NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Columbia, 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
17 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Columbia, Louisiana since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Delta in 2020. Since 1950, 82 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 14
- Tornadoes
- 82
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Columbia
The strongest storm to pass near Columbia was an unnamed storm in 1909, a Category 1 hurricane with 77 mph winds when its centre passed 26 miles away. The record near Columbia begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Delta in 2020, a tropical storm 20 miles away. Of the 17 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Of the 245 Louisiana cities on this site, 71% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Columbia. The highest rating among the 82 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 9 times; the most recent, on November 29, 2022, came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on March 22, 1953, killed 2 people. Of the 82, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on March 4, 2025. Of the 245 Louisiana cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Columbia. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1974, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Columbia has more hail reports within 10 miles than 65% of the 245 Louisiana cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Columbia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | DeltaOct 10 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 57 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2012 | IsaacAug 30 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2002 | LiliOct 4 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1992 | AndrewAug 27 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | ElenaSep 3 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | DannyAug 16 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | BetsySep 10 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 20 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 26 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 21 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 65 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Columbia: 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 Columbia
By decade
- 2020s6(2 EF3+)
- 2010s22
- 2000s12(1 EF3+)
- 1990s8
- 1980s12(4 EF3+)
- 1970s12(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 23, 2004 | F3 | 8 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 20 |
| May 19, 1983 | F3 | 8 mi | 12 mi | 1 / 35 |
| Jan 18, 1973 | F3 | 7 mi | 38 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Nov 29, 2022 | EF3 | 10 mi | 7.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 12, 2020 | EF3 | 24 mi | 8.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 1983 | F3 | 6 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 1, 1983 | F3 | 20 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 1, 1983 | F3 | in town | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 1, 1968 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 22, 1953 | F2 | 7 mi | 234.7 mi | 2 / 22 |
| Nov 26, 2019 | EF2 | 18 mi | 7.02 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 13, 2022 | EF2 | 2 mi | 18.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 82, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Columbia
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Columbia since 1974, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 16 days, most recently March 26, 2023. The most recent report is from September 24, 2024. April has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Columbia
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Columbia Lock, LA, 4 miles northwest of Columbia at 82 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 37°F. April is the wettest at 6.2 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 59.3 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (25.8 of 59.3 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 17 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 93 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 38 nights a year. That 59.3 inches is more than at 29 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (36%). Winnsboro, 20 miles east, has its own station (Winnsboro 5 SSE, LA): 58.4 inches a year, 0.9 less than here, and the same July average high, 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 37 | 6.0 | 8 |
| Feb | 61 | 39 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 69 | 46 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Apr | 76 | 54 | 6.2 | 6 |
| May | 84 | 63 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Jun | 90 | 70 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Jul | 93 | 73 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Aug | 93 | 72 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Sep | 88 | 66 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Oct | 78 | 55 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 67 | 44 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Dec | 59 | 38 | 5.8 | 8 |
| Year | 76 | 55 | 59.3 | 78 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Columbia Lock, LA (82 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 Columbia
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 75 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Columbia: 63 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $13.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 28, 2017. October 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 Columbia.
May 28, 2017: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Columbia — 1 killed.
NWS: “A large tree fell on a home on Templeton Bend Road in the Hebert community northeast of Columbia. The tree fell on an 18 year-old male inside the home, who died from his injuries.”
October 16, 2006: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Columbia — $10.2 million damage.
NWS: “Tremendous amounts of rain fell across Richland Parish during the afternoon and evening of October 16th. Eight to fifteen inches of rain fell during this time causing significant flooding across the parish.”
October 31, 2009: flood 3 miles from the centre of Columbia — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “The Ouachita River at Columbia Locks went above flood stage during the morning of October 31st and did not crest until the month of November. Further crest information will be contained in the November Storm Data publication.”
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 Columbia's 2 ZIP codes have filed 440 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $5.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1991: 138 claims (31% of all) and $1.4 million, then Late winter severe storms in 2016 with 44. 44% 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, 140 have fewer than Columbia.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1991 | 138 | $1.4 million |
| Late winter severe storms2016 | 44 | $654,000 |
Caldwell Parish, which includes Columbia, has been named in 38 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 18 hurricanes, 7 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 18, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Caldwell Parish a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $3.9 million a year, the 63rd highest of 64 Louisiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.7 million (43%), 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 Columbia
- Grayson, LA9 mi
- Winnsboro, LA20 mi
- Olla, LA20 mi
- Eros, LA24 mi
- Wisner, LA25 mi
- West Monroe, LA26 mi
- Monroe, LA26 mi
- Rayville, LA28 mi
- Calhoun, LA31 mi
- Jena, LA33 mi
- Winnfield, LA37 mi
- Choudrant, LA37 mi
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