NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sterlington, 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 Sterlington, Louisiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Delta in 2020. Since 1950, 131 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 17
- Tornadoes
- 131
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Sterlington
None of the 17 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sterlington; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 71 mph winds when its centre passed 70 miles away. The record near Sterlington begins with an unnamed storm in 1865; the most recent system was Delta in 2020, a tropical storm 41 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 Sterlington. The strongest of the 131 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 1, 1983; its path came within 5 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F3 on November 24, 2001, killed 3 people. Of the 131, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 65 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 50. The most recent tornado was on January 5, 2025. Sterlington has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 59% of the 245 Louisiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 73 times since 1973, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Sterlington has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 245 Louisiana cities.
Compare Sterlington's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sterlington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | DeltaOct 10 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | LauraAug 27 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2012 | IsaacAug 30 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2002 | LiliOct 4 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | ElenaSep 3 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | DannyAug 16 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | BetsySep 10 | overhead | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 21 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormJul 7 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormOct 13 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormSep 14 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sterlington: 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 Sterlington
By decade
- 2020s18(3 EF3+)
- 2010s29
- 2000s18(1 EF3+)
- 1990s13
- 1980s16(1 EF3+)
- 1970s20
- 1960s13(2 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 1983 | F4 | 5 mi | 9 mi | 2 / 20 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F3 | 14 mi | 30 mi | 3 / 11 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | EF3 | 18 mi | 9.06 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Apr 12, 2020 | EF3 | 4 mi | 2.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 2020 | EF3 | 13 mi | 8.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 27, 1968 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 1, 1968 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 22, 1953 | F2 | 19 mi | 234.7 mi | 2 / 22 |
| Jan 5, 2025 | EF2 | 13 mi | 9.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 2, 2023 | EF2 | 8 mi | 3.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 2019 | EF2 | 19 mi | 15.99 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 13, 2014 | EF2 | 12 mi | 9.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 131, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sterlington
The Storm Prediction Center has 73 hail reports within 10 miles of Sterlington since 1973, made on 53 separate days. Of these, 58 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 10, 2006. The most recent report is from September 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sterlington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bastrop, LA, 10 miles east of Sterlington at 150 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 54°F and 34°F. April is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 58.3 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (26.3 of 58.3 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 86°F and 3.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 80 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 53 nights a year. That 58.3 inches is more than at 23 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (28%). Monroe, 13 miles south, has its own station (Monroe Regional Airport, LA): 55.3 inches a year, 3.0 less than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 34 | 5.7 | 7 |
| Feb | 58 | 37 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Mar | 67 | 44 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Apr | 74 | 52 | 6.1 | 6 |
| May | 81 | 61 | 5.2 | 6 |
| Jun | 88 | 69 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Jul | 91 | 72 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Aug | 91 | 70 | 4.7 | 4 |
| Sep | 86 | 64 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Oct | 76 | 52 | 5.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 64 | 42 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Dec | 56 | 36 | 5.2 | 6 |
| Year | 74 | 53 | 58.3 | 70 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bastrop, LA (150 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 Sterlington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 88 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sterlington: 68 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods and 5 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $5.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 17, 1997. September has had the most flash floods, 5 of 15. Of the 239 Louisiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 119 have had fewer than Sterlington.
April 22, 2015: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Sterlington — 1 injured, $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “A storm survey team determined that the damage across extreme northern part of Ouachita Parish was consistent with that of straight line wind damage with winds speeds near 80 mph. The worst damage was found in and around the community of Sterlington, Louisiana.”
April 22, 2015: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Sterlington — 1 injured, $300,000 damage.
NWS: “There was a swath of damaging winds in this area. There was substantial tree damage in the area from Highway 165 and along and north of Highway 554.”
October 19, 2009: flood 7 miles from the centre of Sterlington — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “Excessive heavy rainfall in the Ouachita River basin throughout the month of October resulted in high water conditions on the Ouachita River near Monroe, Louisiana.”
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 Sterlington's ZIP code 71280 have filed 26 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1989, and were paid $606,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 27% 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, 21 have fewer than Sterlington.
Ouachita Parish, which includes Sterlington, has been named in 44 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 27 of them major disasters (by incident: 20 hurricanes, 7 floods, 5 severe storms, 3 coastal storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 18, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ouachita Parish a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $50.3 million a year, the 17th highest of 64 Louisiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.7 million (43%), 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 Sterlington
- Bastrop, LA13 mi
- Monroe, LA13 mi
- West Monroe, LA15 mi
- Marion, LA16 mi
- Downsville, LA16 mi
- Farmerville, LA18 mi
- Calhoun, LA20 mi
- Rayville, LA24 mi
- Choudrant, LA26 mi
- Eros, LA29 mi
- Crossett, AR30 mi
- Strong, AR33 mi
All Louisiana cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Sterlington with another place →