NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Iota, 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
51 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Iota, Louisiana since 1851, 17 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Delta in 2020. Since 1950, 191 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 17
- Tropical storms
- 34
- Tornadoes
- 191
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
19 deaths in all
What the records show for Iota
The strongest storm to pass near Iota was Laura in 2020, a Category 4 hurricane with 130 mph winds when its centre passed 48 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Carmen in 1974, whose centre came within 4 miles. The record near Iota begins with an unnamed storm in 1856; the most recent system was Delta in 2020, a Category 1 hurricane 15 miles away. Of the 51 systems, 9 have come since 2000. Iota has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 60% of the 245 Louisiana cities on this site. The highest rating among the 191 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 8 times; the most recent, on May 17, 2020, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on November 7, 1957, killed 4 people. Of the 191, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 100 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on November 5, 2024. Iota has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 94% of the 245 Louisiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 15 times since 1965, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 245 Louisiana cities, 87% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Iota.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Iota
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | DeltaOct 10 | 15 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 48 mi | Category 4 (130 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | BarryJul 13 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2017 | HarveyAug 30 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2012 | IsaacAug 30 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | LeeSep 4 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | GustavSep 1 | 26 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2007 | HumbertoSep 13 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2002 | LiliOct 3 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1992 | AndrewAug 26 | 49 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | JuanOct 30 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | DannyAug 15 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1982 | ChrisSep 11 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1978 | DebraAug 29 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1977 | BabeSep 5 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1974 | CarmenSep 8 | 4 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1973 | Unnamed 1973 stormSep 12 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | EdithSep 16 | 26 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1965 | BetsySep 10 | 54 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | HildaOct 4 | 70 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | ArleneMay 31 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | BerthaAug 10 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 27 | 62 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1955 | Unnamed 1955 stormAug 27 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | BarbaraJul 29 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormSep 20 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormSep 24 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 7 | 75 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormAug 15 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormOct 3 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 16 | 58 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 19 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormJul 15 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormAug 26 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 6 | 55 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 13 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 60 mi | Category 2 (100 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormAug 1 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 29 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 20 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 13 | 63 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 67 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 15 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 15 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 18 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 13 | 59 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 30 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 2 | 75 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 11 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Iota: 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 Iota
By decade
- 2020s14(1 EF3+)
- 2010s39
- 2000s47
- 1990s25
- 1980s21(3 EF3+)
- 1970s24(1 EF3+)
- 1960s13(1 EF3+)
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 1957 | F3 | 18 mi | 9.2 mi | 4 / 10 |
| Oct 29, 1974 | F3 | 3 mi | 31.3 mi | 2 / 52 |
| May 17, 2020 | EF3 | 16 mi | 3.93 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Jan 31, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Sep 10, 1961 | F3 | 21 mi | 5.7 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Feb 9, 1983 | F3 | 19 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Feb 9, 1983 | F3 | 12 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1952 | F3 | 2 mi | 36.7 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 4, 1952 | F2 | 22 mi | 20.4 mi | 4 / 33 |
| Sep 3, 2008 | EF2 | 15 mi | 7.06 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Oct 29, 2002 | F2 | 11 mi | 10.5 mi | 2 / 3 |
| Mar 5, 2011 | EF2 | 13 mi | 6.99 mi | 1 / 11 |
The strongest 12 of 191, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Iota
The Storm Prediction Center has 15 hail reports within 10 miles of Iota since 1965, made on 12 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 12, 2024, the most recent report. March has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Iota
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Crowley 2 NE, LA, 11 miles southeast of Iota at 25 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 61°F and 42°F. June is the wettest at 6.7 inches of precipitation on average and March the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 63.6 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (33.4 of 63.6 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 51 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (22); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 5.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 81 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 16 nights a year. That 63.6 inches is more than at 59 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (73%). Basile, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Eunice, LA): 57.8 inches a year, 5.8 less than here, and an August average high of 93°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61 | 42 | 6.4 | 7 |
| Feb | 64 | 45 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Mar | 71 | 52 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Apr | 78 | 59 | 5.3 | 5 |
| May | 84 | 67 | 5.6 | 6 |
| Jun | 89 | 73 | 6.7 | 9 |
| Jul | 91 | 74 | 5.8 | 9 |
| Aug | 92 | 74 | 6.2 | 8 |
| Sep | 88 | 69 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Oct | 81 | 59 | 4.7 | 5 |
| Nov | 70 | 49 | 5.0 | 5 |
| Dec | 63 | 44 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Year | 78 | 59 | 63.6 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Crowley 2 NE, LA (25 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 Iota
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 38 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Iota: 30 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $972,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on March 24, 2025. Of the 239 Louisiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 27 have had fewer than Iota.
February 26, 1998: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Iota — 3 injured, $20,000 damage.
September 8, 2023: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Iota — 1 injured, $100,000 damage.
October 26, 2006: flood in Iota — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Between 10 and 12 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours across northern Acadia Parish. The heaviest hit area was near Iota, where at least six people had to be rescued by boat from their homes due to 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 Iota's ZIP code 70543 have filed 32 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $1.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-summer severe storms in 2016: 17 claims (53% of all) and $761,000. 66% 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, 27 have fewer than Iota.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-summer severe storms2016 | 17 | $761,000 |
Acadia Parish, which includes Iota, has been named in 42 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 26 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 3 coastal storms, 3 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Ida, on August 29, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Acadia Parish a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hurricanes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail, coastal flooding and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $50.7 million a year, the 16th highest of 64 Louisiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.9 million (43%), 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 Iota
- Crowley, LA11 mi
- Basile, LA11 mi
- Jennings, LA12 mi
- Eunice, LA12 mi
- Morse, LA13 mi
- Rayne, LA15 mi
- Elton, LA16 mi
- Church Point, LA18 mi
- Welsh, LA21 mi
- Mamou, LA21 mi
- Duson, LA22 mi
- Lake Arthur, LA22 mi
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