NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hessmer, 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
38 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Hessmer, Louisiana since 1851, 7 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Delta in 2020. Since 1950, 116 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 7
- Tropical storms
- 31
- Tornadoes
- 116
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Hessmer
The strongest storm to pass near Hessmer was Laura in 2020, a Category 2 hurricane with 102 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1909, whose centre came within 31 miles. The record near Hessmer begins with an unnamed storm in 1856; the most recent system was Delta in 2020, a tropical storm 12 miles away. The 1980s and the 2010s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 38 systems, 9 have come since 2000. Of the 245 Louisiana cities on this site, 63% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Hessmer. The highest rating among the 116 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on December 16, 2019, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on November 7, 1957, killed 3 people. Of the 116, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 67 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2024. Of the 245 Louisiana cities, 61% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hessmer. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 37 times since 1976, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 245 Louisiana cities, 55% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hessmer.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hessmer
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | DeltaOct 10 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 68 mi | Category 2 (102 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | BarryJul 14 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2017 | HarveyAug 30 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2012 | IsaacAug 30 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | LeeSep 4 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | GustavSep 2 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2007 | HumbertoSep 13 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2002 | LiliOct 3 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1992 | AndrewAug 26 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | JuanOct 29 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | ElenaSep 2 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | DannyAug 16 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1982 | ChrisSep 11 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1974 | CarmenSep 8 | 54 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1973 | Unnamed 1973 stormSep 13 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | EdithSep 16 | 51 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1965 | BetsySep 10 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | ArleneMay 31 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 27 | 60 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1955 | Unnamed 1955 stormAug 27 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormSep 24 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 16 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 19 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormJul 16 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormAug 26 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 31 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormAug 1 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 29 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 20 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 68 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 15 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 30 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 2 | 69 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 11 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Hessmer: 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 Hessmer
By decade
- 2020s21
- 2010s27(1 EF3+)
- 2000s19
- 1990s12
- 1980s19(3 EF3+)
- 1970s8
- 1960s5
- 1950s5(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 1957 | F3 | 25 mi | 13.3 mi | 3 / 16 |
| Dec 16, 2019 | EF3 | 25 mi | 62.61 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jan 31, 1983 | F3 | 6 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 20, 1983 | F3 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1981 | F3 | 23 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jan 6, 1951 | F3 | 25 mi | 16.8 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Apr 22, 2020 | EF2 | 13 mi | 8.98 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 1957 | F2 | 9 mi | 18.3 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Feb 8, 2023 | EF2 | 24 mi | 3.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 2020 | EF2 | 7 mi | 3.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 1, 2018 | EF2 | 2 mi | 5.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 31, 2018 | EF2 | 2 mi | 7.81 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 116, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hessmer
The Storm Prediction Center has 37 hail reports within 10 miles of Hessmer since 1976, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on June 20, 2023. The most recent report is from May 12, 2024. April and May have the most reports, 12 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hessmer
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bunkie, LA, 7 miles south of Hessmer at 80 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 60°F and 39°F. January is the wettest at 6.8 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 4.1 inches; the year adds up to 61.7 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 46% of the year's precipitation (28.5 of 61.7 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 38 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (17); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 4.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 91 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 20 nights a year. That 61.7 inches is more than at 46 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (57%). Lecompte, 15 miles west, has its own station (Lsu Dean Lee Rsch Stn, LA): 60.2 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | 39 | 6.8 | 7 |
| Feb | 64 | 43 | 5.3 | 7 |
| Mar | 72 | 49 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Apr | 79 | 56 | 5.9 | 6 |
| May | 86 | 64 | 5.0 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 70 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Jul | 93 | 73 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 93 | 72 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Sep | 89 | 66 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 81 | 56 | 4.8 | 5 |
| Nov | 70 | 46 | 5.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 62 | 41 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Year | 78 | 56 | 61.7 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bunkie, LA (80 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 Hessmer
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 106 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hessmer: 86 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 3 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $31.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 26, 2023. July has had the most flash floods, 3 of 14. Of the 239 Louisiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 112 have had fewer than Hessmer.
January 10, 2013: flood 8 miles from the centre of Hessmer — $19.0 million damage.
June 18, 2026: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Hessmer — $5.0 million damage.
March 13, 2016: flood 6 miles from the centre of Hessmer — $3.9 million damage.
NWS: “The flood wave traveled down the Red River from North Louisiana flooding areas between the main levees. An estimated 154 structures were flooded.”
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 Hessmer's ZIP code 71341 have filed 77 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $1.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1982: 11 claims (14% of all) and $54,000. 39% 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, 59 have fewer than Hessmer.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1982 | 11 | $54,000 |
Avoyelles Parish, which includes Hessmer, has been named in 42 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 21 hurricanes, 7 floods, 3 coastal storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Arthur, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Avoyelles Parish a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.9 million a year, the 33rd highest of 64 Louisiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.8 million (24%), 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 Hessmer
- Mansura, LA6 mi
- Marksville, LA7 mi
- Cottonport, LA8 mi
- Bunkie, LA10 mi
- Plaucheville, LA14 mi
- Moreauville, LA15 mi
- Saint Landry, LA15 mi
- Lecompte, LA15 mi
- Simmesport, LA21 mi
- Deville, LA21 mi
- Woodworth, LA22 mi
- Forest Hill, LA22 mi
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