NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit New Iberia, 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
61 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of New Iberia, Louisiana since 1851, 24 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Francine in 2024. Since 1950, 124 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 24
- Tropical storms
- 37
- Tornadoes
- 124
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for New Iberia
The strongest storm to pass near New Iberia was Carmen in 1974, a Category 3 hurricane with 119 mph winds when its centre passed 17 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1856, whose centre came within 1 mile. The record near New Iberia begins with an unnamed storm in 1856; the most recent system was Francine in 2024, a Category 2 hurricane 57 miles away. The 1940s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 6 systems each. Of the 61 systems, 13 have come since 2000. New Iberia has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 76% of the 245 Louisiana cities on this site. The highest rating among the 124 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on January 31, 1983, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on April 2, 2017, killed 2 people. Of the 124, 21 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 48 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on June 10, 2025. Of the 245 Louisiana cities, 51% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than New Iberia. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1975, with stones up to 4.25 inches. New Iberia has more hail reports within 10 miles than 55% of the 245 Louisiana cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near New Iberia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | FrancineSep 11 | 57 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2021 | IdaAug 30 | 69 mi | Category 2 (99 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ClaudetteJun 19 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | DeltaOct 10 | 62 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | BarryJul 13 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | IsaacAug 30 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | LeeSep 4 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | GustavSep 1 | 10 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2004 | MatthewOct 10 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | IvanSep 23 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2003 | BillJun 30 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2002 | LiliOct 3 | 28 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1992 | AndrewAug 26 | 9 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1988 | BerylAug 9 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | JuanOct 29 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | DannyAug 15 | 51 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1977 | BabeSep 5 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1974 | CarmenSep 8 | 17 mi | Category 3 (119 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1973 | Unnamed 1973 stormSep 13 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | EdithSep 16 | 18 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1965 | BetsySep 10 | 38 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | HildaOct 4 | 25 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | ArleneMay 31 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | EstherSep 18 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | BerthaAug 9 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1956 | Unnamed 1956 stormJun 13 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | Unnamed 1955 stormAug 27 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | BarbaraJul 29 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormSep 4 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 19 | 38 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormAug 22 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormSep 20 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormSep 24 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 7 | 67 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormOct 3 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 16 | 13 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 15 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 19 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormJul 15 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormAug 26 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 27 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 13 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 25 mi | Category 2 (107 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormAug 1 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormOct 9 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 29 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 20 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 12 | 53 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormSep 7 | 68 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1890 | Unnamed 1890 stormAug 27 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 54 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 15 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 1 | 40 mi | Category 3 (116 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 18 | 69 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 6 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 4 | 62 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 30 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 2 | 30 mi | Category 2 (100 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 11 | 1 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in New Iberia: 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 New Iberia
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s14
- 2000s27
- 1990s29
- 1980s18(1 EF3+)
- 1970s18(2 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 31, 1983 | F3 | 25 mi | 6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 21, 1977 | F3 | 23 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Oct 29, 1974 | F3 | 16 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 13, 2024 | EF2 | 23 mi | 8.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | EF2 | 1 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 16 |
| May 15, 2008 | EF2 | 20 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 13, 2007 | EF2 | 17 mi | 4.31 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jan 25, 2004 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Nov 21, 1992 | F2 | 7 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 1, 1992 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1992 | F2 | 23 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1982 | F2 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 124, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in New Iberia
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of New Iberia since 1975, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 29 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, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in New Iberia
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New Iberia Acadiana Regional Airport, LA, 5 miles northwest of New Iberia at 24 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 63°F and 43°F. July is the wettest at 6.7 inches of precipitation on average and March the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 59.8 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 57% of the year's precipitation (34.3 of 59.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 61 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (25); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 5.1 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 11 nights a year. That 59.8 inches is more than at 33 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (41%). Jeanerette, 11 miles southeast, has its own station (Jeanerette 5 NW, LA): 65.6 inches a year, 5.8 more than here, and an August average high of 90°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63 | 43 | 5.4 | 6 |
| Feb | 67 | 47 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Mar | 73 | 53 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Apr | 79 | 59 | 4.8 | 5 |
| May | 86 | 67 | 4.4 | 5 |
| Jun | 90 | 73 | 6.5 | 9 |
| Jul | 92 | 74 | 6.7 | 10 |
| Aug | 92 | 74 | 6.4 | 9 |
| Sep | 89 | 70 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Oct | 82 | 60 | 5.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 72 | 50 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Dec | 65 | 45 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Year | 79 | 59 | 59.8 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at New Iberia Acadiana Regional Airport, LA (24 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 New Iberia
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 118 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of New Iberia: 81 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 flash floods, 5 heavy rain events, 4 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $20.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 107 mph, on April 4, 2019. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 26. Of the 239 Louisiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 172 have had fewer than New Iberia.
May 19, 2015: heavy rain event 6 miles from the centre of New Iberia — 1 killed.
NWS: “A Loreauville teen was playing in a flooded yard when he fell and was sucked into drain pipe. The teen was recovered 90 minutes later.”
January 15, 1997: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of New Iberia — 3 injured, $25,000 damage.
April 6, 2014: thunderstorm wind in New Iberia — 1 injured, $2,000 damage.
NWS: “A strong thunderstorm moved through the New Iberia area and produced high wind gusts downing a couple trees and damaging one apartment building. One person was injured when a window of the apartment building shattered cutting his leg while he was in the living room.”
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 New Iberia's 2 ZIP codes have filed 2,407 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $69.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Rita in 2005: 574 claims (24% of all) and $23.3 million, then Hurricane Ike in 2008 with 471 and Mid-summer severe storms in 2016 with 366. 81% 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, 193 have fewer than New Iberia.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Rita2005 | 574 | $23.3 million |
| Hurricane Ike2008 | 471 | $14.7 million |
| Mid-summer severe storms2016 | 366 | $16.6 million |
| Flooding1984 | 247 | $2.1 million |
| Hurricane Gustav2008 | 71 | $678,000 |
| Hurricane Lili2002 | 51 | $512,000 |
Iberia Parish, which includes New Iberia, has been named in 43 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 30 hurricanes, 4 coastal storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Ida, on August 29, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Iberia Parish a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hurricanes, tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, coastal flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $63.8 million a year, the 13th highest of 64 Louisiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $33.4 million (52%), 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).
New Iberia in the notable storm records: Hurricane Rita (2005)
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near New Iberia
- Delcambre, LA10 mi
- Jeanerette, LA11 mi
- Saint Martinville, LA11 mi
- Broussard, LA13 mi
- Youngsville, LA13 mi
- Erath, LA13 mi
- Lafayette, LA20 mi
- Abbeville, LA20 mi
- Maurice, LA20 mi
- Breaux Bridge, LA22 mi
- Franklin, LA24 mi
- Scott, LA24 mi
All Louisiana cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare New Iberia with another place →