NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kaplan, 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
55 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Kaplan, Louisiana since 1851, 24 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Delta in 2020. Since 1950, 152 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 24
- Tropical storms
- 31
- Tornadoes
- 152
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Kaplan
The strongest storm to pass near Kaplan was Laura in 2020, a Category 4 hurricane with 143 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Edith in 1971, whose centre came within 1 mile. The record near Kaplan begins with an unnamed storm in 1856; the most recent system was Delta in 2020, a Category 1 hurricane 35 miles away. The 1930s and the 1970s were the busiest decades, with 5 systems each. Of the 55 systems, 10 have come since 2000. Kaplan has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 76% of the 245 Louisiana cities on this site. The highest rating among the 152 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on January 31, 1983, came within 4 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on October 29, 1974, killed 2 people. Of the 152, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 58 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on June 10, 2025. Kaplan has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 82% of the 245 Louisiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 14 times since 1972, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 245 Louisiana cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Kaplan.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kaplan
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | DeltaOct 10 | 35 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 59 mi | Category 4 (143 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | BarryJul 13 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2017 | HarveyAug 30 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2012 | IsaacAug 30 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | LeeSep 4 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | GustavSep 1 | 33 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2007 | HumbertoSep 13 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | IvanSep 23 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2002 | LiliOct 3 | 1 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1992 | AndrewAug 26 | 38 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | JuanOct 30 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | DannyAug 15 | 22 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1980 | DanielleSep 5 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1978 | DebraAug 29 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1977 | BabeSep 5 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1974 | CarmenSep 8 | 6 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1973 | Unnamed 1973 stormSep 12 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | EdithSep 16 | 1 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1965 | BetsySep 10 | 60 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | HildaOct 4 | 53 mi | Category 2 (102 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | ArleneMay 31 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | BerthaAug 9 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | Unnamed 1955 stormAug 27 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | BarbaraJul 29 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 19 | 53 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormSep 20 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormSep 24 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 7 | 57 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormAug 15 | 66 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormOct 3 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 16 | 41 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 19 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormJul 15 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormAug 26 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 6 | 52 mi | Category 3 (121 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 13 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 54 mi | Category 2 (106 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormAug 1 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormOct 9 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 29 | overhead | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 20 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 13 | 43 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 12 | 71 mi | Category 3 (121 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 15 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 15 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 1 | 64 mi | Category 3 (127 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 18 | 73 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 18 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 4 | 61 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 13 | 66 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 30 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 2 | 58 mi | Category 2 (102 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 11 | 30 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Kaplan: 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 Kaplan
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s19
- 2000s34
- 1990s27
- 1980s18(1 EF3+)
- 1970s27(2 EF3+)
- 1960s16(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 29, 1974 | F3 | 21 mi | 31.3 mi | 2 / 52 |
| Jan 31, 1983 | F3 | 4 mi | 6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Dec 25, 1969 | F3 | 3 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Sep 10, 1961 | F3 | 2 mi | 5.7 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Oct 29, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 4, 1952 | F3 | 24 mi | 36.7 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Mar 5, 2011 | EF2 | 16 mi | 6.99 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Aug 29, 2017 | EF2 | 23 mi | 2.18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 2012 | EF2 | 11 mi | 4.16 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 24, 2009 | EF2 | 12 mi | 5.58 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 24, 2009 | EF2 | 18 mi | 6.64 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 15, 2008 | EF2 | 12 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 152, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kaplan
The Storm Prediction Center has 14 hail reports within 10 miles of Kaplan since 1972, made on 13 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on April 7, 2003. The most recent report is from May 6, 2025. April has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kaplan
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Leland Bowman Lock, LA, 15 miles southeast of Kaplan at 40 feet. July and August are the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 60°F and 41°F. July is the wettest at 8.1 inches of precipitation on average and March the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 64.2 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 58% of the year's precipitation (37.0 of 64.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 55 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (25); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 6.3 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 10 nights a year. That 64.2 inches is more than at 64 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (79%). Gueydan, 13 miles west, has its own station (Lake Arthur 7 SW, LA): 60.1 inches a year, 4.1 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | 41 | 5.4 | 7 |
| Feb | 63 | 45 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Mar | 69 | 51 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Apr | 75 | 58 | 5.5 | 5 |
| May | 82 | 66 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Jun | 88 | 72 | 6.9 | 9 |
| Jul | 90 | 73 | 8.1 | 11 |
| Aug | 90 | 73 | 6.8 | 10 |
| Sep | 87 | 69 | 6.3 | 7 |
| Oct | 80 | 59 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Nov | 69 | 49 | 4.7 | 5 |
| Dec | 62 | 43 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Year | 76 | 58 | 64.2 | 80 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Leland Bowman Lock, LA (40 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 Kaplan
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 35 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kaplan: 27 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $39.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 19, 2016. October has had the most flash floods, 3 of 6. Of the 239 Louisiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 27 have had fewer than Kaplan.
January 9, 2013: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Kaplan — $22.5 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain fell on saturated ground during the 9th and 10th causing road closures in portions of Lafayette Parish. Over 60 homes had flood waters enter them.”
January 10, 2013: flood 3 miles from the centre of Kaplan — $16.6 million damage.
NWS: “Flood waters from rainfall that fell mainly during the 9th and 10th slowly drained across the Mermentau Basin. Major flooding was recorded on the Mermentau River at Mermentau just southeast of Jennings as waters slowly drained.”
December 9, 2004: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Kaplan — $200,000 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 Kaplan's ZIP code 70548 have filed 395 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $10.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-summer severe storms in 2016: 107 claims (27% of all) and $3.4 million, then Hurricane Rita in 2005 with 100 and Hurricane Ike in 2008 with 57. The year with the most claims was 2005, with 112. 89% 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, 136 have fewer than Kaplan.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-summer severe storms2016 | 107 | $3.4 million |
| Hurricane Rita2005 | 100 | $5.1 million |
| Hurricane Ike2008 | 57 | $1.3 million |
| Hurricane Laura2020 | 30 | $491,000 |
| Flooding1998 | 23 | $51,000 |
| Hurricane Delta2020 | 17 | $132,000 |
Vermilion Parish, which includes Kaplan, has been named in 46 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 26 of them major disasters (by incident: 28 hurricanes, 6 floods, 4 coastal storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Ida, on August 29, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Vermilion Parish a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hurricanes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and coastal flooding; Relatively Low for tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $44.3 million a year, the 22nd highest of 64 Louisiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.4 million (44%), 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 Kaplan
- Abbeville, LA11 mi
- Gueydan, LA13 mi
- Maurice, LA14 mi
- Morse, LA16 mi
- Crowley, LA16 mi
- Erath, LA17 mi
- Duson, LA18 mi
- Rayne, LA18 mi
- Delcambre, LA20 mi
- Youngsville, LA21 mi
- Scott, LA22 mi
- Lafayette, LA23 mi
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