NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Colfax, 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
29 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Colfax, Louisiana since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Delta in 2020. Since 1950, 90 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 27
- Tornadoes
- 90
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
15 deaths in all
What the records show for Colfax
The strongest storm to pass near Colfax was Laura in 2020, a Category 1 hurricane with 89 mph winds when its centre passed 31 miles away. The record near Colfax begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Delta in 2020, a tropical storm 29 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2010s, with 4 systems. Of the 29 systems, 9 have come since 2000. Of the 245 Louisiana cities on this site, 73% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Colfax. The highest rating among the 90 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on November 29, 2010, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on December 3, 1953, killed 9 people. Of the 90, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 51 have come since 2000. November has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2025. Of the 245 Louisiana cities, 84% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Colfax. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 40 times since 1967, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 245 Louisiana cities, 51% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Colfax.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Colfax
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | DeltaOct 10 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 31 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | BarryJul 14 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2017 | HarveyAug 30 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2017 | CindyJun 22 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | IsaacAug 30 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2008 | GustavSep 2 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2007 | HumbertoSep 13 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2002 | LiliOct 3 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | ElenaSep 3 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | DannyAug 16 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1982 | ChrisSep 11 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1974 | CarmenSep 8 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1973 | Unnamed 1973 stormSep 13 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1965 | BetsySep 10 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 27 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1955 | Unnamed 1955 stormAug 27 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormAug 15 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormJul 16 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormAug 27 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 58 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormAug 1 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 21 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 15 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 18 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Colfax: 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 Colfax
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s28(2 EF3+)
- 2000s13
- 1990s10
- 1980s14(2 EF3+)
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s6(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 3, 1953 | F4 | 3 mi | 85.5 mi | 9 / 50 |
| Nov 29, 2010 | EF4 | 20 mi | 13.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 7, 1957 | F3 | 10 mi | 13.3 mi | 3 / 16 |
| Dec 16, 2019 | EF3 | 19 mi | 62.61 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 19, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jun 5, 1981 | F3 | 20 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jun 22, 1971 | F3 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 6, 1951 | F3 | 16 mi | 16.8 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Mar 22, 1953 | F2 | 6 mi | 234.7 mi | 2 / 22 |
| Apr 22, 2020 | EF2 | 23 mi | 8.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 31, 2018 | EF2 | 20 mi | 37.89 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 2, 2017 | EF2 | 23 mi | 6.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 90, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Colfax
The Storm Prediction Center has 40 hail reports within 10 miles of Colfax since 1967, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 23 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 30, 1993. The most recent report is from May 1, 2025. March has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Colfax
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Boyce 3 WNW, LA, 9 miles south of Colfax at 110 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 39°F. December is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 60.9 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 46% of the year's precipitation (28.3 of 60.9 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 29 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (13); a normal September there has highs of 85°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 73 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 16 nights a year. That 60.9 inches is more than at 43 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (53%). Montgomery, 15 miles northwest, has its own station (Natchitoches, LA): 56.1 inches a year, 4.8 less than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 39 | 5.8 | 7 |
| Feb | 60 | 42 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Mar | 67 | 49 | 5.8 | 7 |
| Apr | 74 | 56 | 5.6 | 6 |
| May | 81 | 64 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Jun | 87 | 70 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Jul | 89 | 72 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Aug | 89 | 72 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 85 | 67 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Oct | 76 | 56 | 5.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 65 | 46 | 5.4 | 6 |
| Dec | 58 | 41 | 6.0 | 7 |
| Year | 74 | 56 | 60.9 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Boyce 3 WNW, LA (110 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 Colfax
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 87 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Colfax: 67 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 3 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $3.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on May 3, 2009. April has had the most flash floods, 6 of 18. Of the 239 Louisiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 133 have had fewer than Colfax.
December 20, 2007: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Colfax — 3 killed, 2 injured, $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Three family members died in a house explosion as a result of lightning striking near the home. It was determined that the explosion was caused by a gas leak and the lightning strike.”
May 3, 2009: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Colfax — 1 injured, $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees and powerlines were downed across all of Grant Parish A woman was injured when she was struck by debris from straight line winds gusts that pushed here mobile home approximately six feet. Her foot was broken in two different places.”
May 3, 2009: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Colfax — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “S. Hwy 71.”
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 Colfax's ZIP code 71417 have filed 89 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $1.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1989: 33 claims (37% of all) and $228,000, then Late winter severe storms in 2016 with 24. The year with the most claims was 2016, with 26. 65% 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, 69 have fewer than Colfax.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1989 | 33 | $228,000 |
| Late winter severe storms2016 | 24 | $826,000 |
Grant Parish, which includes Colfax, has been named in 37 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 hurricanes, 6 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Ida, on August 29, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Grant Parish a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.3 million a year, the 48th highest of 64 Louisiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.2 million (51%), 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 Colfax
- Dry Prong, LA8 mi
- Boyce, LA13 mi
- Montgomery, LA15 mi
- Pollock, LA17 mi
- Ball, LA19 mi
- Pineville, LA20 mi
- Alexandria, LA20 mi
- Winnfield, LA27 mi
- Woodworth, LA27 mi
- Natchitoches, LA29 mi
- Deville, LA31 mi
- Lecompte, LA33 mi
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