NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Princeton, 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
14 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Princeton, Louisiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Laura in 2020. Since 1950, 157 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 14
- Tornadoes
- 157
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
44 deaths in all
What the records show for Princeton
None of the 14 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Princeton; the strongest was Laura in 2020, a tropical storm with 70 mph winds when its centre passed 31 miles away. The record near Princeton begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Laura in 2020. The busiest decade was the 2010s, with 3 systems. Of the 14 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Of the 245 Louisiana cities on this site, 93% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Princeton. The highest rating among the 157 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1999, came within 11 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on February 12, 1950, killed 18 people. Of the 157, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 72 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 46. The most recent tornado was on September 24, 2025. Princeton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% of the 245 Louisiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 107 times since 1964, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Princeton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 91% of the 245 Louisiana cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Princeton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | BarryJul 14 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2017 | CindyJun 22 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | IsaacAug 30 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2005 | RitaSep 24 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 20 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 24 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 7 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 23 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Princeton: 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 Princeton
By decade
- 2020s26
- 2010s23(1 EF3+)
- 2000s23(1 EF3+)
- 1990s30(2 EF3+)
- 1980s17(3 EF3+)
- 1970s17(4 EF3+)
- 1960s11(2 EF3+)
- 1950s10(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 12, 1950 | F4 | 4 mi | 82.6 mi | 18 / 77 |
| Apr 3, 1999 | F4 | 11 mi | 19.3 mi | 7 / 102 |
| Dec 3, 1978 | F4 | 11 mi | 6.2 mi | 2 / 266 |
| Jan 22, 1957 | F3 | in town | 1.7 mi | 3 / 9 |
| Dec 3, 1978 | F3 | 15 mi | 60 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Nov 15, 1987 | F3 | 17 mi | 48 mi | 1 / 116 |
| Jan 20, 2010 | EF3 | 24 mi | 15.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 2000 | F3 | 20 mi | 32.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 3, 1999 | F3 | 25 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1984 | F3 | 18 mi | 61 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 25, 1982 | F3 | 8 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 3, 1978 | F3 | 8 mi | 61.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 157, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Princeton
The Storm Prediction Center has 107 hail reports within 10 miles of Princeton since 1964, made on 80 separate days. Of these, 70 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on February 11, 2024. The most recent report is from May 1, 2025. April has the most reports, 33.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Princeton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Benton 5E, LA, 12 miles northwest of Princeton at 200 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 34°F. December is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 54.0 inches. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (24.0 of 54.0 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 14 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 3.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 86 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 42 nights a year. That 54.0 inches is more than at 6 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (7%). Doyline, 10 miles southeast, has its own station (Minden, LA): 57.7 inches a year, 3.7 more than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 34 | 4.8 |
| Feb | 60 | 38 | 4.9 |
| Mar | 68 | 45 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 75 | 53 | 5.2 |
| May | 82 | 62 | 4.6 |
| Jun | 89 | 70 | 4.4 |
| Jul | 92 | 73 | 3.8 |
| Aug | 93 | 72 | 3.1 |
| Sep | 88 | 65 | 3.7 |
| Oct | 77 | 53 | 4.7 |
| Nov | 65 | 44 | 4.3 |
| Dec | 57 | 36 | 5.3 |
| Year | 75 | 54 | 54.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Benton 5E, LA (200 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 Princeton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 127 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Princeton: 90 thunderstorm wind reports, 31 flash floods, 5 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $5.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on January 18, 2023. March has had the most flash floods, 8 of 31. Of the 239 Louisiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 179 have had fewer than Princeton.
October 14, 2009: flood 8 miles from the centre of Princeton — $3.0 million damage.
October 14, 2009: flood 8 miles from the centre of Princeton — $1.5 million damage.
October 4, 2009: flood 8 miles from the centre of Princeton — $500,000 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
Bossier Parish, which includes Princeton, has been named in 36 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 hurricanes, 4 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Ida, on August 29, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bossier Parish a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $47.5 million a year, the 19th highest of 64 Louisiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.1 million (32%), 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 Princeton
- Haughton, LA3 mi
- Doyline, LA10 mi
- Barksdale Afb, LA11 mi
- Bossier City, LA12 mi
- Sibley, LA12 mi
- Minden, LA13 mi
- Benton, LA13 mi
- Heflin, LA17 mi
- Shreveport, LA19 mi
- Elm Grove, LA19 mi
- Ringgold, LA23 mi
- Sarepta, LA23 mi
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