NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Thibodaux, 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
76 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Thibodaux, Louisiana since 1851, 33 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Francine in 2024. Since 1950, 104 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 33
- Tropical storms
- 43
- Tornadoes
- 104
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Thibodaux
The strongest storm to pass near Thibodaux was an unnamed storm in 1856, a Category 4 hurricane with 139 mph winds when its centre passed 40 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Betsy in 1965, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Thibodaux begins with an unnamed storm in 1856; the most recent system was Francine in 2024, a Category 1 hurricane 3 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2000s, with 8 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 76 systems, 17 have come since 2000. Thibodaux has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 93% of the 245 Louisiana cities on this site. The highest rating among the 104 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on February 23, 2016, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on February 23, 2016, killed 2 people. Of the 104, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 51 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on October 26, 2025. Of the 245 Louisiana cities, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Thibodaux. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 24 times since 1985, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 245 Louisiana cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Thibodaux.
Compare Thibodaux's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Thibodaux
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | FrancineSep 12 | 3 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2021 | IdaAug 29 | 14 mi | Category 3 (122 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ClaudetteJun 19 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 28 | 33 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | CristobalJun 8 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | BarryJul 13 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2012 | IsaacAug 29 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | LeeSep 5 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | GustavSep 1 | 24 mi | Category 2 (100 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 29 | 73 mi | Category 3 (124 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2005 | CindyJul 6 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | MatthewOct 10 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2003 | BillJun 30 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2002 | IsidoreSep 26 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2002 | BerthaAug 5 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2001 | AllisonJun 11 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1998 | HermineSep 20 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1997 | DannyJul 18 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1992 | AndrewAug 26 | 43 mi | Category 3 (117 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1988 | FlorenceSep 10 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1988 | BerylAug 9 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | JuanOct 29 | 32 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | BobJul 11 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1977 | BabeSep 5 | 31 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1974 | CarmenSep 8 | 53 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1971 | EdithSep 16 | 67 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1965 | DebbieSep 29 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1965 | BetsySep 10 | overhead | Category 2 (102 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | HildaOct 4 | 36 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | ArleneMay 31 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | EstherSep 18 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1956 | Unnamed 1956 stormJun 13 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | Unnamed 1955 stormAug 27 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | BrendaAug 1 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormSep 4 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormSep 4 | 40 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 19 | 22 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormAug 22 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormJun 15 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 10 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 6 | 71 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormSep 26 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormOct 3 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJul 27 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 16 | 49 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 15 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 19 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormJul 15 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormSep 22 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormAug 26 | 10 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 11 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormJun 26 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 22 | 20 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 29 | 35 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 13 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 32 mi | Category 3 (112 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormJul 31 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormOct 9 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 12 | 59 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 2 | 69 mi | Category 4 (132 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormSep 7 | 14 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 12 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1890 | Unnamed 1890 stormAug 27 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 75 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 19 | 4 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 19 | 51 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 21 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 1 | 18 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 18 | 37 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 5 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 4 | 41 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormOct 1 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 2 | 32 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 11 | 60 mi | Category 3 (120 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 10 | 40 mi | Category 4 (139 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Thibodaux: 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 Thibodaux
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s21(1 EF3+)
- 2000s21
- 1990s17
- 1980s11
- 1970s8
- 1960s10
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 2016 | EF3 | 19 mi | 7.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 1957 | F3 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 23, 2016 | EF2 | 19 mi | 12.95 mi | 2 / 75 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | EF2 | 22 mi | 9.85 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Mar 15, 2000 | F2 | 15 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 36 |
| Jan 30, 1982 | F2 | 20 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 13, 1980 | F2 | 23 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jan 25, 1976 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jan 19, 1974 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 12, 1973 | F2 | 10 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jan 22, 1965 | F2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 3, 1964 | F2 | 19 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 104, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Thibodaux
The Storm Prediction Center has 24 hail reports within 10 miles of Thibodaux since 1985, made on 15 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 20, 2023. The most recent report is from December 1, 2023. April has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Thibodaux
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Thibodaux 4 SE, LA, 4 miles southeast of Thibodaux at 15 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 75°F; January is the coolest, at 64°F and 45°F. June is the wettest at 8.7 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 71.3 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 56% of the year's precipitation (40.1 of 71.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 76 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (30); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 6.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 83 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 11 nights a year. That 71.3 inches is more than at 80 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (99%). Vacherie, 14 miles northeast, has its own station (Reserve, LA): 67.2 inches a year, 4.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 92°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station West Bank 1, Bayou Gauche, LA, 24 miles east, averaged 88°F in July and August and 56°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from May to September. Sea level at the New Canal tide gauge, 45 miles from Thibodaux, has risen 2.36 ± 0.19 inches per decade from 1982 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 23.6 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 131 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64 | 45 | 5.8 | 8 | 56 |
| Feb | 68 | 49 | 4.4 | 6 | 61 |
| Mar | 74 | 54 | 4.9 | 5 | 68 |
| Apr | 79 | 60 | 4.9 | 6 | 74 |
| May | 86 | 67 | 5.9 | 6 | 82 |
| Jun | 91 | 73 | 8.7 | 10 | 87 |
| Jul | 92 | 75 | 8.4 | 12 | 88 |
| Aug | 92 | 75 | 8.5 | 11 | 88 |
| Sep | 89 | 71 | 6.0 | 8 | 84 |
| Oct | 82 | 61 | 4.7 | 6 | 76 |
| Nov | 73 | 52 | 3.8 | 5 | 67 |
| Dec | 66 | 47 | 5.3 | 7 | 61 |
| Year | 80 | 61 | 71.3 | 89 | 74 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Thibodaux 4 SE, LA (15 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station West Bank 1, Bayou Gauche, LA, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Thibodaux
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 52 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Thibodaux: 39 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $4.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on November 30, 2010. January has had the most flash floods, 5 of 10. Of the 239 Louisiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 74 have had fewer than Thibodaux.
August 14, 1999: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Thibodaux — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
September 11, 2024: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Thibodaux — $4.5 million damage.
NWS: “As the north and northeastern eyewall stretched into an east-west oriented band of heavy rainfall, training storms resulted in widespread rainfall totals of 5-7 inches across the northern half of the parish. Radar estimates indicate locally higher totals of up to 10 inches may have fallen in some areas.”
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 Thibodaux's ZIP code 70301 have filed 1,245 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $26.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Allison in 2001: 411 claims (33% of all) and $9.4 million, then Flooding in 1991 with 178 and Hurricane Francine in 2024 with 104. 76% 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, 168 have fewer than Thibodaux.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Allison2001 | 411 | $9.4 million |
| Flooding1991 | 178 | $1.1 million |
| Hurricane Francine2024 | 104 | $5.4 million |
| Hurricane Ida2021 | 98 | $6.2 million |
| Hurricane Katrina2005 | 28 | $89,000 |
| Hurricane Gustav2008 | 23 | $63,000 |
Lafourche Parish, which includes Thibodaux, has been named in 54 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 34 of them major disasters (by incident: 31 hurricanes, 7 floods, 5 coastal storms, 3 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Arthur, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lafourche Parish a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hurricanes, tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for coastal flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $82.7 million a year, the 12th highest of 64 Louisiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $53.7 million (65%), is from hurricanes.
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.