NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rayville, 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
17 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Rayville, Louisiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Delta in 2020. Since 1950, 126 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 17
- Tornadoes
- 126
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
56 deaths in all
What the records show for Rayville
None of the 17 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rayville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1909, a tropical storm with 72 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. The record near Rayville begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Delta in 2020, a tropical storm 18 miles away. Of the 17 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Of the 245 Louisiana cities on this site, 85% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Rayville. The strongest of the 126 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on February 21, 1971; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 47 people. Of the 126, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 42. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2024. Rayville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 51% of the 245 Louisiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 73 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Rayville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 245 Louisiana cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rayville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | DeltaOct 10 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2012 | IsaacAug 30 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2002 | LiliOct 4 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | ElenaSep 3 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | DannyAug 16 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | BetsySep 10 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 20 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 21 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Rayville: 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 Rayville
By decade
- 2020s16(2 EF3+)
- 2010s27
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s10
- 1980s20(5 EF3+)
- 1970s31(2 EF3+)
- 1960s8(2 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 1971 | F5 | 19 mi | 109.2 mi | 47 / 510 |
| Apr 1, 1983 | F4 | 17 mi | 9 mi | 2 / 20 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F3 | 24 mi | 30 mi | 3 / 11 |
| Jan 18, 1973 | F3 | 5 mi | 38 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 12, 2020 | EF3 | 21 mi | 2.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 2020 | EF3 | 15 mi | 8.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 1983 | F3 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 1, 1983 | F3 | 22 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 1983 | F3 | 12 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 1, 1983 | F3 | 23 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 27, 1968 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 1, 1968 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 126, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rayville
The Storm Prediction Center has 73 hail reports within 10 miles of Rayville since 1971, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 49 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 10, 2006. The most recent report is from September 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rayville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rayville, LA, 3 miles northeast of Rayville at 89 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 38°F. April is the wettest at 6.7 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 60.1 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 43% of the year's precipitation (26.0 of 60.1 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 17 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 3.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 84 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 35 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 60.1 inches is more than at 38 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (47%). Monroe, 17 miles west, has its own station (Monroe Regional Airport, LA): 55.3 inches a year, 4.8 less than here, and the same August average high, 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 38 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Feb | 62 | 41 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 70 | 48 | 5.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 78 | 56 | 6.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 84 | 64 | 5.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 90 | 71 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 74 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 94 | 74 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 89 | 67 | 3.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 80 | 56 | 4.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 68 | 46 | 4.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 60 | 40 | 5.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Year | 77 | 56 | 60.1 | 69 | 0.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rayville, LA (89 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 Rayville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 125 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rayville: 103 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 flash floods, 2 floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $44.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on September 9, 2019. March has had the most flash floods, 9 of 18. Of the 239 Louisiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 133 have had fewer than Rayville.
September 3, 2008: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Rayville — $41.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall fell across all of Richland Parish as persistent rain bands continued to impact the area from weakening Hurricane Gustav. Numerous roads were flooded with some washed out.”
October 13, 2009: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Rayville — $450,000 damage.
NWS: “Several roads were flooded around Rayville and across the Parish. Sandbagging efforts crews were needed around town where water threatened several homes.”
September 9, 2019: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Rayville — $450,000 damage.
NWS: “2 mile swath of damage near Start, including numerous downed hardwood limbs and some snapped or uprooted hardwood trees. Several sheds were damaged or destroyed, and one home had the roof ripped off the east side.”
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 Rayville's ZIP code 71269 have filed 347 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $9.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late winter severe storms in 2016: 86 claims (25% of all) and $4.0 million, then Hurricane Gustav in 2008 with 50 and Flooding in 1991 with 41. 62% 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, 129 have fewer than Rayville.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late winter severe storms2016 | 86 | $4.0 million |
| Hurricane Gustav2008 | 50 | $1.8 million |
| Flooding1991 | 41 | $557,000 |
| Hurricane Delta2020 | 36 | $1.3 million |
Richland Parish, which includes Rayville, has been named in 36 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 hurricanes, 6 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 18, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Richland Parish a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.5 million a year, the 50th highest of 64 Louisiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.3 million (31%), 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 Rayville
- Delhi, LA16 mi
- Monroe, LA17 mi
- Winnsboro, LA21 mi
- West Monroe, LA22 mi
- Sterlington, LA24 mi
- Bastrop, LA26 mi
- Columbia, LA28 mi
- Calhoun, LA33 mi
- Eros, LA35 mi
- Downsville, LA35 mi
- Tallulah, LA36 mi
- Wisner, LA36 mi
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