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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pineville, 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

33 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Pineville, Louisiana since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Delta in 2020. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
4

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
29

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
100

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
6

16 deaths in all

What the records show for Pineville

The strongest storm to pass near Pineville was Laura in 2020, a Category 1 hurricane with 91 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1909, whose centre came within 41 miles. The record near Pineville begins with an unnamed storm in 1856; the most recent system was Delta in 2020, a tropical storm 9 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 4 systems. Of the 33 systems, 8 have come since 2000. Of the 245 Louisiana cities on this site, 69% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Pineville. The strongest of the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on December 3, 1953; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 9 people. Of the 100, 16 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 58 have come since 2000. December has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2025. Of the 245 Louisiana cities, 74% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pineville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 82 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Pineville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 80% of the 245 Louisiana cities.

Compare Pineville's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pineville

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Pineville, Louisiana, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2020DeltaOct 109 miTropical storm (60 mph)Category 4
2020LauraAug 2750 miCategory 1 (91 mph)Category 4
2019BarryJul 1453 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
2017HarveyAug 3066 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
2012IsaacAug 3024 miTropical storm (48 mph)Category 1
2008GustavSep 227 miTropical storm (56 mph)Category 4
2007HumbertoSep 1338 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
2002LiliOct 311 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 4
1992AndrewAug 2657 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 5
1985ElenaSep 351 miTropical storm (48 mph)Category 3
1985DannyAug 168 miTropical storm (54 mph)Category 1
1982ChrisSep 1170 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1974CarmenSep 863 miCategory 1 (74 mph)Category 4
1973Unnamed 1973 stormSep 1359 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1971EdithSep 1675 miCategory 1 (74 mph)Category 4
1965BetsySep 1025 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 4
1957AudreyJun 2739 miTropical storm (72 mph)Category 3
1955Unnamed 1955 stormAug 2762 miTropical storm (41 mph)Tropical storm
1947Unnamed 1947 stormSep 2026 miTropical storm (62 mph)Category 4
1938Unnamed 1938 stormAug 1575 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1934Unnamed 1934 stormJun 1771 miTropical storm (67 mph)Category 2
1932Unnamed 1932 stormSep 2058 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1931Unnamed 1931 stormJul 1648 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1926Unnamed 1926 stormAug 2641 miTropical storm (44 mph)Category 3
1920Unnamed 1920 stormSep 2216 miTropical storm (56 mph)Category 2
1909Unnamed 1909 stormSep 2141 miCategory 1 (86 mph)Category 3
1908Unnamed 1908 stormAug 152 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1905Unnamed 1905 stormSep 2959 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1898Unnamed 1898 stormSep 217 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1886Unnamed 1886 stormOct 1373 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1886Unnamed 1886 stormJun 1536 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 2
1865Unnamed 1865 stormSep 1465 miTropical storm (62 mph)Category 2
1856Unnamed 1856 stormAug 1257 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 4

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Pineville: 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 Pineville

By decade

  • 2020s15
  • 2010s30(1 EF3+)
  • 2000s13
  • 1990s13
  • 1980s14(1 EF3+)
  • 1970s7(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s3
  • 1950s5(3 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Pineville, Louisiana
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Dec 3, 1953F417 mi85.5 mi9 / 50
Nov 7, 1957F35 mi13.3 mi3 / 16
Dec 16, 2019EF3in town62.61 mi1 / 0
Jun 5, 1981F32 mi4.3 mi0 / 10
Jun 22, 1971F39 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Jan 6, 1951F33 mi16.8 mi0 / 11
Apr 22, 2020EF212 mi8.98 mi1 / 0
Oct 23, 1957F214 mi18.3 mi1 / 1
Apr 22, 2020EF214 mi8.43 mi0 / 0
Oct 31, 2018EF2in town37.89 mi0 / 2
Mar 11, 2018EF220 mi0.39 mi0 / 4
Apr 2, 2017EF214 mi13.66 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Pineville

The Storm Prediction Center has 82 hail reports within 10 miles of Pineville since 1955, made on 60 separate days. Of these, 52 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 12, 2003. The most recent report is from February 11, 2024. May has the most reports, 25.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Radar-estimated hail days in Pineville since 2019 →

Weather by month in Pineville

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Alexandria, LA, 4 miles southwest of Pineville at 87 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 59°F and 39°F. January is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 4.0 inches; the year adds up to 61.0 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 47% of the year's precipitation (28.6 of 61.0 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 33 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (15); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 4.0 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 24 nights a year. That 61.0 inches is more than at 44 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (54%). Ball, 4 miles north, has its own station (Alexandria Esler Regional Airport, LA): 57.0 inches a year, 4.0 less than here, and an August average high of 94°F against 92°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Alexandria, LA
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan59396.17
Feb63425.17
Mar70495.26
Apr76555.45
May83644.66
Jun89715.38
Jul92744.67
Aug92734.36
Sep88684.05
Oct79574.95
Nov68465.56
Dec61406.07
Year775661.074

Averages for 1991–2020 at Alexandria, LA (87 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.

Louisiana weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Pineville

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 150 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pineville: 116 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes, 2 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 3 people and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $51.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on June 20, 2019. November has had the most flash floods, 4 of 27. Of the 239 Louisiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 174 have had fewer than Pineville.

  • July 10, 2016: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Pineville — 1 killed, 1 injured.

    NWS: “A Pineville man was walking while holding an umbrella for another person after leaving church services. Lightning struck the umbrella sending the holder to the ICU where he died several days later from his injuries.”

  • April 10, 2024: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Pineville — 1 killed, $15,000 damage.

  • October 22, 2009: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Pineville — 1 killed, $5,000 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 Pineville's 3 ZIP codes have filed 613 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $9.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1991: 114 claims (19% of all) and $970,000, then Hurricane Gustav in 2008 with 42 and Hurricane Delta in 2020 with 34. 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, 151 have fewer than Pineville.

Flood insurance claims in Pineville by named event
EventClaimsPaid
Flooding1991114$970,000
Hurricane Gustav200842$1.4 million
Hurricane Delta202034$1.6 million
Late winter severe storms201621$1.2 million

Rapides Parish, which includes Pineville, has been named in 49 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 26 of them major disasters (by incident: 23 hurricanes, 10 floods, 3 coastal storms, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Ida, on August 29, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Rapides Parish a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $39.6 million a year, the 23rd highest of 64 Louisiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.4 million (41%), is from inland flooding.

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 Pineville