NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Opelousas, LA
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
42 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Opelousas, Louisiana since 1851, 12 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Delta in 2020. Since 1950, 178 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 12
- Tropical storms
- 30
- Tornadoes
- 178
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
23 deaths in all
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Opelousas
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | DeltaOct 10 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 72 mi | Category 3 (123 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | BarryJul 13 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2017 | HarveyAug 30 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2012 | IsaacAug 30 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | LeeSep 4 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | GustavSep 1 | 2 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2007 | HumbertoSep 13 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2002 | LiliOct 3 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1994 | JohnSep 8 | 59 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1992 | AndrewAug 26 | 27 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | JuanOct 29 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | DannyAug 15 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1977 | BabeSep 5 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1974 | CarmenSep 8 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1971 | EdithSep 16 | 20 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1965 | BetsySep 10 | 26 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | HildaOct 4 | 53 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | ArleneMay 31 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | Unnamed 1955 stormAug 27 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | BarbaraJul 29 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 19 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormSep 24 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormOct 3 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 16 | 38 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 19 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormJul 15 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormAug 26 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 13 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 34 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormAug 1 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormOct 9 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 29 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 20 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 66 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 15 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 1 | 71 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 30 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 2 | 56 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 11 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Opelousas: 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 Opelousas
By decade
- 2020s21(2 EF3+)
- 2010s24
- 2000s41
- 1990s23
- 1980s20(2 EF3+)
- 1970s26(3 EF3+)
- 1960s11
- 1950s12(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 1957 | F3 | 11 mi | 9.2 mi | 4 / 10 |
| Oct 29, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 31.3 mi | 2 / 52 |
| Apr 10, 2021 | EF3 | 12 mi | 8.71 mi | 1 / 7 |
| May 17, 2020 | EF3 | 11 mi | 3.93 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Apr 21, 1977 | F3 | 18 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Oct 15, 1957 | F3 | 4 mi | 37.9 mi | 1 / 29 |
| Feb 9, 1983 | F3 | 5 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Feb 9, 1983 | F3 | 13 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 29, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 4, 1952 | F3 | 17 mi | 36.7 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 4, 1952 | F2 | 11 mi | 20.4 mi | 4 / 33 |
| Sep 3, 2008 | EF2 | 23 mi | 7.06 mi | 2 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 178, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
How to read this page
A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of Opelousas while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.
Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.
Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.