworth, LA18 mi
- Colfax, LA19 mi
- Lecompte, LA21 mi
- Jena, LA23 mi
- Forest Hill, LA26 mi
- Marksville, LA27 mi
All Louisiana cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Ball with another place →