NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Belle Rose, 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
68 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Belle Rose, Louisiana since 1851, 27 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Francine in 2024. Since 1950, 94 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 27
- Tropical storms
- 41
- Tornadoes
- 94
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Belle Rose
The strongest storm to pass near Belle Rose was an unnamed storm in 1856, a Category 3 hurricane with 121 mph winds when its centre passed 39 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1926, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Belle Rose begins with an unnamed storm in 1856; the most recent system was Francine in 2024, a tropical storm 24 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2000s, with 7 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 68 systems, 16 have come since 2000. Belle Rose has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 80% of the 245 Louisiana cities on this site. The highest rating among the 94 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on February 23, 2016, came within 2 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on February 23, 2016, killed 2 people. Of the 94, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on March 4, 2025. Of the 245 Louisiana cities, 80% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Belle Rose. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 15 times since 1977, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 245 Louisiana cities, 87% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Belle Rose.
Compare Belle Rose's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Belle Rose
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | FrancineSep 12 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2021 | IdaAug 30 | 25 mi | Category 2 (106 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ClaudetteJun 19 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 28 | 54 mi | Category 2 (108 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | CristobalJun 8 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | BarryJul 13 | 70 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | IsaacAug 29 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | LeeSep 5 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | GustavSep 1 | 25 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2005 | CindyJul 6 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | MatthewOct 10 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2003 | BillJun 30 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2002 | LiliOct 3 | 72 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2002 | IsidoreSep 26 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2001 | AllisonJun 11 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1998 | HermineSep 20 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1992 | AndrewAug 26 | 34 mi | Category 2 (102 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1988 | FlorenceSep 10 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1988 | BerylAug 9 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | JuanOct 29 | 29 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | BobJul 11 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1977 | BabeSep 5 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1974 | CarmenSep 8 | 52 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1971 | EdithSep 16 | 45 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1965 | BetsySep 10 | 2 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | HildaOct 4 | 17 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | ArleneMay 31 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | EstherSep 18 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1956 | Unnamed 1956 stormJun 13 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | Unnamed 1955 stormAug 27 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | BrendaAug 2 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormSep 4 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormSep 4 | 61 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 19 | 15 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormAug 22 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormSep 20 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormOct 3 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJul 27 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 16 | 30 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 15 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 19 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormJul 15 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormSep 22 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormAug 26 | overhead | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 14 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 29 | 52 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 13 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1911 | Unnamed 1911 stormAug 13 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 20 mi | Category 2 (108 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormJul 31 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormOct 9 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 29 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 12 | 69 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormSep 7 | 36 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 12 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1890 | Unnamed 1890 stormAug 27 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 10 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 19 | 73 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 15 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 1 | 2 mi | Category 2 (100 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 18 | 56 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 6 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 4 | 58 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormOct 1 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 2 | 12 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 11 | 39 mi | Category 3 (121 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Belle Rose: 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 Belle Rose
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s29(1 EF3+)
- 2000s17
- 1990s13
- 1980s5
- 1970s9
- 1960s11(2 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 2016 | EF3 | 2 mi | 7.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 25, 1969 | F3 | 11 mi | 13.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 12, 1969 | F3 | 16 mi | 10.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 23, 2016 | EF2 | 7 mi | 12.95 mi | 2 / 75 |
| Jun 6, 2019 | EF2 | 20 mi | 2.62 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Feb 15, 1987 | F2 | 6 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jan 30, 1982 | F2 | 4 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jan 25, 1976 | F2 | 7 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jan 19, 1974 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 12, 1973 | F2 | 14 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 12, 1972 | F2 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 1967 | F2 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 94, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Belle Rose
The Storm Prediction Center has 15 hail reports within 10 miles of Belle Rose since 1977, made on 12 separate days. Of these, 12 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 7, 2003. The most recent report is from May 1, 2016. March has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Belle Rose
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Donaldsonville 4 SW, LA, 4 miles northeast of Belle Rose at 30 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 62°F and 42°F. June is the wettest at 7.0 inches of precipitation on average and March the driest at 4.0 inches; the year adds up to 63.5 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (34.2 of 63.5 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 68 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (27); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 5.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 80 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 16 nights a year. That 63.5 inches is more than at 57 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (70%). White Castle, 10 miles northwest, has its own station (Carville 2 SW, LA): 62.7 inches a year, 0.8 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 62 | 42 | 5.8 | 7 |
| Feb | 66 | 45 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Mar | 72 | 51 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Apr | 78 | 57 | 4.9 | 5 |
| May | 85 | 65 | 5.6 | 6 |
| Jun | 89 | 72 | 7.0 | 9 |
| Jul | 91 | 74 | 6.5 | 10 |
| Aug | 91 | 73 | 6.4 | 9 |
| Sep | 88 | 69 | 5.4 | 6 |
| Oct | 80 | 59 | 4.7 | 5 |
| Nov | 71 | 49 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Dec | 64 | 44 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Year | 78 | 58 | 63.5 | 80 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Donaldsonville 4 SW, LA (30 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 Belle Rose
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 40 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Belle Rose: 32 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on November 27, 2003. December has had the most flash floods, 3 of 6. Of the 239 Louisiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 27 have had fewer than Belle Rose.
September 22, 2011: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Belle Rose — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Lightning sparked a fire that caused an estimated $1 milliion in damage to the Gator Stop Super Truck Stop and Casino.”
November 27, 2003: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Belle Rose — $500,000 damage.
December 8, 2009: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Belle Rose — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall during the early morning hours overwhelmed local drainage with numerous houses and business reported flooded. 275 hours and 5 business were flooded with 50 of those houses reporting majore flooding.”
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 Belle Rose's ZIP code 70341 have filed 76 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $797,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1980: 23 claims (30% of all) and $44,000, then Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 with 14. 61% 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, 56 have fewer than Belle Rose.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1980 | 23 | $44,000 |
| Tropical Storm Allison2001 | 14 | $178,000 |
Assumption Parish, which includes Belle Rose, has been named in 49 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 30 of them major disasters (by incident: 29 hurricanes, 9 floods, 4 coastal storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Francine, on September 16, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Assumption Parish a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hurricanes; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and coastal flooding; Relatively Low for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.2 million a year, the 32nd highest of 64 Louisiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.7 million (53%), is from hurricanes.
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 Belle Rose
- Donaldsonville, LA7 mi
- Napoleonville, LA9 mi
- White Castle, LA10 mi
- Pierre Part, LA10 mi
- Geismar, LA13 mi
- Saint Gabriel, LA16 mi
- Gonzales, LA16 mi
- Sorrento, LA17 mi
- Plaquemine, LA20 mi
- Saint Amant, LA20 mi
- Paulina, LA20 mi
- Prairieville, LA21 mi
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