NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Benton, 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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Benton, Louisiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 165 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 165
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
42 deaths in all
What the records show for Benton
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Benton; the strongest was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm with 68 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. The record near Benton begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 2 systems. Of the 12 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Of the 245 Louisiana cities on this site, 98% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Benton. The highest rating among the 165 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1999, came within 2 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on February 12, 1950, killed 18 people. Of the 165, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 76 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 52. The most recent tornado was on September 24, 2025. Benton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 88% of the 245 Louisiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 169 times since 1962, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Benton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 98% of the 245 Louisiana cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Benton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | BarryJul 14 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2005 | RitaSep 25 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 7 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 22 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 Benton: 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 Benton
By decade
- 2020s28
- 2010s27(1 EF3+)
- 2000s21(1 EF3+)
- 1990s28(1 EF3+)
- 1980s25(3 EF3+)
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1960s12(2 EF3+)
- 1950s11(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 12, 1950 | F4 | 10 mi | 82.6 mi | 18 / 77 |
| Apr 3, 1999 | F4 | 2 mi | 19.3 mi | 7 / 102 |
| Dec 3, 1978 | F4 | 9 mi | 6.2 mi | 2 / 266 |
| Jan 22, 1957 | F3 | 13 mi | 1.7 mi | 3 / 9 |
| Nov 15, 1987 | F3 | 15 mi | 48 mi | 1 / 116 |
| Jan 20, 2010 | EF3 | 16 mi | 15.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 2000 | F3 | 23 mi | 32.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 23, 1985 | F3 | 23 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 1982 | F3 | 19 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 3, 1978 | F3 | 9 mi | 61.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1970 | F3 | 23 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 11, 1965 | F3 | 13 mi | 33 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 165, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Benton
The Storm Prediction Center has 169 hail reports within 10 miles of Benton since 1962, made on 108 separate days. Of these, 124 were 1 inch across or larger, and 17 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on April 24, 2020. The most recent report is from September 21, 2025. April has the most reports, 52.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Benton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Benton 5E, LA, 2 miles east of Benton at 200 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 34°F. December is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 54.0 inches. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (24.0 of 54.0 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 3.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 86 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 42 nights a year. That 54.0 inches is more than at 6 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (7%). Bossier City, 12 miles south, has its own station (Shreveport Dwtn Airport, LA): 49.1 inches a year, 4.9 less than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 34 | 4.8 |
| Feb | 60 | 38 | 4.9 |
| Mar | 68 | 45 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 75 | 53 | 5.2 |
| May | 82 | 62 | 4.6 |
| Jun | 89 | 70 | 4.4 |
| Jul | 92 | 73 | 3.8 |
| Aug | 93 | 72 | 3.1 |
| Sep | 88 | 65 | 3.7 |
| Oct | 77 | 53 | 4.7 |
| Nov | 65 | 44 | 4.3 |
| Dec | 57 | 36 | 5.3 |
| Year | 75 | 54 | 54.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Benton 5E, LA (200 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 Benton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 137 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Benton: 92 thunderstorm wind reports, 36 flash floods, 6 lightning strikes and 3 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $6.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on January 11, 2020. June has had the most flash floods, 8 of 36. Of the 239 Louisiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 191 have had fewer than Benton.
September 17, 2006: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Benton — 1 injured.
October 14, 2009: flood 9 miles from the centre of Benton — $3.0 million damage.
May 13, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Benton — $2.0 million 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 Benton's ZIP code 71006 have filed 31 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $152,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 29% 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, 26 have fewer than Benton.
Bossier Parish, which includes Benton, has been named in 36 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 hurricanes, 4 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Ida, on August 29, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bossier Parish a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $47.5 million a year, the 19th highest of 64 Louisiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.1 million (32%), 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 Benton
- Bossier City, LA12 mi
- Haughton, LA12 mi
- Princeton, LA13 mi
- Plain Dealing, LA15 mi
- Barksdale Afb, LA16 mi
- Mooringsport, LA16 mi
- Shreveport, LA17 mi
- Vivian, LA19 mi
- Sarepta, LA21 mi
- Doyline, LA23 mi
- Greenwood, LA24 mi
- Minden, LA24 mi
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