Louisiana Hurricane History

David Roth

National Weather Service

Camp Springs, MD

2

Table of Contents

Climatology of Tropical Cyclones in Louisiana

3

List of Louisiana Hurricanes

8

Spanish Conquistadors and the Storm of 1527

11

Hurricanes of the Eighteenth Century

11

Hurricanes of the Early Nineteenth Century

14

Hurricanes of the Late Nineteenth Century

17

Deadliest Hurricane in Louisiana History - Chenier Caminanda (1893)

25

Hurricanes of the Early Twentieth Century

28

Hurricanes of the Late Twentieth Century

37

Hurricanes of the Early Twenty-First Century

51

Acknowledgments

57

Bibliography

58

Climatology of Tropical Cyclones in Louisiana

3

“We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control: the Gulf, like

a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, overstep its

conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread chaos and disaster” - Part of

“Prayer for Hurricane Season” read as Grand Chenier every weekend of summer

(Gomez).

Some of the deadliest tropical storms and hurricanes to ever hit the United States have

struck the Louisiana shoreline. Memorable storms include Andrew in 1992, Camille in 1969,

Betsy in 1965, Audrey in 1957, the August Hurricane of 1940, the September Hurricane of 1915,

the Cheniere Caminanda hurricane of October 1893, the Isle Dernieres storm of 1856, and the

Racer’s Storm of 1837. These storms claimed as many as 3000 lives from the area....with

Audrey having the highest death toll in modern times in the United States from any tropical

cyclone, with 526 lives lost in Cameron and nine in Texas.

Louisiana has few barrier islands; therefore, the problem of overpopulation along the

coast slowing down evacuation times, such as Florida, does not exist. New Orleans has high

evacuation times due to a relative lack of major highways out of the city and dense population

....Interstate highway 10 is virtually the only route of escape.

A lack of coastal irregularities and a generally smooth bottom to the Gulf of Mexico make

Cameron Parish ideal to maximum wave damage along its shores (Morgan). The land in the

lower sections of the state is slowly sinking and quickly eroding away. Nowhere is the sinking

more evident than in New Orleans. Back in 1718, the levee system was only 3 feet high; today,

the levees are 17 feet high. Some of the increases, though, are due to experience over a lengthy

period of time through very strong hurricanes, which were seldom experienced in the early

1700's due to low population density.

Pressure.

The stronger a hurricane gets, the lower its central pressure gets. It is a direct

relationship. Below is a table showing the lowest ten pressures ever recorded across Louisiana

since the Nineteenth Century.

Pressure

Date Location

27.17" 8/29/2005 Buras

27.90" 8/17/1969 Garden Island

28.00" 9/09/1965 Houma & Grand Isle

28.01" 9/29/1915 New Orleans Harbor

28.15" 9/01/2008 Caillou Lake

28.20" 8/11/1856 Isle Dernieres

4

28.31" 8/26/1926 Houma

28.36" 8/06/1918 Sulphur

28.40" 10/3/1964 Franklin

28.56" 8/18/1969 Slidell

Winds. Major hurricanes have led to massive devastation through the years. Extreme structural

damage is noted with storms of category three intensity of higher (winds of 111 mph and

above). Below is a chart showing the highest wind gusts measured across the Bayou State over

the years.

Highest Gusts Location Date

175 mph Bayou Teche 8/26/1992

160 mph Lower Plaquemines 8/17/1969

160 mph Grand Isle 9/09/1965

150 mph Oil Rig offshore SW Louisiana 6/27/1957

135 mph Franklin 10/3/1964

130 mph New Canal Lighthouse 9/29/1915

125 mph Sulphur 8/06/1918

125 mph New Orleans 9/20/1947

125 mph Slidell 8/18/1969

120 mph Thibodaux & Napoleonville 8/26/1926

120 mph Abbeville 9/08/1974

Storm Surge. Storm surge flooding across Southeast Louisiana is greater than surrounding

areas due to its orientation of being a “corner” along the coast. This means that the approximate

angle made by the Mississippi Delta with the Gulf coast to the east is ninety degrees, which

would amplify the piling up of water. In this case, Lakes Pontchartrain and Borgne are the

targets. Another “corner” along the U.S. coast is New York City.

Rainfall.

Heavy rains and flooding are the primary problem associated with tropical cyclones

across the Pelican State. The worst aspect of tropical cyclones is that the weaker a system is, the

more effective a rainmaker it tends to be. Also, tropical systems with large circulation patterns

are most efficient at producing excessive rains that more intense hurricanes, mainly because

intense hurricanes have decreased circulation patterns as they become more efficient at

harnessing the warm and moisture for the ocean.

Recent examples of flooding across the state from tropical cyclones include Frances of 1998,

Allison in 1989, Bonnie (NW Louisiana) in 1986, Juan in 1985, and Claudette in 1979.

However, if it were not for the intermittent invasions from tropical cyclones, rainfall during the

months of August, September, and October would average about 25% less that it currently does.

5

In most cases, the heaviest rain around a tropical storm or hurricane is dumped to the right of its

track. Naturally, the slower a tropical system moves, the greater the rainfall a location can

expect. When a cyclone interacts with old frontal boundary, a secondary rainfall maximum will

occur at and to the north of the boundary in question. Luckily, Louisiana has very little

topography, which makes rainfall amounts above 30" and landslides exceedingly rare events.

When a tropical cyclone transitions to a non-tropical low, dry air will wrap around the southern

and eventually eastern side of the storm. Maxima in rainfall will occur just west and distant to

the east of the track; the least amount of rain will fall in the system's "dry slot", a relatively

cloud-free area south/southwest of a non-tropical low. Severe weather such as downbursts,

tornadoes, and hail are more commonly seen as dry air intrudes into the cyclone's circulation.

In any event, rain will fall more distantly to the east of the center than it will to the west.

Upward vertical motions/warm air advection will occur to the east of the center, while

subsidence/cool air advection will occur to the west. This leads to a sharp contrast in weather to

the west of the point of landfall, between continuous heavy rain with high temperatures hovering

near 80, and sunny skies seen just to their west with high temperatures at or above 100 degrees.

Below is a table showing the ten highest rainfall amounts ever reported in Louisiana with

tropical cyclones.

Amount Location Dates

33.71" Crowley 8/06-10/1940

31.66" Abbeville 8/06-10/1940

29.92” Thibodaux 6/5-11/2001

29.65" Lafayette 8/06-10/1940

25.67 Winnfield 6/23-7/7/1989

22.39" Terrytown 9/10-14/1998

21.30" Logansport 7/22-26/1933

21.00" Larto Lake 8/29-9/5/2008

19.26" Morgan City 9/15-19/1943

18.30" Vinton 9/15-20/1963

6

Fatalities. The further you go back in time, the more people died from hurricanes. In the

Twentieth century, there was a steep dropoff in the number of deaths from cyclones due to

timely warnings by the National Weather Service, and also by information campaigns by the

public and private sector about the dangers of these storms. Katrina (2005) shows that there is

still much to do in regards to education and evacuation efforts for New Orleans. Below shows

the ten most deadly storms ever to effect Louisiana.

Fatalities Dates

2,000 10/1-2/1893

1,577 8/29/2005

526 6/27/1957

353 9/20/1909

275 9/29/1915

218+ 8/10-12/1856

110 10/12/1886

81 10/3/1964

51 9/19-20/1947

47 8/11/1860

Movement. During most months of the hurricane season, tropical cyclones move northwest into

the Pelican State. This is mainly due to the wind flow around the Azores/ Bermuda high

pressure system, which is strongest in July. In June and October, storms are more likely to move

in from the south and southwest. Cold fronts invading the state from the north and west would

cause winds across the Bayou state to become south and southwesterly, quickly picking up any

low pressure system lurking in the Gulf at the time.

Storms are most likely to stall across southwest Louisiana than any other portion of the state. A

climatological "col area" referring to an area between distant low/high pressure cells where

winds are nearly calm, exists across southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas during the

summer. The Bermuda high (outside July) is normally too far east to exert much of a

north/northwesterly motion on a storm while the Mexican Plateau low/trough is normally too far

south to steer a system to the west. Also, this region can lie between segments of the subtropical

ridge centered over the Southwest United States and near Bermuda, leaving the flow pattern aloft

weak. This can cause storms to stall for days across that region; Juan (1985), Claudette (1979),

and Allison (1989) are the most recent storms to stall near the Sabine River.

The list of hurricanes over the next few pages was compiled from numerous sources. The

relative lack of storms before 1829 is due to population mainly being centered around New

Orleans, and a lack of records from the few towns that existed elsewhere. The region now

known as the state of Louisiana wasn’t even settled until 1699. Many ships that may have

encountered storms during the early period of this history took their secrets with them to the

bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.

7

On average, since 1851, 0.7 tropical cyclones of tropical storm strength (2 tropical storms

every 3 years), of which 0.3 are hurricanes (or one hurricane per 3 year period) should be

expected somewhere within the state. A hurricane should make a landfall every 2.8 years. On

the next page is a table of how many tropical storms and hurricanes have made a landfall per

decade in Louisiana since 1851, using statistics from the National Hurricane Center in West

Miami, Florida.

Tropical Cyclone Strikes by The Decade

Decade Hurricanes Tropical Storms Total

1850’s 2 0 2

1860’s 6 2 8

1870's 3 4 7

1880's 6 2 8

1890's 3 5 8

1900's 2 4 6

1910's 2 3 5

1920's 3 2 5

1930's 2 5 7

1940's 3 7 10

1950's 2 7 9

1960's 4 0 4

1970's 4 2 6

1980's 4 2 6

1990's 2 1 3

2000’s 6 6 12

=== === ===

54 52 106

8

Louisiana Hurricanes - 1527 through 2009

Date Name Landfall Wind Category Dead Min Cent Pres

1527, 10/23 - Mouth of MS - - - -

1722, 9/22-4 - New Orleans - - - -

1740, 9/23 - Mouth of MS - - - -

1772, 9/02 - West of Mobile - - - -

1776, ? - New Orleans - - - -

1778, 10/7-10 - Mouth of MS - - - -

1779, 8/18 - New Orleans - - - -

1779, 10/7-10 - New Orleans - - - -

1780, 8/24 - New Orleans - - - -

1781, 8/23 - New Orleans - - - -

1794, 8/31 - New Orleans - - 1+ -

1800, 8/? - New Orleans - - - -

1811, ? - New Orleans - - - -

1812, 8/19-20 - Isle Dernieres - - 45 -

1813, 8/19 - N Gulf Coast - - - -

1819, 7/25-8 - Bay St. Louis - - 43 -

1821, 9/15-7 - Bay St. Louis - - 35 -

1831, 8/16 Great Barbados Isle Dernieres - - 1500 -

1837, 10/5-7 Racer’s Storm Cameron - - 105 -

1846, 4/03 Extratropical? Mouth of MS - - - -

1852, 8/26 Number 1 Pascagoula, MS 115 3 - 961

1855, 9/15-16 Number 5 Mouth of MS 125 3 - -

1856, 8/10-2 Isle Dernieres Isle Dernieres 150 4 200+ 934

1860, 8/11 Number 1 SE Louisiana 125 3 47 -

1860, 9/14-5 Number 4 Mouth of MS 105 2 - -

1860, 10/2-3 Number 6 Atchafalaya 105 2 13 -

1865, 9/12-3 Number 4 Johnson’s Bayou 105 2 23 -

1866, 7/12-13 Number 1 Louisiana Coast 105 2 - -

1867, 10/3-4 Number 7 Venice 105 2 - -

1871, 10/1-4 Number 7 Galveston, TX 80 1 4 -

1879, 8/22-3 Number 3 High Island 105 2 2 964

1879, 9/01 Number 4 Morgan City 120 3 1 -

1882, 9/14 Number 3 Sabine Pass 105 2 - -

1886, 6/13-4 Number 1 Sabine Pass 100 2 - -

1886, 10/12 Number 10 Sabine Pass 120 3 110 -

1887, 10/16-9 Number 13 SE Louisiana 85 1 - -

1888, 8/18-20 Number 3 SE Louisiana 110 2 - -

9

Date Name Landfall Winds Category Dead Min Cent Pres

1893, 9/6-8 Number 8 Morgan City 100 2 - -

1893, 10/1-2 Number 10 Mouth of MS 130 3 2000 948

1897, 9/12 Number 2 Beaumont 85 1 - -

1900, 9/7-8 Galveston HU Galveston, TX 145 4 0 936

1901, 8/14-5 Number 4 Grand Isle 90 2 10 973

1906, 9/26 Number 6 Pascagoula 110 2 - 958

1909, 7/21 Number 4 Freeport, TX 115 3 2 959

1909, 9/20 Number 8 Thibodaux 120 3 353 952

1915, 8/15-7 Number 2 Galveston, TX 130 3 - 940

1915, 9/29 Number 6 Lockport 130 3 275 944

1916, 10/18 Number 14 Pensacola 110 2 - 970

1918, 8/06 Number 1 Cameron 120 3 34 955

1920, 9/21-2 Number 2 Isles Dernieres 100 2 - 975

1923, 10/16 Number 7 Point Au Fer 80 1 - 983

1926, 8/25-7 Number 3 Houma 115 3 25 959

1934, 6/16 Number 2 Morgan City 80 1 7 966

1938, 8/14 Number 2 Cameron 75 1 1 1001

1940, 8/6-10 Number 2 Cameron 80 1 6 972

1941, 9/22-24 Number 2 Texas City, TX 120 3 - 958

1942, 8/19-21 Number 1 Galveston, TX 80 1 - 969

1943, 7/26-27 Number 1 Galveston, TX 100 2 - 969

1947, 9/19 Number 4 New Orleans 80 1 51 966

1948, 9/3-4 Number 5 Timbalier Bay 80 1 - 989

1956, 9/24 Flossy Grand Isle 100 2 8 980

1957, 6/27 Audrey Sabine Pass, TX 145 4 526 946

1960, 9/14 Ethel Port Eads 90 1 - 981

1961, 9/11 Carla Port Lavaca 145 4 39 931

1964, 10/3 Hilda Salt Point 115 3 81 959

1965, 9/10 Betsy Grand Isle 125 3 0 941

1969, 8/17-18 Camille Pass Christian 190 5 - 909

1971, 9/16 Edith Pecan Island 100 2 3 977

1974, 9/7-8 Carmen Point Au Fer 120 3 3 937

1977, 9/6 Babe Cailliou Bay 75 1 - 995

1979, 7/11 Bob Terrebonne Bay 75 1 1 986

1985, 8/16 Danny Pecan Island 90 1 0 988

1985, 9/02 Elena Gulfport 115 3 19 959

1985, 10/29-31 Juan Atchafalaya 85 1 - 971

1986, 6/26-7 Bonnie Sabine Pass, TX 85 1 1 992

1988, 9/09 Florence Port Eads 75 1 - 988

1992, 8/26 Andrew Atchafalaya 115 3 2+ 955

1995, 10/04 Opal Pensacola, FL 115 3 0 942

1997, 7/18 Danny Grand Isle 85 1 - 988

10

Date Name Landfall Winds Category Dead Min Cent Pres

1998, 9/27-28 Georges Pascagoula, MS 110 2 2 987

2002, 10/03 Lili Vermilion Bay 75 1 - 969

2005, 8/29 Katrina Mouth of the MS 125 3 1577 923

2005, 9/24 Rita Johnson’s Bayou 115 3 - 935

2007, 9/13 Humberto Vinton 75 1 - 989

2008, 9/01 Gustav Mouth of the MS 100 2 - 961

2008, 9/13 Ike Point Bolivar, TX 75 1 - 951

11

Spanish Conquistadors and the Storm of 1527

Beginning in the year 1519, Spanish conquistadors began

plundering the New World for the sake of their motherland. Names

such as Ponce de Leon, Fernando Cortes, and Coronado began

exploring the area around the Gulf of Mexico and sent a “quinto”,

Spanish word for one-fifth, of their earnings to the king. To the left

is an artist’s rendition of a Spanish galleon, which would normally

to used to send the royal “quinto” back to Spain.

October 23

rd

, 1527: The earliest reference that can be found to a storm in the Gulf of Mexico

occurred on a voyage of Panfilo de Narvaez, whose nemesis was Fernando Cortes. His luck

usually turned out to be bad, and this mission was no exception. He was sent to settle Florida,

until forced to leave by hostile natives and hunger.

His five boats of less than 250 men hugged the coast and sailed westward. As they were

passing the Mouth of the Mississippi river, a storm caught the barges and “tossed them like

driftwood’ (ChiPMan). This occurred nearly 155 years before La Salle “rediscovered”, and then

lost the location of, the Mouth of the Mississippi river

Hurricanes of the Eighteenth Century

Hurricane dates occurring up to 1752 converted from Julian to Gregorian calendar

September 22-24

th

, 1722: This is the first well-documented hurricane to have hit Louisiana.

It initially moved through the Lesser Antilles on September 11

th

, later making landfall west of

the Mouth of the Mississippi on the 23

rd

, then passing through Central Louisiana. This same

storm most likely recurved northeast into South Carolina, as they reported 3 days of flooding

rains around the 27th.

Winds of hurricane force lasted fifteen hours beginning at 10 PM on the 22

nd

and ending

shortly after noon on the 23

rd

. Storm surges were three feet at Bayou St. John and eight feet in

the Mississippi River. Thirty six huts were destroyed, including the area hospital. These

buildings were hastily constructed in 1717-18 when New Orleans was initially selected to be the

capital of the Louisiana Company after a hurricane devastated Dauphin Island (Sullivan). The

St. Louis church was destroyed. Food crops were lost in Biloxi. This storm was responsible for

the moving of Mobile from 27 miles above the Mouth of the Mobile River to its present day site.

Ships were reported to be sunk in the harbor during this hurricane. Three piroughs loaded

12

with fowl, corn, and other goods were lost up towards the Tensas. The level of the Mississippi

river rose eight feet due to the hurricane. In 1718, a three foot high levee was built to protect

New Orleans from both river and tide overflow. This proved inadequate, as older area

settlements used the devastation of New Orleans in the “Great Hurricane of 1722"

as final proof of that city’s unsuitability as the capital of Louisiana, following a great flood by

only three years.

A “rude little fort” was built in the marshes near the Mouth of the Mississippi River. This

location was discovered by Sieur de la Salle in 1682, lost, then found again before being

inhabited by 1699. It was named La Balize, french for “The Seamark”. In 1721, the first

lighthouse-type structure, rising 62 feet out of the muck and mire, was constructed at that

location. It was one of the first permanent settlements inside the current boundaries of the state

of Louisiana.

September 23

rd

, 1740: Hurricane struck Mouth of the Mississippi River. Destroyed a large

portion of the crops and left many colonists without shelter. The storm, along with others

following it in the 1740's, removed all traces of the original habitation at La Balize. A new

island was formed during the same time frame, called San Carlos. On this island, the Balize

was re-established.

September 4

th

, 1766: A hurricane strikes the Texas coast near Galveston and plays a role

in early Louisiana history. The ship Constante was lost in the storm about 45 miles east of

Calcasieu Pass, and the nearby bayou was named “Bayu del Constante”, or Constance Bayou

(Morgan).

August 31

st

-September 4

th

, 1772 (Bernard Roman’s Hurricane): Hurricane originating

near Jamaica on the 28

th

of August moved north and northwest into the Central Gulf Coast just

west of Mobile. Its effects were far reaching. In Pensacola, it destroyed most of the wharves.

The most devastation occurred in the vicinity of Mobile and the Pasca Oocolo River. Being on

the west side of this storm, the worst innundation occurred at the back of the Chandeleurs, Grand

Gozier, and Breton Isles and cut new channels within the islands. New Orleans itself enjoyed a

sunny day with light winds, though tides along the coast ran above normal.

All shipping at the Mouth of the Mississippi was driven into the marshes. This included the

ship El Principe de Orange, which only had 6 survivors. The Spanish merchant brigantine

Nuestra Señora del Amparo was also wrecked.

1776: A hurricane struck New Orleans. It produced some damage.

October 7-10

th

, 1778: There was a great storm surge that destroyed the establishments of

the Balize, Bayou St. John, and Tigouyou in the Louisiana delta. All structures were wiped out

of existence.

13

August 17-18

th

, 1779: A hurricane made landfall at New Orleans. At the time, Spain had

declared war on Great Britain. Almost all of Bernardo de Galvez’ ships (Governor of New

Orleans) that were to be used to secretly seize the British post at Baton Rouge were grounded or

destroyed, thus ruining his plans for invasion until the 27

th

. The only ship that escaped disaster

was El Volante. Among the ships wrecked was the America La Reseda. Some of the ships were

found in the middle of woods after the storm!

Wind and rain began on the night of the 17

th

. Full violence of the storm was attained by

3 am. All houses, piroughs, barges, and boats were decimated; these included an American

Frigate, the Morris. This vessel was loaded with gunpowder to be used in the American

Revolution against the British in Illinois (Barnes). Fields were leveled and all crops, stock, and

provisions were lost.

During this storm, William Dunbar made observations that uncovered the true nature of

tropical storms and hurricanes; that they had a progressive forward movement and that the

winds revolved around a vortex at the center. He witnessed the 5-6 minute calm at New Orleans,

before the wind reversed and equaled its previous fury (Sullivan). His findings were presented to

the American Philosophical Society in 1801.

October 7-10

th

, 1779: A hurricane is reported to have affected New Orleans. This storm may

be the same as the one listed above in 1778 with the same dates.

August 24

th

, 1780: A hurricane worse than the one in August 1779 swept over the province

of Louisiana striking New Orleans; destroying crops, tearing down buildings and sinking every

vessel and boat afloat on the Mississippi River and on area lakes...the town was leveled. It was

during this storm that Dunbar noted the tornadoes formed around tropical storms and seldom

lasted more than 5 to 10 minutes.

This was of no comfort to the inhabitants of the area, who were distraught after these two

storms, an excessively cold winter and a very rainy summer. This residents wrote the Spanish

sovereign not to abandon the country, regardless of the adverse blows of nature.

August 23

rd

, 1781: A hurricane is reported to have struck New Orleans. It may be a

reference to the previous storm, as no data as been found to support its presence.

August 18

th

, 1793: A strong tropical storm hit New Orleans and destroyed unharvested crops

and devastated rural sections of the province. Four merchantmen were wrecked on the

Mississippi; two were American ships from Philadelphia.

August 31

st

-September 1

st

, 1794: A hurricane that had moved through Cuba on the 27-28

th

struck New Orleans on the 31

st

and produced considerable crop damage. The storm surge

moved inland from Balize westward to the Plaquemines, as much as 10 feet in places, totally

engulfing Fort St. Phillip, drowning their chief engineer. Large hail was also noted in the

14

storm; an unusual event in a tropical cyclone. Nine hours of high wind tormented what is now

Avoyelles Parish on September 1

st

as the storm continued marching northward. Many lives,

cattle, and horses perished in the storm.

August 1800: A hurricane is reported to have struck New Orleans.

Hurricanes of the Early Nineteenth Century

1811: Hurricane struck New Orleans.

August 19-20

th

, 1812: A hurricane struck just west of New Orleans. At 5 PM on the 19

th

,

winds began out of the northeast in New Orleans. Winds increased to a “perfect hurricane” at

11 PM. Winds abated after 2:30 PM on the 20

th

. Nearly all buildings suffered, including those

made of brick. The market house in New Orleans was demolished. The Church of the Covenant

lost its roof. All window panes at City Hall were broken. Fifteen feet of water covered the city.

Extensive damage occurred to trees. The levee was destroyed. The storm surge submerged

areas south of the city. Plaquemines parish was under as much as 15 feet of Gulf waters, where

45 drowned (National Intelligencer). Sugar crops suffered severely.

Damage was significant to their naval base. The U.S. brig Enterprise was shoved ashore,

dragging her anchors. The Viper lost her main mast, and suffered additional damage. Fort St.

Phillip in Plaquemines parish went fully underwater, with most within the fort drowning. Only

six of 60 ships on the Mississippi river were considered worth repairing. At least 10 perished

from the ship Harlequin. The beach of Lake Pontchartrain was strewn with vessel fragments,

their cargo, and victims of the cyclone. Nearly 100 people died during the storm. Losses totaled

$6 million.

Some public panic set in when after the storm rumors spread that the British had taken over

Fort St. Phillip; this storm struck during the thick of the War of 1812 and the fort was controlled

by Americans at the time. In fact, the British fleet approaching the area was scattered widely

across the Gulf during the storm. Fort St. Phillip itself went underwater.

August 19

th

, 1813: A hurricane affected Gulf coast and was considered very destructive.

July 25-28

th

, 1819: Hurricane affected coast from Louisiana to Alabama. It struck Bay St.

Louis. New Orleans was at the fringe of the storm and suffered no severe damage. Ships at

the Balize suffered a strong gale for 24 hours that only grounded three ships. Lakes

Pontchartrain and Borgne rose five to six feet during the storm, with farms along the lakes

flooded by the storm tide. Forty one lives were lost on the U.S. Man of War schooner

Firebrand, a 150 ton gun ship, while it lay off the west end of Cat Island. At

15

least 43 people died in all.

September 15-17

th

, 1821: A second, much larger yet weaker

hurricane struck near Bay St. Louis. The gale continued for over

24 hours at New Orleans, beginning at 6 PM on the 15

th

and

Boufouca. A dozen willow trees were the main casualties there.

The storm was more damaging at Petite Coquille, where four

soldiers drowned when an eight foot storm surge overwashed the

island. The fort there was nearly swept away. The schooner

Brisk was driven onto the Middle Ground in the Mississippi

Delta after becoming dismasted on the 16

th

(it was saved on the 23

rd

). The U.S. Schooner

Enterprize was cast away off Cat Island (Louisiana Courier). At least thirty-five lives were

claimed by the storm.

August 16-17

th

, 1831: The Great Barbados hurricane, very

destructive, hit just west of Last Island, just west of Baton

Rouge. It was considered the strongest hurricane across

southeast Louisiana since 1812 and killed 1500 people along its

path from Barbados to New Orleans. A fishing village on Grand

Isle was destroyed when the tide rose six feet. Barataria saw the

greatest damage as the town and its inhabitants were swept out to

sea (Louisiana Courier). Sugarcane crops suffered severely from

Baton Rouge to Pointe a la Hache. Orchards and gardens in

Plaquemines parish sustained considerable damage. A total of 260 perished statewide, with 150

from Barataria.

August 28-29

th

, 1831: A strong tropical storm struck southwest Louisiana. High tides were

seen west of Lake Borgne...gales raged in New Orleans overnight on the 28-29

th

. Gales were

much more severe near the Sabine River and across central Louisiana near Opelousas and

Attakapes. Cotton was ruined in Baton Rouge and Alexandria due to the heavy rains and winds.

High winds were noted as far northwest as Fort Jessup, southwest of Natchitoches.

October 5-7

th

, 1837 (Racer’s Storm): The Racer’s Storm hit Matamoras, Mexico and caused

great devastation to the Texas coast while recurving northeast and striking Louisiana just east of

Cameron on the 6

th

. It then moved east along the Gulf coast and headed out into the Atlantic by

the 10

th

(track on the right). Storm surges of 8 feet above the normal high tide on Lake

Pontchartrain. The original wooden Bayou St. John lighthouse , the first of its kind built by the

United States outside the original 13 colonies, was swept into obscurity.

New Orleans experienced a gale on the 5

th

and 6

th

, destroying chimneys, awnings, and many

area roofs. The City Exchange on Lewis Street, which was under construction at the time,

suffered much damage. All wharves along the Mississippi coast were washed away with the

tide. The storm caused widespread flooding and considerable damage to shipping; all boats,

including four steamboats, perished in the storm.

16

Lower portions of New Orleans were submerged. Many buildings were damaged or carried

away. Crops were seriously damaged along both sides of the Mississippi, particularly sugar

cane and cotton. Six lives were lost. See Texas Hurricane History for more on the earlier

history of this storm.

September 14

th

, 1839: This storm struck Charley’s Lake (later known as Charleston, Lake

Charles). An “appearance of rain” was noted on the 14

th

. Rain began on the 15

th

with a “hard

wind”. The rainfall increased in intensity on the 16

th

. By the 17

th

, the rain and wind subsided,

yet cloudiness lingered. The only reference found of this storm was in the T. Rigmaiden Diary.

June 19

th

-23

rd

, 1840: Another possible reference to a tropical cyclone for Charley’s Lake

(Charleston, Lake Charles) was found in the Rigmaiden Diary. An all-day rain began on the 19

th

and continued for days. Winds increased by the 21

st

, as corn was “blown down in the field”.

The center passed west of the village, as a “hard south wind” blew across the region. Rain

continued through the 23

rd

.

June 11-15

th

, 1844: Charleston (Lake Charles) experiences another storm. During the 10

th

and 11

th

, threatening skies brought the promise of rain. On the 12

th

they delivered; a “very hard

rain” developed. A continuation of the deluge on the 13

th

led to the bending of area corn stalks

and the washing away of a bridge. Rain continued through the 15

th

.

April 3

rd

-4

th

, 1846: A hurricane hits Balize, near the Mouth of the Mississippi. The system

could have been a strong nontropical low similar to the March storm of 1993 due to the date of

occurrence. The storm cut a boat channel between Cat Island, a place named for what the French

thought were cats on the island (but turned out to be raccoons) and its lighthouse.

Southwest Louisiana saw the fury of this cyclone as well. It rained throughout the 3

rd

with a

“very hard wind”. Flooding developed at Charleston (Lake Charles) of the 4

th

, causing waters to

encroach upon area residences and sweeping away fences. Six inches of rain were measured

with the storm. Intermittent rain continued through the 7

th

.

September 5-8

th

, 1846: A “hard rain” developed in Charleston (Lake Charles). Windy

conditions on the 6

th

were accompanied by a noticeable rise on area rivers. Rain continued

through the 7

th

and the river stage peaked on the 8

th

or 9

th

. No significant damage was noted.

The rains throughout Louisiana that year made sugar cultivation difficult; most of it fell between

February and August. Yields dropped 25-50% as Baton Rouge totaled 116.6 inches of rain that

year (Wade, Lawson).

17

Hurricanes of the Late Nineteenth Century

August 25-26

th

, 1852: A tropical storm formed north of Haiti on the 19

th

before moving west

through the Florida Straits, and then northwest into the Mouth of the Pascagoula River on the

night of the 25

th

. It was hardly noticed on Lake Pontchartrain. Four new channels were cut

through the Chandeleurs. The storm claimed the 55 foot tall Chandeleur Island lighthouse and

replaced the area with a broad, ten-foot deep lagoon (Cipra). The keepers of the light were

rescued 3 days later, on the verge of starvation. The schooners Josephine and Walter M. went

ashore Cat Island.

September 15-16

th

, 1855: A hurricane swept out of the Gulf across Fort St. Phillip and Lake

Borgne, before moving inland in Mississippi. It was considered the worst hurricane since 1819

and was felt as far east as Apalachicola Bay. Its pressure pattern was compact as the pressure at

New Orleans fell to a mere 29.93” at 7 AM on the 16

th

(Henry). At Proctorville, the wharf and

bathhouses fell victim. Water was four feet deep on Proctor’s Landing. At Lake Borgne, water

began to rise during the afternoon of the 15

th

. A “smart breeze” was blowing at sunset. It had

increased to a “perfect hurricane” by midnight. A number of homes were destroyed.

At Cat Island, the light keeper’s dwelling was wrecked and its lighthouse was left in “severe

peril”. Most structures along the Mississippi Coast were swept away. The Atchafalaya and Ship

Shoal lightships were torn from their moorings and grounded. Both lightships were repaired

and returned to service in 1856 (Cipra). The ship Venice was pushed onto the banks of the

Mississippi by the strong gale and sprung a leak. The steamer J.S. Chenoweth sank to the bottom

of the Mississippi.

August 10-12

th

, 1856: Hurricane strikes Isle Dernieres, Last Island, a pleasure resort south-

southwest of New Orleans. The highest points were under five feet of water. The resort hotel

was destroyed, along with the island’s gambling establishments. Over 200 people perished,

and the island was left void of vegetation and split in half. Only one terrified cow remained

on the island after the catastrophe. Last Island is now only a haven for pelicans and other sea

birds. The steamer Nautilus foundered during the storm. The lone survivor clung to a bale of

cotton and washed ashore sometime later.

Every house in the town of Abbeville was leveled. Rain from the storm flooded the

Mermentau River and destroyed crops along bottom lands. Area rice fields in Plaquemines

parish went under several feet of salt water. Nearly all rice was lost to the storm. Orange trees

were stripped of their fruit. The rain total at New Orleans reached 13.14". In Lake Charles,

it rained most of the day on the 12

th

.

1860: Number 1 on August 11

th

: On the fourth anniversary of the Last Island Disaster,

another hurricane made landfall across southeast Louisiana. A twelve foot storm surge

18

inundated the Mississippi Delta (Landsea, personal communication). The old site of Proctorville

(now Yscloski) had hardly a house that remained standing and its lighthouse was leveled. The

lighthouse at Bayou St. John was destroyed. The light keeper’s dwelling was demolished, and

the Cat Island tower was devastated. Cat Island was inundated, causing 300 cows to drown. The

Mississippi rose three feet during the storm.

Storm surges were seen eastward along the entire Mississippi shore. The sugar cane crop laid

in ruin. Trees were uprooted in Plaquemines parish at the Balize (Pilottown). Up to ten feet of

water invaded from the Gulf. Crops of rice and corn were entirely ruined. The influence of the

storm extended eastward to Pensacola, where it rained 3.03" and a strong gale ensued on the 11

th

.

Over 47 people died...damages totaled $260,000.

1860: Number 2 on September 14-15

th

: Another hurricane struck near the Mouth of the

Mississippi, worst at Pilottown. The gale raged for about 20 hours across extreme southeast

Louisiana, and large hail fell. Every building in Balize was either blown down by the wind or

washed away by the storm surge, which reached ten feet in height. The lower portions of

Plaquemines Parish were covered by several feet of water, drowning several people.

The third Bayou St. John lighthouse was damaged beyond repair. Tides rose to six feet above

the high tide mark. All wharves along the south side of Lake Pontchartrain were destroyed. But

it was no better in Mississippi...the lighthouse at Bay St. Louis was swept away along with one

of its hotels. In total, damages exceeded $1 million.

1860: Number 3 on October 2

nd

-3

rd

: A third hurricane within seven weeks produced severe

damage to houses, businesses, boats, and crops as far inland as Baton Rouge. Winds and tides

were similar to the previous cyclone in September. The storm made landfall at the Atchafalaya

Bay and swept northeast. It only carried with it a 12 to 15 inch storm surge at Port a la Hache;

the low level of inundation was likely due to its rapid movement. The sugar crop, along with the

machinery employed in producing it, laid in ruin. Heavy losses were reported in Vermilion,

Feliciana, Albermarle, Bayou Lafourche, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, and Terrebonne as well.

Eleven miles of railroad track were washed out near New Orleans, where the rain total was 5.02

inches during the storm. Many livestock and 13 lives were lost.

This system continued northeast and produced the highest winds Natchez had seen since the

Devastating Tornado of 1840. Trees fell in great numbers across Concordia Parish as they

experienced stiff north winds. Gales were seen eastward to Pensacola, as with the first storm of

1860.

September 28-October 1, 1863: A tropical storm made landfall in southwest Louisiana on

September 29

th

, and moved east-northeast across the state, becoming an extratropical cyclone

during its passage through Louisiana. Limbs were removed from trees by the wind at Sabine

Pass. The Yankee schooner Manhassett was captured by the Confederates at Sabine Pass as it

was driven shore by the cyclone. Two and a half days of rain within the Atchafalaya swamp

caused troops movements to come to a stand still at Morgan’s Ferry. The rains in Louisiana

19

broke a drought at New Orleans, where winds initially kicked up dust across the city in advance

of the storm’s rain shield. In the wake of the storm, temperatures fell to comfortable levels

within the Crescent city.

Just on the Louisiana side of the Sabine River lies a vast expanse of marshland near the

coast. Within this region is the town of Johnson’s Bayou (now referred to as Johnson Bayou).

French fur traders traversed the area during the 1700's in order to barter with the local Native

American tribe, the Attakapas. The first permanent settler was Daniel Johnson, who arrived in

1790. Like other places in the South, cotton was their primary crop. It was cutoff and virtually

isolated from the outside world, until 1960.

September 12

th

-13

th

, 1865: This hurricane struck extreme Southwest Louisiana. It is

considered weaker than Audrey in strength and smaller in areal extent. Niblet’s Bluff was

completely destroyed. One person died in Johnson’s Bayou where many homes were leveled.

The area around Calcasieu (Big) Lake was inundated by the storm surge. Grand Chenier was

also put under water by the storm where several more people died. Fragments of furniture and

homes were found afloat several miles up the Calcasieu. Twenty-five people lost their lives to

the hurricane, most at Leesburg (Cameron).

The tides were high as far east as the Mississippi River, where rain and high winds were

noted on the 13

th

. Extensive flooding occurred in Feliciana Parish. The entire Balize settlement

and Pilottown were slowly abandoned in the years prior to the storm; everything left in the area

was obliterated. The ship Lone Star wrecked while in Galveston Bay, and vessels trying to save

the survivors almost foundered as well.

October 22

nd

-23

rd

, 1865: Hurricane affected Louisiana coast.

July 12-13

th

, 1866: A storm moved westward offshore Louisiana. At 28.5N 87.3W, a

three-masted schooner was seen dismasted on the 11

th

in heavy seas. Winds “blew hard” at

New Orleans for a few hours on the evening of the 12

th

. Tides increased until daybreak on the

13

th

.

The Timbalier Bay lighthouse saw the most action along the Louisiana coast. “Ugly,

threatening weather” hit on the 12

th

. Three feet of water surrounded the tower. Wave action

knocked away two brick piers, as 24 hours of pounding surf broke against the lighthouse. The

keeper became spooked by the combination of weather conditions and loneliness, and promptly

resigned (Cipra).

August 15-18

th

, 1866: On the 15

th

, the fringe of this system reached New Orleans.

Conditions became stormy with winds out of the northeast. The rain subsided by the 16

th

, but

breezy conditions continued. Steady rain set in again on the 17

th

at sunset. Southwest Pass saw

high tides and stormy weather on the 18

th

as the winds became southeast. New Orleans rained

20

for the remainder of the day.

Proving the previous keeper at the Timbalier Bay lighthouse correct in judgement, “gale-

driven” seas again invaded from the Gulf of Mexico. The temporary light and nearby dwelling

house were demolished. The new keepers clung to a buoy for days, riding out the storm (Cipra).

October 3

rd

-6

th

, 1867: On the 1

st

, cloudiness set in at New Orleans as a fresh breeze

developed, accompanied by showers. A storm was discovered off the coast of Brownsville/

Clarksville on the 2

nd

. On that day, a regatta was held on Lake Pontchartrain. A “spanking

breeze” from the northeast and squalls played havoc with their race. During the 3

rd

, a gale

developed at New Orleans, and the city became flooded due to the high seas and heavy rains.

The saw mill and bath houses were blown away. At Milneburg, houses were swept away. The

storm recurved northeast and east, within 70 miles of the Texas and Louisiana coastline.

At the Mouth of the Mississippi, a “fearful gale” blew by midnight on the night of the 4

th

.

The pressure fell to 28.80" during the tempest. The river had been churned into a “seething

foam”. Telegraph lines in the area were downed. Three houses at Pilottown were leveled. The

system briefly made landfall near common day Venice, before moving east towards Florida.

The hurricane was severe, driving “pyramidal seas” against the Ship Shoal lighthouse,

strongly shaking the tower, and splashing oil for the light out of its reservoir. The light was

extinguished for six hours, and the lighthouse took on a northeast lean afterwards. The Shell

Keys lighthouse was demolished...its keeper was killed. The screw piles that connected the

Southwest Reef lighthouse to the Gulf bottom were bent and twisted.

The Spanish bark Carmen went ashore. A coal barge was sunk. The Eclipse became lodged

in mud. Heavy winds and rain continued through the 6

th

across southeast Louisiana. Rice crops

in Plaquemines parish experienced great damage.

October 3

rd

, 1868: A hurricane passed just offshore the southeastern tip of the state, before

hitting Apalachicola the next day. The West Rigolets lighthouse suffered $5000 in damage

during the storm.

Early September 1870: A storm flattened sugar cane throughout St. Mary parish (Wade).

Due to the date of occurrence, and extent of the damage, this may have been a tropical storm.

No other information has been found about this system.

June 2-3

rd

, 1871: A tropical cyclone that struck Galveston also impacted Louisiana. New

Orleans flooded due to the excessive rainfall, giving the appearance of a “submerged city” after

the storm.

June 8-9

th

, 1871: A second tropical storm made landfall, this time just west of Galveston.

Strong southeast winds were felt at New Orleans. Heavy rains began around 3 PM on the 8

th

. At

Berwick’s Bay, a “terrific gale” set in on the 9

th

. Southwest Pass also saw these strong winds.

21

Rain fell in torrents across the area...aggravating the flooding from the storm the week before.

Milneburg went underwater. Lake Charles experienced winds approaching hurricane force.

Corn and cotton were in ruin...fruit trees were uprooted “by the score”. The old courthouse was

damaged beyond repair. Many cattle and hogs drowned in Leesburg, the town now known as

Cameron (Benoit).

A tornado touched down at Chatawa, 95 miles from New Orleans. It was 100 feet wide and

was on the ground 10 to 15 minutes. A school house was razed to the ground. Numerous trees

were uprooted, including 100 peach and pear trees. The schooner Confidence was sunk by the

storm at Manchac bridge. See the Texas Hurricane History for what the storm did across

southeast Texas.

October 1

st

-4

th

, 1871: Heavy rains and winds started across southeast Louisiana with this

cyclone on the 1

st

. Large trees were blown down. Walls of burnt buildings crumbled before the

storm’s fury. New Orleans saw “unprecedented rainfall” in the period between 6 PM of the 2

nd

and 3

rd

; six to ten inches were measured. Homes were unroofed and telegraph poles fell.

Damage was estimated at $5,000.

Southwest Pass saw a “very heavy gale” from the southeast start at 10 PM on the 2

nd

,

becoming northeast by the 3

rd

. The pilot boats Louis Geran, Orientals, Hays, and Cornelia were

beached. The Robert Bruce was thrown ashore and became “a perfect wreck”. Its pilot and boat

keeper clung to the boat for 30 hours before being rescued by the tug Wicaco. Four on the Bruce

perished during the storm.

July 4

th

, 1874: A hurricane that struck the coast near Indianola, Texas also left its mark on

Louisiana. Torrents of rain fell in the city of New Orleans...setting a 24 hour rainfall record for

July of 7.52".

The creation of Port Eads. Attempting to made the Mississippi navigable, James Andrews

and James Eads embarked upon creating jetties to clear a deep channel to the Gulf of Mexico.

Direct communication by telegraph to New Orleans was established, and a small town named

Port Eads quickly developed in the river’s delta. Weather observing began at the site soon

afterward. The channel was used regularly by shipping in 1876 (Barry).

22

September 15-18

th

, 1875: On the 15

th

, the fringe of this hurricane

first affected Louisiana. Ships foundered, even in the protected

harbor of New Orleans. The schooner Mabel sailed out of the Mouth

of the Mississippi river, never to be heard from again. On the 17

th

, a

strong south wind developed across southern Louisiana. As the

hurricane moved eastward out of Texas, Calcasieu and Lake Charles

saw the wind shift with “terrific force”. Tides at Shell Island were

higher than during the Isle Dernieres disaster of 1856.

In St. Mary parish, the “tremendous equinoctial storm” damaged cotton, prostrated sugar

cane, and cuased a thirty-four hour deluge that turned the surrounding prairie into a “vast sheet

of water” (Wade). Isle Piquant saw a number of houses destroyed and fences leveled. At New

Orleans, the squall came in from the west later that evening. Winds of 36 mph did a number on

the steamer Natchez. It collided with the ferry Louise, linked up with the boat and they drifted

down the Mississippi. After brushing past the C.H. Durfee and Belle Rowland, the Natchez was

re-secured. The pressure fell to 29.30" at Southwest Pass at noon on the 18

th

. The Greenleaf

dragged its anchor and went ashore.

August 22

nd

-23

rd

, 1879: This hurricane made landfall in Louisiana. At Lake Charles, winds

increased out of the northeast beginning at 9 AM on the 22

nd

, then veered to the east and

southeast after dark. According to the Lake Charles Echo, winds were sustained at 40 mph. The

Weekly Calcasieu Gazette reported that during the “night we had a perfect hurricane.” Several

old buildings were blown down and the spire from the Catholic Church was torn off. Trees were

uprooted; fences and chimneys were destroyed. Great damage was done to the rice crops,

gardens, and orchards.

In Cameron Parish, damage was greater. A “tidal wave” swept from the southeast across

the west bank of Calcasieu Pass, stranding no less than 12 vessels high and dry after the storm.

Some of the schooners were propelled far inland. The lighthouse was “wrenched” 6 inches to

the west, its beacon blown away. Two seamen were tossed overboard from the New York brig

Caseatell. Many of the dwellings were destroyed. Some floated away into the Gulf of Mexico

without a trace. Hundreds of cattle were rolled “head over tail,” struggling vainly to keep their

heads above water, yet still drowned. The new two-story church in Johnson’s Bayou was

leveled. The damage was considered far worse at Grand Chenier.

In Vermilionville (Lafayette), the steeple of the Catholic church fell in. Trees were

downed and crops of cotton were damaged. At Broussardville, the Catholic chapel was

severely damaged along with roofs being blown away and the schoolhouse moved several feet.

New Iberia and Franklin saw some homes destroyed and many roofs blown off. Scarcely a

building was left unharmed between Morgan City and New Iberia. Destruction to the sugar

cane and fruit crop was considered “appalling.” Extreme southeast Texas experienced the full

fury of this cyclone.

September 1

st

, 1879: This hurricane struck the coast just west of Morgan City only ten days

23

after the last. In Abbeville, light rain began to fall on the night of the 31

st

. By 7 AM on the 1

st

, a

“perfect gale” was uprooting trees along with damaging homes and fences. Winds died down

after 3 PM. Bridges were washed away by the rain and flooding. Their Catholic church’s roof

partially fell under the weight of a tree, causing its bell to fall to the ground. Many trees toppled

across St. Mary and Iberia parishes.

Damage was greatest around Morgan City, where the pressure fell to 28.70". Sugar houses on

the Teche were damaged. The Centreville Catholic and the Morgan City Presbyterian churches

were flattened. Saw mills at Jeanerette were destroyed. The wind was so intense between

Morgan City and Jeanerette that trees were defoliated as if it was winter; estimated between 75

and 80 mph between New Iberia and Morgan City. Fifteen cabins, a couple churches, and the

local saw mill also fell victim to the storm. Berwick Bay rose nine feet and flooded all the

streets of Morgan City.

In Opelousas, crops were wrecked throughout the parish with over ½ of the cotton and most

of the corn in ruin. Trees were downed as well. The steamer Daniel Boone was sunk. The

steamers Sammy and E.W. Fuller were forced well inland; in the case of the latter, several miles

inland from Bayou Sale. Damage estimates were around $½ million. Twenty mules and five

cattle fell victim. One human life was lost.

September 9

th

, 1882: A hurricane affected extreme southeast Louisiana. Port Eads reported

92 mph winds and a pressure of 29.38" with the storm. One half of the rice crop in Plaquemines

Parish was destroyed by the Gulf inundation. At Quarantine, the ground was submerged; people

took refuge in the government wharehouse. When it made landfall in Pensacola, a great deal of

crops, shipping, and buildings suffered there as well.

September 14

th

, 1882: A strong tropical storm made landfall in Southwest Louisiana. That

night, a “hard wind and rain” visited Lake Charles, described as a “lively gale”. Port Eads had

winds up to 70 mph and a pressure of 29.38". Abbeville reported no damage with the storm.

June 13-21

st

, 1886: This marginal hurricane passed inland

near Calcasieu Pass (track on the right). The inundation of the

storm surge extended several miles inland, reaching its highest

point at 10 AM. Winds blew hard in Lake Charles, damaging ½

of the corn crop across southwest Louisiana. The storm was most

severe at Calcasieu Pass, causing extensive flooding. An English

barge was blown ashore, and several schooners experienced much

damage. The schooner Agnes was left on the north side of Big

(Calcasieu) Lake.

Sabine Pass was covered by seven feet of water. An eight foot

storm surge placed the Sabine Pass lighthouse under five feet of water. In Edgerly, several sheds

were leveled and roofs were blown off area homes. Johnson’s Bayou reported all stock drowned

and crops lost. A large watermelon crop laid in ruin; an orchard in the area had fruit “whipped

24

off” the trees; twenty-five had considerable damage. A few outhouses were blown away. By the

21

st

, waters were at their highest on Lake Charles, flowing onto Ryan Street. Residents said the

water was “as high as it ever gets.”

More rain-induced flooding occurred further north. Marksville received heavy rains on the

15

th

and 16

th

, with significant flooding around Bayou Pierrite. Excessive rainfall was seen at

Alexandria; 21.4 inches there. In Jackson Parish, southwest of Monroe, the rains were a relief to

crops yet still caused flooding of area creeks.

October 11-13

th

, 1886: Another more powerful hurricane

hit near Sabine, Texas (track on the right). The innundation

from the Gulf extended 20 miles inland at the point of

landfall. It blew “almost a hurricane” for 36 hours, from the

night of the 11

th

until the morning of the 13

th

. Port Eads

reported 70-100 mph winds at 7 PM on the 11

th

. The

Mississippi jetties were demolished. New Orleans had a

pressure of 29.79". At Southwest Pass of the Calcasieu

River, near Leesburg (Cameron), the water got as high as

nine feet deep at the lighthouse. All cattle and crops were

gone after the storm.

Cameron Parish suffered greatly as the storm was worst at Johnson Bayou. The Peveto

Beach hotel might have been washed away if a large number of cattle had not taken refuge in

the building! Winds began to increase out of the south at 4 PM, becoming a gale by 7 PM, and

a full-blown hurricane by 8 PM. By 11 PM, a storm surge of 12 feet had swept inland and the

first buildings began to fall. Survivors sought refuge in buildings or by clinging to floating

debris. All waters had receded by noon the next day.

Nearly every house in the vicinity was removed from its foundation. The storm washed away

the lighthouse keeper’s brick quarters at the old Sabine Pass lighthouse, on the Louisiana side of

the Sabine River. Many families abandoned Johnson’s Bayou soon after the tempest. The twin

city of Radford was destroyed, never to be rebuilt. Most of its refugees fled into Texas. Seven

thousand area cattle perished in the storm. Between 175-200 perished in all, 110 of which

were from Johnson’s Bayou.

The storm wreaked havoc to crops statewide, especially area cotton and rice fields across

southwest Louisiana; half the corn crop was lost in Sugartown. One unoccupied house at the

edge of town in Lake Charles was blown down. In Plaquemines Parish, the entire rice crop was

in ruin. Wreckage along the Lower Mississippi coast was reported to be “terrible”, causing $250

thousand in damage. Considered similar to Audrey in its effects. Texas endured its share of

destruction as well.

25

October 16-19

th

, 1887: A hurricane struck southeast Louisiana.

On the 16

th

, a strong northeast wind blew across the area. Winds

continued strong until the 18

th

, when winds rose to “a regular storm”.

Rain was steady until the 19

th

when skies cleared, but the wind

remained. The cyclone caused much destruction in New Orleans,

where the pressure fell to 29.22"; they received their heaviest rain in

years.

Great damage was done to cane and cotton crops around Abbeville. Iberville Parish had

considerable damage to area outhouses and the sugarcane crop. In Algiers, trees were blown

down. Such flooding occurred that people had to “wade to work”. On the 29

th

, a call went out

in the Abbeville Meridional for the formation of a “New State Weather Service” for Louisiana;

over twenty states had formed such an organization under the U.S. Signal Corp as of that time.

August 18-20

th

, 1888: The “severest and most extensive”

hurricane that had impacted Louisiana since the Racer’s Storm

in 1837 affected much of northern Gulf coast (track on the left).

In New Orleans, all electric light, telegraph, and phone wires

went down on Sunday night. The height of the storm was

Monday morning. Winds of 90 mph howled through New

Orleans.

The Teche also felt the storm. Sugar houses and sheds were

blown down. Franklin had many homes with roofs blown off

and leveled. Two churches in Morgan City were almost

demolished. Local wharves were also damaged. The rice crop

suffered severely. Much wind damage was noted in

Plaquemines, St. James, Donaldsonville, Houma, Convent, and

Tigerville (which was renamed Gibson two weeks later after

the senior Louisiana Senator in power at the time).

Rain totals of three to four inches were common across southern and central Louisiana. New

Orleans set a 24 hour rainfall record for August on the 19

th

, when 8.9" of rain fell; 14.14" was

measured that week. Almost the whole city was submerged during the tempest. Maurepas had

11.48" of rain. All this water led to extensive flooding in Mandeville.

Rice, sugarcane, corn, and cotton crops were a total loss in sections of southern Louisiana.

Grand Coteau lost much of its fruit crop. Several churches and homes were completely

destroyed. Steamboats and sail boats were driven ashore. The steamers Keokuk, W.G. Little, and

Laura sank during the tempest. Trees were uprooted across the area. Several people perished in

the storm. Damage ran about $2.7 million with the worst occurring in southeast Louisiana. Half

the total was due to crops, another third due to coal sunk in New Orleans harbor.

26

September 22

nd

, 1889: A hurricane accelerated northeast out

of the Gulf of Mexico and struck the southeastern tip of the state

near Venice before moving into the western Florida panhandle

(track on the right).

September 6-8

th

, 1893: This hurricane produced a great

amount of damage to a small area of the state as it moved northeast

out of the Gulf of Mexico into southeast Louisiana. Lockport in

Lafourche Parish was partially destroyed; the storm there lasted

from the night of the 6

th

until the afternoon of the 8

th

. Abbeville

saw a stiff east breeze on the 7

th

that became a gale that afternoon

and evening with heavy rain; over five inches in all.

The heaviest rains were confined to southeastern sections of the

state; highest totals were from Franklin (15.20") and

Donaldsonville (10.69"). Twenty-four hour rainfall records were

set for the month of September at Donaldsonville (7.74" on the 7

th

), Emilie (8" on the 6

th

), and

Wallace (9.29" on the 7

th

). St. Martin and St. Mary Parishes had the worst losses in the state to

cotton, rice, and sugar. Oranges saw extensive damage in eastern Feliciana Parish.

The Deadliest Hurricane in Louisiana History:

Chenier Caminanda, October 1893

October 1

st

-2

nd

, 1893 (Chenier Caminanda

Hurricane): An unheralded storm of great violence

moved from the Gulf across the southeastern United

States (track on the right). It devastated about 500 miles

of coastline from Timbalier Bay to Pensacola.

Settlements along Lake Borgne, the Lower Mississippi,

and the islands along the coast from the mouth of Bayou

Lafourche east to the Chandeleurs saw the brunt of the

hurricane. Landfall was between New Orleans and Port

Eads on October 1

st

. Winds of 100 mph were estimated

at Grand Isle and at Pointe a la Hache. High winds were

noted as far west as Abbeville. A schooner four miles

north of Pascagoula reported a pressure of 28.65".

At dusk on the 1

st

, hurricane force winds overspread the coast. At 10 PM., as winds

continued to increase, water began covering the coastal island. A gigantic wave then crashed

27

upon the shore of the north end of Grand Isle, destroying all before it. Winds went calm between

11 PM and midnight, as the eye passed overhead. Winds increased out of the north thereafter,

before tapering off by dawn.

Areas from Bayou Lafourche to the Balize received the wrath of this hurricane. New Orleans

itself was flooded. Buras was nearly completely destroyed, as only two homes were left

standing. Their Catholic church was swept off its pillars and left in ruin; it would be 12 years

before it was rebuilt. The towns of Neptune, Ostrica, Point Pleasant, and Doullut experienced

major damage. Sixty percent of Plaquemine parish’s orange crop was destroyed.

Bohemia ceased to exist. Quarantine station was completely leveled. Grand Prairie, Home

Place, and Venice also suffered greatly. The St. James chapel in Nicholls was razed to the

ground. The Point a la Hache courthouse saw $5000 in damage. Total damages exceeded

$21,000. After the storm, many of the survivors from Chenier Caminanda moved to Lafourche

parish and founded the town of Leeville. Others settled in Grand Isle, Cut Off, Golden Meadow,

and Lockport (Armstrong).

The storm surge was as high as 15 feet in Louisiana Bays, 16 feet at Chandeleur Island. The

Barataria Bay lighthouse was almost destroyed. The Chandeleur Island lighthouse suffered a

several foot tilt; waves at times washed over the lantern which was 50 feet above sea level.

Severe damage was dealt to the Lake Borgne lighthouse; its roof sheared off by the wind. Hotels

and summer homes on Grand Isle no longer existed. Two thousand people died (779 from

Cheniere Caminanda and 250 from Grand Lake); actual counts of dead at the time ranged from

1848 to 2448. Immense destruction of shipping occurred, islands were stripped of vegetation,

and property losses near $5 million were seen with the storm. Four churches were blown down

across the state. In stature, it was considered more than an equal to the 1856 hurricane.

Two hundred survivors sought refuge at the Port Pontchartrain lighthouse, and its female

light keeper was publicly recognized for this act. One of the survivors was rescued from a

makeshift raft off the South Pass of the Mississippi River eight days later, almost 100 miles from

where he started in Cheniere Caminanda. The schooner Elmira capsized in Buras, but was

driven seven miles upstream to Point Pleasant due to the force of the storm surge. Also of

interest, a man named Jean Henriot wrote a poem about the storm. He was a resident of that

island at the time and left the island to settle in Westwego soon after. The poem was handed

down from generation to generation, before finally fully appearing in print in 1973 (Plaisance).

Another poem about this hurricane was published in the Daily Picayune in October 1893.

September 12-13

th

, 1897: A hurricane struck the Louisiana coast south of Port Eads, then

moved west-northwest into southeast Texas as a significant tropical cyclone on the 13

th

, an event

that would be repeated in 1940 (track on left). Winds were 72 mph at Port Eads. In Abbeville,

winds were stiff out of the east on the 12

th

. The storm vented its fury between dusk and 10 PM,

waning after 11.

28

Damage was inflicted upon the pear, pecan, cotton, and rice

crops. At Cheniere Au Tigre, boats and schooners were badly

damaged and washed up on the beach. Wind mills were blown

down. Area cattle sought refuge on Pecan Island. At Calcasieu

Pass, the only damage noted was to cotton and growing crops.

September 7-9

th

, 1900 (Galveston Hurricane): This strong

hurricane invaded Galveston with deadly results. This storm

also affected Louisiana while on its way to Texas (track on

right). Cameron Parish saw hurricane-force winds. Johnson

Bayou was inundated by the storm surge, but there was no loss

of life. Between that night and the 9

th

, winds in Abbeville were

strong out of the east. Gale force winds spread as far inland as

DeRidder and as far east as New Orleans. Tides in the

surrounding bayou were the highest since the Indianola

Hurricane in 1875. Rice was threshed by the wind. Winds

only reached 31 mph out of the northeast at Port Eads. At

Cheniere au Tigre, a few calves drowned. Damage was

considered light, compared to what happened in Texas.

Hurricanes of the Early Twentieth Century

August 14-15

th

, 1901: A hurricane formed northeast of Puerto Rico and moved west through

Southern Florida and the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The cyclone turned northward, moving ashore

Grand Isle on the 14

th

. The 5-min average winds reached 56 mph at Port Eads before the

anemometer blew away and a 24 hour rainfall record was set there for the month of August,

7.64”. River stages along the Mississippi river at New Orleans rose to a level of seven feet

during the storm, producing much flooding. Levee breaks around New Orleans flooded the city.

Buras reported 4 feet of water in town. The only building not destroyed at Port Eads was the

lighthouse. Total Louisiana damages exceeded $1 million. Ten lives were lost.

September 25-26

th

, 1906: This hurricane moved westward through the Caribbean before

turning north-northwest through the Yucatan Channel. The system made landfall at the Mouth

of the Pascagoula River. Gales were experienced along the Lower Mississippi Delta. Winds

gusted to 49 mph as the pressure fell to 29.15" at New Orleans. The Lake Borgne lighthouse was

most likely destroyed in this storm, though Cipra dates the destruction as occurring on the 10

th

(Cipra). A 24-hour rainfall record was set at Collinston for the month of August, when 4.55”

accumulated on the 25

th

.

July 21

st

, 1909: The hurricane that caused great damage across Texas also left its mark on

southwest Louisiana. Gale-force winds affected Cameron and Vermilion Parishes, on top of the

storm surge. Hundreds of cattle drowned in the marsh. Cotton from Grand Chenier to Sabine

Pass was in ruin. Two lives were lost in Cameron Parish.

29

On September 20-21

st

, 1909, a hurricane passed over Berwick Bay before passing inland

between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Winds of 80 mph were reported at Thibodaux. The

pressure at Abbeville bottomed out at 28.68". Extensive damage occurred in New Orleans to coal

barges, railroads, communication lines, crops, and much property public and private when winds

reached 66 mph at 7 PM. Churches in Smoke Bend, Kaplan, Montegut, Pierre Part, and Elton

were damaged. Crowley saw a 35% loss to its rice crop. Cotton and sugarcane suffered greatly

across greatly across Southwest Louisiana, east of the Calcasieu River. Almost every mill in

Iberia parish sustained damage. About 20% of the cotton crop was damaged.

Significant delays to rail traffic were caused by wreckage strewn across the line from

Avondale westward to Morgan City and New Iberia. The launch Maine was sunk in Grand Bay

during the tempest. Many sailing vessels were swept ashore near the Rigolets. Damages totaled

$6 million. The storm killed 353 people and its 15 foot storm surge inundated much of southern

Louisiana.

June 1912: A tropical storm with 60 mph sustained winds moved inland into south-central

Louisiana. The Teche rose 4.5 feet in only 24 hours, flooding sugar crops for up to three days

(Wade).

August 15-19

th

, 1915 (Saltwater Storm): A hurricane made landfall just west of Galveston.

Gales howled throughout Cameron and Vermilion Parishes... and as far east as Mobile. Produced

tides of 11 feet at Cameron (called Leesburg at the time), ten feet at Grand Cheniere, and 9.5 feet

at Marsh Island; Grand Isle reported water 6 feet deep across the city. This Gulf intrusion

flooded the Chenier plain of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas, leading to the demise of

Cameron parish’s orange-growing industry (Gomez). Heavy rains also fell across the state, as

seen on the table to the right.

The lightkeeper at the Sabine Pass lighthouse

had to turn the lens by hand, as vibrations caused by

the wave action put the clockwork out of order. At

Sabine Bank, 17 miles offshore the Mouth of the

Sabine, damage was noted. Damage estimates for

Louisiana and Texas totaled around $50 million.

Twenty-four hour rainfall records

For August set during the 1915 storm

Merryville 17

th

8.71”

Logansport 18

th

7.37”

Plain Dealing 19

th

3.81”

Liberty Hill 19

th

2.92”

Septemb

er 29

th

, 1915: A violent hurricane reached New Orleans after tracking through the

Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico on a parabolic course. The ten foot high levee protecting the city

at the time began to be questioned as not being high enough after the passage of this storm

(Orleans Levee District). The pressure fell to 28.01" on a ship in the New Orleans harbor.

Burrwood's winds reached 140 m.ph. for five minutes and were sustained at or above 107 mph

for two straight hours (Cline). New Orleans saw as high as 98 mph. Franklin had 14.43" of rain

during the storm, while New Orleans saw over eight inches. Nearly every building in New

Orleans received damage. Over 50% of U.S. Highway 90 along the Mississippi coast was

destroyed.

30

Storm surges up to 12 feet ran ashore the northern

coast of Grand Isle and 13 feet at the west end of

Lake Pontchartrain. The New Canal lighthouse was

heavily damaged as winds of 130 mph raged, and the

pressure fell to 28.11", which at the time set a record

for the lowest pressure measured on land in the

United States (Cipra). Ninety-nine out of 100

buildings were destroyed in the town of Leeville.

The sugar crop was damaged. Thirteen million

dollars of damage, $5 million in New Orleans alone, were caused and 275 people died. Many of

those who perished refused to leave low lying areas in advance of the storm, despite ample

warning.

October 17-18

th

, 1916: A large hurricane hit

Pensacola after accelerating northward through the

Gulf of Mexico. Gale-force winds lashed Lower

Plaquemines Parish. The storm produced damage as

far west as Burrwood. Heavy rains fell statewide,

with Burrwood receiving nearly a foot of rainfall.

Twenty-four hour rainfall records

For September set in 1915 hurricane

Franklinton 30

th

10.28”

Paradis 29

th

9.00”

Pearl River 30

th

6.60”

Hammond 30

th

6.40”

Dutchtown 29

th

3.50”

Twenty-four hour rainfall records

For October set in 1916 hurricane

Burrwood 17

th

7.95”

Franklin 17

th

5.90”

Napoleanville 16

th

4.61”

Collinston 18

th

3.41”

Kelly 13

th

3.13”

August 6

th

, 1918 (Merryville Tornado/Cheniere-au-Tigre Storm): A hurricane originating

south of Jamaica struck Cameron Parish. The storm affected places as far west as Orange, Texas

and as far east as Jennings. It struck without warning. Winds at Lake Charles were estimated to

be near 100 mph; Sulphur reported a pressure of 28.36" and winds as high as 125 mph. Johnson's

Bayou saw a 2 1/2 foot storm surge while Morgan City recorded a three foot surge. Leesburg

(Cameron) itself saw little damage. However, homes in Grand Chenier and Creole were swept

away by the storm surge.

The main route between Leesburg (Cameron) and Lake Charles was a ship named the

Borealis Rex. It left on the morning of the 6

th

and fought rising winds to try to get back to port in

Lake Charles. When she entered Prien Lake, strong winds drove the boat against the shore. The

passengers ran out to a nearby home to ride out the storm. When winds reversed out of the north

in the early afternoon, the Rex was forced a mile downstream where it sank in 8-10 foot waves.

Lowest pressure noted on the vessel’s barometer before capsizing was 29.06”. The boat was

resurrected, refurbished, and back in commission by the spring of 1919. Its bell ended up at the

Methodist church until it was blown off the roof by severe thunderstorms on February 12, 1998.

The tempest killed three pilots at Gerstner Field, one of the first air fields in the country,

which was located near Holmwood. It destroyed seven hangars and 96 airplanes. Only its Big

lake Gunnery School survived, which assisted with relief work after the storm. In Lake Charles,

the synagogue Temple Sinai was severely damaged. The old Presbyterian church was

31

demolished. A portion of the M.E. church was detached and “blown to pieces” (Millet). Area

sawmills were destroyed. The damage was most severe in the Goosport milling district, where

fires added to the destruction caused by the wind. The fires were so bright that DeQuincy could

see a red glow in the southern sky.

Westlake was "a scene of desolation" as most buildings were leveled. Very few Sulphur

businesses were left standing. The Union Sulphur Mines saw the greatest monetary losses, which

totaled $3 million. Further north, DeQuincy was heavily damaged by high winds. Several homes

and businesses there met their fate. Thirty- four lives were lost across the state of Louisiana.

Timber losses were calculated at $1 million, while the destruction of the saw mills incurred a

loss of $1 million. In all, $5 million dollars in damage occurred.

September 11-14

th

, 1919: A hurricane moved westward off the coast of Louisiana. Gales

were experienced in Lower Plaquemines parish. The pressure at Burrwood fell to 29.60" as

winds peaked at 52 mph. Lake Pontchartrain became a "raging sea". A six foot storm surge was

recorded 40 miles west of Grand Isle, and lesser invasion of the coast was seen elsewhere in the

state. This system went on to devastate Corpus Christi, and was similar to Carla of 1961 in

effects across Louisiana.

September 21-22

nd

, 1920: A hurricane moving through the western Caribbean sea, making

landfall in Honduras and the Yucatan peninsula before moving north-northwest through the

central portion of Louisiana. The pressure fell to 28.99" at Houma. Fishing villages along Lake

Borgne experienced gales on the east side of the system, at times gusting to 48 mph. Trees were

uprooted and lines were downed. As one of the lines fell, a man fell victim. Winds of 60 mph

were seen as far east as Bay St. Louis. Winds reached 90 mph at Grand Isle. A twenty-four hour

rainfall record was set at Kelly for the month of September when 1.60” was recorded on the 22

nd

.

The sugar crop was damaged. Tides up to six feet were reported in the Mississippi Sound. Tides

did considerable damage at Grand Isle and Manilla Village. The storm killed one and produced

$1.45 million in damage.

October 16

th

, 1923: This minimal hurricane hits state near the Mouth of the Mississippi river.

Heavy rains were seen eastward to Pensacola. The pressure fell to 29.25" at Morgan City and the

tide rose 3.6 feet. As the storm accelerated north and northeast, rains spread north to Lake

Superior.

August 25-27

th

, 1926: A hurricane struck near Houma. The steamship Cody, while lying 220

miles east southeast of Galveston reported 75 mph winds while the Argon saw northeast winds

of 100 mph near 27N 90.5W. The pressure bottomed out at 28.31" in Houma with estimated

winds of 100 mph at Grand Isle. Morgan City witnessed 60 mph winds howl through town. Over

five inches of rain fell. New Orleans gusted to 52 mph as the pressure sank to 29.37".

Burrwood's winds peaked at 50 mph while the pressure fell to 29.55".

At Houma, the sugarhouse was wrecked at Southdown plantation. The Episcopal church was

"smashed". Ninety percent of the sugar cane was gone after the storm. Serious damage occurred

between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Lutcher, Caryville, Burnside, and Gismer saw streets

32

full of wreckage which became nearly impassable.

Many trees were uprooted and barns were removed

from their foundations. Thibodaux and Napoleanville

experienced winds of 120 mph. Houses fell as

telephones splintered in the wind. The town of

Thibodaux lost three churches, a warehouse, and ten

stores.

At Glenwood and Madewood, more than thirteen

inches of rain fell in less than 12 hours. Rainfall

records set during the cyclone are listed on the right.

The pecan orchard in Shriever was gone. Early rice

and cotton were beat down at Crowley. Baton Rouge

plunged into darkness as $20,000 in damage occurred

to its electric company. More than seventy passengers

from the Southern Pacific trains were marooned on a

Twenty-four hour rainfall records for

August set during the 1926 hurricane

Donaldsonville 26

th

14.47”

Avoca Island 25

th

12.06”

Pearl River 26

th

8.60”

Morgan City 25

th

8.50”

Franklin 26

th

8.45”

Houma 25

th

8.04”

Baton Rouge 26

th

7.50”

Cinclare 26

th

5.56”

Amite 26

th

5.34”

Reserve 26

th

5.20”

Clinton 25

th

5.00”

railway ferry barge in the Mississippi when two tugboats towing it grounded.

A boat sank at Donaldsonville. The New Canal lighthouse was again damaged, instigating a

project to raise the structure by three feet after the storm. The third Timbalier Bay lighthouse was

tipped to the northwest. A ten foot storm surge was reported at Timbalier Bay; tides as high as 15

feet overwashed the southern coast of Terrebonne Parish, north of Isle Derniere. Twenty-five

people died and four million dollars in building damage occurred as it moved northwest towards

Shreveport.

July 22-28

th

, 1933: Originating in the Caribbean

sea, this cyclone crossed the Yucatan peninsula as a

tropical storm on July 20

th

, this tropical storm moved

northwest into the middle Texas coast late on the 22

nd

near Matagorda Bay. The storm then tracked slowly

eastward after reaching northeast Texas for several

days and brought heavy rainfall as it moved slowly

inland across northeast Texas and northern Louisiana

as an extratropical low. An area of over 25,000 square

miles saw an average of 12.5", mainly across the

northwest half of Louisiana and the east portion of the

Piney Woods of Texas. A small area of the central Texas/ Louisiana border measured over

twenty inches of rain. Logansport recorded 21.3" over a four day period, with 18 inches falling in

one day, setting a 24-hour rainfall record for July at that location. San Patricio creek, north of

Converse, went on a rampage, ceasing railroad and highway traffic through the area. A severe

thunderstorm struck Alexandria at 3:45 am on the 25

th

, breaking windows, downing trees, and

33

damaging area roofs. Rainfall at Alexandria reached 9.75” on the 25

th

which set a 24-hour

rainfall record for July. Northwest Louisiana would not see a rain event of its equal from a

tropical cyclone until June-July 1989 (Allison).

June 16-17

th

, 1934: Morgan City was hit by this hurricane. Not a single building there

escaped unharmed. Chimneys tumbled, roofs were torn off, and numerous windows were

smashed. Winds blew between 75 and 100 mph at Morgan City. Baton Rouge experienced 60

mph winds uproot trees and halt work on the state capitol. Pressure fell to 28.52" at Jeanerette.

Winds only reached 35 mph at New Orleans, where the pressure fell to 29.34".

Twenty-four hour rainfall records

set during the June 1934 storm

Lafayette 17

th

9.68”

Franklin 16

th

8.65”

Melville 17

th

7.10”

Abbeville 17

th

5.00”

Heavy rains deluged the state. Effects from

the

hurricane were felt as far east as Gulfport, Mississippi.

To the north of Ferriday, the local American Legion

post was unroofed. Stormy weather extended as far

north as Memphis, Tennessee. A storm surge of 12 feet

inundated the region around Oyster Bayou. Boats ran

aground as the Gulf invaded the state from the south.

The storm killed seven and produced $2.6 million in

damage.

August 14-16

th

, 1938: A hurricane which hit the

shoreline east of Cameron caused $250 thousand worth

of damage in Louisiana. The Coast Guard cutter

Saranac played a vital role as it relayed coastal

conditions throughout the tempest. The fury of the

storm struck Cameron at 6 pm and Lake Charles at 8

pm on the 14

th

. Trees were uprooted throughout

Cameron parish. Grand Chenier reported winds of

hurricane force. Lake Charles recorded a pressure of

29.56" and wind gusts to 60 mph around 7:30 PM. The

greatest damage to the city occurred in the Goosport

and South Ryan areas.

Jennings measured a 13.88” deluge on the 15

th

. The

Old Spanish Trail (U. S. Highway 90) became

impassible due to the flooding east of Welsh. Homes

flooded in Grand Marais, southeast of Roanoke. Storm

surges along the southwest Louisiana coast were four to

five feet. Shrimp boats were reportedly beached near

Creole. The Intracoastal Ferry, loaded with four cars

and 20 people, broke its cable and “whirled

downstream,” crashing onto the river bank after

traveling one-half mile. One person died in Lake

Jackson.

Twenty-four hour rainfall records

set during the August 1938 storm

Jennings 15

th

13.88”

Ville Platte 15

th

10.50”

Cheneyville 15

th

9.76”

Jonesville 16

th

7.98”

Urania 15

th

5.85”

Alexandria 15

th

3.85”

Pollock 15

th

3.36”

Monroe 15

th

3.12”

Bastrop 15

th

2.71”

Colfax 18

th

1.74”

34

August 6-10

th

, 1940: This hurricane with sustained

winds of 80 mph created a path of damage as it

traveled slowly offshore the coast of Louisiana into

southeast Texas. Hurricane-force winds only extended

ten miles on either side of the storm. Several feet of

water from the Gulf of Mexico invaded Grand Isle,

while fifteen feet of water inundated sections between

there and Golden Meadow. Cameron went under two

feet of sea water. Calcasieu Pass reported at 4.8 foot

storm surge and western portions of Lake

Pontchartrain saw a 6.4 ft. surge. Lake Pontchartrain

churned into a “foaming mass.” Part of the bridge

between Thunder Bayou and the nearby chenier was washed away. Railroad tracks were

flooded east of New Orleans.

Southeast Louisiana was raked by “strong, puffy

winds”…at New Orleans they peaked at 53 mph.

Sugar was left in ruin in Houma. Pressures fell to

29.35” at Burrwood and Grand Isle. Several houses at

Delacroix Island and Shell Beach were leveled by the

winds. Gale-force winds overspread southwest

Louisiana, with winds reaching 48 mph at Lake

Charles. Winds at Cameron reached 70 mph while

their pressure fell to 29.10” at 7 am on the 7

th

, making

it their strongest storm since October 1886. Thirteen

oil derricks were blown down in the Cameron

Meadows oil field, located eight miles northeast of

Johnson’s Bayou. Due to the high winds and frayed

nerves of the residents tying up the phone lines, ham

radio became the only reliable method of

communication during the storm…a method of

communication still used during storm situations.

Twenty-four hour rainfall records

For August set during the 1940 storm

Crowley 9

th

19.76”

Lafayette 9

th

19.63”

Gueydan 8

th

17.60”

Abbeville 9

th

17.50”

Grand Coteau 9

th

16.07”

Lake Arthur 9

th

11.60”

Melville 9

th

9.40”

Hackberry 8

th

9.12”

Lake Charles 8

th

8.91”

Pecan Island 7

th

8.09”

Atchafalaya 9

th

8.00”

Leesville 8

th

7.58”

Schriever 7

th

6.05”

W

hen the winds began to slacken, torrents of rain fell across southern Louisiana, with over

half of the state reporting five inches of rainfall. Debilitating flooding was endured across

Acadiana with Crowley receiving 33.71" of rain over a five day period (Aug 6-10). Other

locations receiving high rainfall totals included Abbeville (31.66”) and Lafayette (29.65”).

Lafayette received 19.63” during their wettest 24 hour period. Miller Island reported 37.5" of

rain, with 23.8" within a 24 hour period. Rainfall records at the National Weather Service office

in Lake Charles were set for August 7

th

and 8

th

which still stand today (6.77" and 4.84"

respectively), with 8.91” falling within a 24 hour period. Entire towns and cities were evacuated

35

through the 12

th

due to the flooding. Gueydan went under six feet of flood waters. The business

district of Crowley was submerged by two feet. Bayous flooded within St. Landry parish, with

refugees fleeing to Opelousas. The flooding was described as worse than during the 1927

crevasse within Acadiana. Almost 2 million acres of land went underwater by at least one foot.

Low areas remained inundated until mid-October (LMRCSCC II). A raging fire in the town of

Iowa burned down Shell Oil’s district offices and supply warehouses as it could not be fought

due to the flooding in its vicinity.

Pecans were “shredded.” Both flora and fauna were forever altered by this environmental

catastrophe. Cotton and corn crops experienced significant losses. Large losses were also seen

in the sugar crop in the Teche. Huge losses to area livestock and muskrats (75,000 head) were

caused by the massive flooding. The flock of dwindling whooping cranes was scattered across

southwest Louisiana. By 1947, only one remained. Nutria, being farmed in Acadiana for their

pelts, escaped their farms and began their coastal expansion (Gomez).

The schooner J.W. Clise was abandoned during the cyclone 135 miles south of the Mouth of

the Mississippi; its crew was rescued. A barge laden with pilings for use in construction

overturned near the Southern Yacht Club in New Orlenas. Damage totaled $9 million, but only

six lives were lost. An evacuation of 18,000 people from the flood zone most likely limited the

death toll. The press in southwest Louisiana attributed the low loss of life to good preparation by

residents due to guidance from the newly-opened Weather Bureau office, then housed east of

Lake Charles at the Calcasieu parish airport (now known as Chenault field).

September 22

nd

-24

th

, 1941: This hurricane which struck Texas City, Texas caused hurricane

force winds to move through western Cameron parish. Winds gusted to 60 mph at Lake Charles,

where the pressure fell to 29.48". Tides rose to 4.8 feet above mean lower low water at

Cameron. Glenmora astablished a new 24-hour rainfall record for September (3.50”). The

Calcasieu river flooded slightly near Cameron due to backwater flooding. The Old Spanish Trail

(U.S. Highway 90) flooded between Lake Charles and Westlake.

August 19-22

nd

, 1942: A hurricane paralleled the shore before moving westward into

Galveston. Hurricane-force winds raged in the vicinity of Johnson’s Bayou. Winds only gusted

to 28 mph at Lake Charles, where 2.12" of rain fell. Other locations measured greater rainfall,

with new 24-hour rainfall records for August becoming established at DeQuincy (2.25” on the

21

st

), Monroe Dam (3.18” on the 19

th

), and Rodessa (8” on the 22

nd

).

July 25-28

th

, 1943: This hurricane which surprised Houston and led to the era of hurricane

reconnaissance first formed off southeast Louisiana. Burrwood reported 36 mph winds from the

northeast, first indicating the incipient tropical storm on the 25

th

. Winds gusted to 36 mph at

Lake Charles on the 27

th

. Gales were seen to the south and west of Lake Charles. Heavy rains

fell at DeQuincy, with 7.65” on the 28

th

alone.

September 15-19

th

, 1943: A dying tropical storm made landfall in southern Louisiana, east

of Lake Charles. Storm tides reached four feet in Lake Pontchartrain. Very heavy rain occurred

throughout Southern Louisiana, with 19.26" falling at Morgan City. A number of 24-hour

36

rainfall records for the month of September were set, including Chandaleur Lighthouse (12.25”

on the 18

th

), Pecan Island (9.55” on the 17

th

), and Belle Chasse (8.57” on the 18

th

).

August 22

nd

, 1947: A hurricane passed offshore Grand Isle. Sabine Pass reported a 3.6 foot

storm surge as the storm hit the Upper Texas coast.

September 19-20

th

, 1947 (George): The Weather

Bureau forecast office in Miami, while operating with the

military, named this hurricane George. Naming began in

the Pacific Fleet during World War II as a method of

discerning one storm from another. This system of

naming was unofficially continued by the Weather

Bureau until 1953, without being highly publicized

(Barnes).

This category two hurricane with an eye 25 miles in

diameter passed directly over New Orleans. Hurricane-

force winds first reached the Mississippi and Louisiana

shores at 6 AM and New Orleans at 8 AM. During its

second year of operation, wind gusts to 125 mph were

estimated at Moisant International Airport (highest gust

measured was 112 mph) and the pressure fell to 28.57".

Twenty-four hour rainfall records

set during the 1947 hurricane

Bogalusa 20

th

6.06”

Pollock 20

th

4.88”

Weyanoke 19

th

4.80”

Winnfield 20

th

4.52”

Gum Springs Tower 20

th

4.33”

Montgomery 19

th

4.20”

Hickory Grove 19

th

3.93”

Urania 20

th

3.92”

Riverton Dam 20

th

3.83”

Columbia 19

th

3.41”

Grand Cane 20

th

3.00”

Monroe Dam 20

th

2.52”

Sterlin

g

ton Dam 20

th

2.00”

As the storm passed over Baton Rouge at 2:15 PM, Harding Field saw sustained winds of 96

mph, with gusts estimated at 120 mph. Hurricane-force winds reached as far inland as Melville

by 4 PM. Lafayette experienced squalls to 45 mph and a pressure of 29.37” while the storm was

located over southeast Louisiana. Lake Charles gusted to 48 mph with a lowest pressure of

29.35”.

A 15.2 foot storm surge overcame the Bay St. Louis seawall, spreading saltwater from the

Gulf of Mexico well inland. Ostrica saw an 11.5 foot surge and Shell Beach experienced an 11.2

foot storm surge. Water was up to six feet deep in Jefferson Parish over a 31 square mile area.

The air fields at Moisant were under two feet of water, closing the airport. This storm

demonstrated the dire need for tidal protection levees for New Orleans. Much of the city (8.9

square miles) was flooded, and $110 million in damage was produced. A small sailboat broke

from its moorings at the Southern Yacht Club and broke up against the Lake Pontchartrain

seawall The storm claimed 51 victims, 12 in Louisiana.

September 3-4

th

, 1948: A hurricane moved ashore Timbalier Bay. Moisant International

Airport observed 90 mph gusts as the pressure at the Huey Long Bridge fell to 29.21". Trees

were uprooted in New Orleans. Heavy damage was done to oil rigs and other equipment offshore

Grand Isle. Grand Isle was cutoff from the mainland when five feet of water flooded area

roadways. Crops suffered wind and rain damage. Heavy rains fell at Amite (4.60”), Covington

(7.20”), New Orlenas (4.29”), and Reserve (5.80”) on the 4

th

. Storm surges of five feet occurred

at Ostrica Lock and 4-5 feet along the Chandeleurs. Damage estimates were near $888 thousand.

37

Late Twentieth Century Hurricanes

September 24

th

, 1956 (Flossy): Hurricane Flossy

completely submerged Grand Isle and caused extensive

coastal erosion as it moved across the Mississippi Delta.

Burrwood reported winds to 90 mph and a lowest

pressure of 29.03." Rain totals were excessive across

southeast Louisiana, with a maximum of 16.70" at

Golden Meadow. Hundreds lost their homes in the

storm. Cattle were drowned and citrus, sugar cane, and

pecan crops were heavily damaged. The eastern sections

of the New Orleans seawall were overtopped, flooding

2.5 square miles. A storm surge of 13 feet was seen at

Ostrica Lock. The storm killed 15 and $22 million in

damage was produced.

June 27

th

, 1957 (Audrey): The most destructive

hurricane to strike southwest Louisiana was Audrey.

She formed in the southwest Gulf of Mexico and moved

due north, becoming the strongest hurricane ever to

form in June. Warnings were issued 24 hours before

landfall. However, the storm sped up its forward

motion overnight on the 26

th

, catching residents and

meteorologists alike in the area by surprise. Audrey

moved ashore near the Texas/Louisiana border on the

morning of the 27

th

causing a disastrous storm surge.

Picture to the right, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force, is a

radar composite from early on the morning of June 27

th

.

Gulf waters began to surge ashore during the early morning hours. Some in Cameron fled to

the courthouse…the only structure that survived Audrey. Others were more unfortunate. Wood-

frame houses floated like boats inland, in some cases, landing many miles away from their

original location. Most were found along the Intracoastal Waterway after the storm. Over 1.6

million acres of land were flooded by the storm surge and headwater flooding along the rivers of

southwest Louisiana. The storm surge began to recede early that afternoon. Many who survived

the storm rebuilt, but few were placed on pilings. Storm surges of six feet of more extended

from Galveston, TX along the coast to Cocodrie, LA. The highest storm surge measured was

12.4 feet west of Cameron. In Vermilion Parish, the storm surge pushed inland to Perry, just

south of Abbeville, and put Pecan Island under feet of saltwater. Much of St. Mary Parish was

also inundated by Audrey. Waves associated with the storm were monstrous, indeed. In the

38

Gulf, seas of 45 to 50 feet were reported. Waves at Cameron reached as high as 20 feet above

mean sea level; this was on top of the storm surge.

Hurricane-force winds were experienced from Port Arthur, Texas eastward to Mobile,

Alabama. Highest winds were reported to 96 mph at the NWS site at the Lake Charles Air Base

(now Chenault Field) with reports up to 105 mph in Lake Charles. A pressure of 905 hPa, or

26.74”, was reported by offshore oil platforms as Audrey neared the coast. An unofficial report

of 185 mph winds was received from an oil rig, however this could have been associated with a

severe thunderstorm embedded within Audrey's eye wall. Oil company tenders reported 150 mph

winds which, although they are unofficial, are believed to be reasonably accurate. Rayne saw

major damage to homes, businesses, and crops.

Church Point had many trees uprooted during the storm.

High winds in Baton rouge blew out windows from the

skyscraper Capitol. Two homes on Bayou Grosse Tete

near Plaquemines were blown over (Menard). Heavy

rainfall fell to the east of its track across southwest and

central Louisiana.

Two tornadoes were spawned; one in New Orleans and

the other in Arnaudville. Out of the 100,000 buildings that

experienced damage, several thousand were destroyed.

Between 90 and 95 percent of the buildings in Cameron and Lower Vermilion Parishes were

damaged beyond repair. The shrimp boat Bert H. Walling II sank in the Calcasieu channel below

Cameron, its crewmen rescued. Two 50 foot long fishing boats were thrown onto Main street

(Louisiana Highway 82) in Cameron. An offshore oil rig was shoved ashore, destroying four

fuel storage tanks along the way. The tanker Tillamook had the misfortune of being within the

eye of Audrey between 4 and 10 AM on the 27

th

. In an interesting coincidence, Audrey had the

help of a ship named Audry. This ship of Lake Arthur demolished a home in Cameron on its

way inland.

One of the more curious aspect of the storm was the exodus of wildlife preceding it. On the

evening before landfall, thousands of crawfish were seen fleeing the marshes around Cameron. A

few enterprising locals decided to collect them and put them in their freezer, unaware of the

significance of this event. Needless to say, these crawfish were never brought to a boil the

following day, as planned.

Masses of dead cattle, alligators, snakes, nutria, and muskrats blocked portions of the

Intracoastal canal (Menard). A dead cow was found on top of a telephone pole two days after

the storm moved inland. The total lives lost during Audrey stands at 416; most of them were in

Cameron Parish. Damages in Louisiana totaled $120 million.

39

September 15

th

, 1960 (Ethel): Hurricane Ethel quickly

developed into a major hurricane the central Gulf of Mexico

before moving accelerating northward along the extreme

southeast sections of the Mississippi Delta, and weakened as

it moved inland at Biloxi. Hurricane-force winds were seen

in Lower Plaquemines parish. Venice had sustained winds of

90 mph with gusts to 104 mph at 4:15 AM. Burrwood saw

gusts to 69 mph. The highest tide noted was seven feet above

mean seal level on Quarantine Bay at 4 AM CST. Storm

surges inundated the coast from the Mouth of the Mississippi

east to St. Marks, Florida. Heavy rainfall was restricted to

near and east of its track within the Mississippi delta, with

the maximum within Louisiana measured at Quarantine,

where 7.45” was measured.

September 11-13

th

, 1961 (Carla): Hurricane Carla

caused severe erosion along the entire coast in mid-

September. Winds gusted to 56 mph at Lake Charles. Ten

tornadoes were spawned across the state. Carla smashed a

$50,000 fishing pier in Holly Beach and a row of houses

along the coast. Road damage reached $300,000. At

Hackberry, a large oil storage tank was displaced 6-7 miles

northwest of its original location. This caused $300,000 in

damages. Grand Isle received flooding, but no structural

damage.

Damage was also seen along the Calcasieu Ship Channel northward to Lake Charles. Some

oil rigs offshore were moved 8 to 10 feet towards the coast, despite being anchored 8 feet deep

into the Gulf bottom. "Storm surges" of over 5 feet were seen along the Mississippi Delta and up

to 7.6 feet at Cameron. In all, 3.6 million acres of land was inundated by the storm. Damage

was seen along the Calcasieu ship channel northward to Lake Charles. A tornado touched down

in Leeswill shortly after dawn on th 13

th

, where six lives were lost. Power outages and heavy

rains were experienced as far east as Baton Rouge. Ten tornadoes were spawned by Carla within

Louisiana. Heavy rains within the state were primarily in west-central Louisiana, with a

maximum of 13.90” measured at Many. This rainfall led to minor flooding along the upper

Calcasieu river. Total damages in Louisiana reached $25 million, even though the Pelican state

escaped the brunt of the cyclone. As the cyclone spun its way through the Midwest, flash floods

struck Kansas and Missouri. President John F. Kennedy declared much of Louisiana a disaster

area, along with Texas, Kansas, and Missouri.

40

September 16-19

th

, 1963 (Cindy): A rapidly developing

storm in the northwest Gulf of Mexico, Cindy moved

northward onto Galveston Island on the morning of the 17

th

.

That afternoon, Cindy moved west to southwest, paralleling

the Texas coastline just inland. Louisiana was in the moist

eastern side of the tropical cyclone which led to heavy rains

west of the Atchafalaya swamp. The rains were badly

needed, as Texas and Louisiana were in the grips of a severe

drought that began in early 1962. An area of over 15 inches

of rain fell over the Sabine Basin in western Calcasieu and

Beauregard parishes, though the absolute maximum fell just

on the Texas side of the border. The only death reported was

of a man who drowned while evacuating an oil rig south of

Cameron. Total damages were estimated at $12.5 million.

October 2-3

rd

, 1964 (Hilda): Hurricane Hilda caused

severe coastal erosion and local flooding, along with 39

associated deaths as it hit Salt Point. Tornadoes were

spawned at Golden Meadow, Galliano, Larose, Kenner,

Metarie, and New Orleans. The Larose Tornado alone caused

24 of the deaths and a staggering 345 injuries. St. Joseph’s

chapel in Lydia was completely destroyed. The 115-year old

St. Nicholas church in Patoutville was left in ruins after the

storm. Sugar cane in the Teche was severely damaged. A

large water tower collapsed on the Erath City Hall, which

killed around ten people.

Franklin reported a pressure of 28.40" and winds estimated at 135 mph. Winds of hurricane

force spread across much of southeast Louisiana. Over ten inches of rain fell across the

Atchafalaya swamp and the southwest corner of Mississippi. Jeanerette measured 17.71" of rain.

New Roads and Baton Rouge saw excessive rainfall amounts over a 24 hour period (10.1” and

8.9” respectively). Between storm surge flooding and fresh water flooding, three million acres

of land were inundated.

The Gulf invaded Cocodrie up to a depth of 7.8 feet and Point Au Fer up to 10 feet. Offshore,

the Oil Driller, 100 miles south of Morgan City, had their anemometer pegged at 120 mph

throughout the night of the 2

nd

/3

rd

. Waves over 50 feet high punished the rig for hours that night.

Damage totaled $100 million.

September 9-10

th

, 1965 (Betsy): Hurricane Betsy, after

producing great damage in Florida while meandering

westward in the Florida Straits, accelerated to an unusually

fast forward motion of 22 mph through the Gulf of Mexico,

came ashore Grand Isle as a major hurricane where winds

gusted to 160 mph. The sea level pressure dropped to 28.00"

at Grand Isle and Houma, which up to that time was the

lowest pressure measured within the Bayou state. Port Eads

gauged winds of 136 mph with gusts to 145 mph. Winds

gusted to 125 mph and the pressure fell to 28.75" at New

Orleans on the 9

th

. Winds gusted above 100 mph across much

of southeast Louisiana, and a stripe of over five inches of rain

fell along and east of its track as far north as Tallula.

Hurricane-force gusts reached as far west as Lafayette and as

far inland as St. Landry parish. Alexandria and Monroe

experienced wind gusts in excess of 60 mph. More than

27,000 homes were destroyed statewide by Betsy.

A ten foot storm surge was produced causing New Orleans

its worst flooding in decades...enduring days underwater.

Water depths reached up to nine feet deep in eastern New

Orleans and Chalmette. Grand Isle saw a 15.7 foot surge wash

over its northern coast. Practically all buildings in Grand Isle

were either severely damaged or destroyed. Across Louisiana,

2.4 million acres was inundated by the storm. To the right is a

picture of hurricane specialists working Betsy. John Hope (to

the left) later worked for the Weather Channel in 1982.

Storm surges were seen as far east as Mobile. Hundreds of ships, tugs, and barges were sunk

or driven aground from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. The Mississippi river rose more than 10

feet at New Orleans and crested at 15.5 feet at Baton Rouge. Following the storm, the levee was

elevated to 12 feet by the Orleans Levee Board. Offshore and coastal oil installations, along with

public utilities, reported unprecedented damage. The highest rainfall amount measured within

Louisiana was 12.21” in New Orleans at Callender Field. Fall crops were in ruin, particularly

sugar cane, cotton, and pecans. Many livestock drowned. Damage throughout southeast

Louisiana totaled $1.4 billion and 81 lives were lost, 58 of which in Louisiana. This was the

largest loss in life in the state from a tropical cyclone since Audrey eight years before.

41

42

August 17-18

th

, 1969 (Camille): The most intense

hurricane known to ever make landfall in the United States

also made its mark in Louisiana. After developing in the

northwest Caribbean sea, the storm rapidly strengthened as it

moved north-northwest through the Yucatan channel and

southeastern Gulf of Mexico. To the right is an image of

Camille while it lurked off the Southwest coast of Florida on

the 16th, provided courtesy of the National Climatic Data

Center (NCDC). The pressure fell to 27.90" on Garden

Island…the lowest measured within Louisiana at that time.

Winds gusted to 125 mph at Slidell while their pressure fell to

28.56". Almost total destruction was seen from Venice to

Buras as intense winds estimated at 160 mph moved into lower

Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes on the evening of the

17

th

. In Washington parish, Angie saw estimated winds of 130

mph howl through town. Trees fell in large numbers, with

widespread damage also done to utility lines, homes, and

businesses.

Ostrica Lock measured a storm surge of 16 feet. Water

overwashed U.S. Highway 90 to a depth of ten feet. A

total of 860,000 acres of land were inundated by Camille’s storm surge in Louisiana. The

heaviest rains associated with Camille were restricted to the Mouth of the Mississippi river and

the easternmost border between Louisiana and Mississippi, where seven inches of rainfall were

measured.

Offshore oil platforms, as well as onshore oil refineries and storage tanks, took a beating

during the hurricane. Almost 100 vessels, including tugs, barges, crew boast, and freighters were

either grounded or sunk in lower Plaquemines parish. Three perished statewide. Damages

across the state totaled $199 million.

September 16

th

, 1971: Edith, a relatively small hurricane,

moved inland that day near Pecan Island. Peak winds at

Cameron were 69 mph with gusts to 96 mph. The pressure fell

to 29.11" at Lafayette as winds gusted to 69 mph. Morgan City

saw gusts to 72 mph. The sugar crop was damaged in the

Teche. Storm surges ranged from 5 to 8 feet along the

Louisiana coastline... highest in Vermilion and Cote Blanche

Bays. Several tornadoes spun up, with the most serious in East

Baton Rouge tracking seven miles. The heaviest rains were

concentrated along and just left of its track across the

Atchafalaya swamp, with the maximum amount reported at

Lake Arthur, where 8.29” was measured. Some damage

43

occurred but Edith caused no deaths across Cameron or Vermilion Parishes.

September 7-8

th

, 1974 (Carmen): Carmen moved inland just east of Vermilion Bay near

Point Au Fer after crossing the Gulf of Mexico as a major hurricane. Winds reached 110 mph at

the Bayou Boeuf oil rig near Ameila, 100 mph with gusts to 120 mph at the KROF radio station

in Abbeville, and 85 mph at Morgan City. Damage was generally confined to the sugar crop and

offshore oil installations. Piers at Marsh Island succumbed to 15 foot seas pounding the coast.

Morgan City lost its power and telephone service.

Two tornadoes were spawned on the morning of

September 8th: One in Franklin at 4 AM which destroyed a

service station, and another at Kaplan at 9 am. Tides of 4-6

feet above mean sea level went ashore along the coasts of

St. Mary, Terrebonne, Lafourche, Jefferson, and

Plaquemines Parishes. The heaviest rain fell along its track,

and well east of the center along the central Gulf coast. The

maximum amount was reported was 9.20”, which fell eight

miles south of Kaplan. Total damages from the hurricane

reached $150 million. Three deaths were indirectly

associated with Carmen.

September 5

th

, 1977 (Babe): Babe developed in the Gulf

of Mexico as a subtropical storm as it became vertically

stacked with the upper level low which caused it formation.

It moved northward into Southeast Louisiana and briefly

reached hurricane status prior to landfall. After landfall, the

storm finally took on tropical characteristics fully by gaining

central convection. Heavy rains fell east of the Vermilion

river across southeast Louisiana, with 10.70” measured at

Pine Grove Fire Tower. Wind and water damage occurred in

St. Mary, Iberia, and St. Martin parishes.

July 11

th

, 1979 (Bob): Hurricane Bob struck Terrebonne

bay on the 11

th

. It was a very well-behaved storm and was

quite predictable in track and strength. Highest storm surge

reported was 5.02 ft on the north end of the causeway bridge

across Lake Pontchartrain. The pressure fell to 29.28" at

Moisant Field, as winds gusted to 44 mph during the storm.

Heavy rains fell mainly east of the Atchafalaya swamp, with

a maximum of 7.16” recorded Springville Fire Tower. One

tornado was reported in Slidell. One person died, being

blown off his roof as he was nailing it down during the

hurricane. Damages totaled $2.3 million to property, and $1

million to the rice and sweet potato crops.

44

July 24-27

th

, 1979 (Claudette): As Bob was moving

back out into the Atlantic off the North Carolina coast, a new

tropical depression was sighted midway between Africa and

the Lesser Antilles. It briefly became a tropical storm,

named Claudette, as it approached Puerto Rico. The system

took a track which nearly dissipated the system, as it moved

across Hispaniola and Cuba before entering the Gulf of

Mexico.

As the cyclone moved towards the upper Texas coast, its

motion slowed to a crawl. This left the Pelican state to the

right of the system for two days, leading to very heavy rains.

Over a foot of rain fell across southwest Louisiana. However, Texas saw the worst of the storm

when 43 inches of rain fell at Alvin.

September 5

th

, 1980 (Danielle): A tropical depression

formed about 100 miles offshore the Mississippi Delta, and

paralleled the coast towards the west while it intensified into a

tropical storm. A small tropical cyclone, Danielle still

brought high winds and seas to the state of Louisiana. The

highest rain totals seen with the cyclone were in Hackberry

(4.91”), Baker (4.98”), and Old River Lock along the Red

river (5.09”). High winds and waves south of Grand Isle

caused a jack-up barge to collapse. Four men were thrown

into the Gulf, but only three were rescued. Some beach erosion occurred with this system. As it

moved into Texas, heavy rains ended a drought within the Lone Star state.

August 15-16

th

, 1985 (Danny): On the 12

th

, a tropical

depression formed in the northwestern Caribbean sea. As it

moved through the southern Gulf of Mexico, the cyclone

became a tropical storm, and was named Danny. Danny

strengthened into a hurricane on the 15

th

just offshore

Louisiana, before it came ashore near Pecan Island August

16

th

. In Abbeville, winds gusting to 114 mph blew off the r

of a school. High winds destroyed an airplane hangar in Iowa.

Trees were uprooted throughout southern and central

Louisiana. Thirty-nine tornadoes were spawned throughout

the Southeastern United States, most occurred as Danny

oof

tracked northeast through Alabama and Tennessee. Only three touchdowns were noted across

Louisiana.

45

Storm surges of eight feet were seen along the coast of south-central Louisiana. Highway 46

near Hopedale in St. Bernard Parish was impassable due to the high waters. The pier at Grand

Isle State Park was damaged, while a pier near Slidell was demolished. Coastal erosion was

greatest in Terrebonne and lower Jefferson parishes. Heavy rains fell near and east of its track,

with the highest total of 8.91” measured at Kentwood. Seven injuries were reported, but no one

died in the storm. Six of the injuries were due to the capsizing of a 41-foot sailboat near the

Timbalier Islands. Sugar cane and soybean crops were damaged extensively. Total damages were

estimated to be near $14 million.

September 2

nd

, 1985 (Elena): Elena formed over Cuba,

and made a clockwise loop in the northeast Gulf of Mexico

just offshore Cedar Key before being steered west-

northwest to the central Gulf coast. The image to the right

was taken by the Space Shuttle just prior to landfall. The

cyclone went ashore the Mississippi coast near Biloxi as a

major hurricane and was the second of three hurricanes to

hit the state that season. Elena continued its west-northwest

track through southern Mississippi and northern Louisiana,

before recurving through Arkansas and Missouri. Even as

its surface circulation weakened, its mid-level circulation

continued producing heavy rains across the lower

Mississippi valley through the 5

th

before the system

completely dissipated.

Many chose to evacuate southeast sections, with 400,000

fleeing the state. Elena entered Washington Parish as a

category one hurricane and downed numerous trees. Heavy

rains fell primarily across central Louisiana, with a

maximum of 8.85” measured at Gorum Fire Tower.

October 27-31st, 1985 (Juan): Juan formed in the Gulf

of Mexico on October 25

th

due to the formation of an upper

level low and developed within a cool environment. This

large storm drifted northward, looping near southern

Louisiana between the 28

th

and the 30

th

while weakening

back into a tropical storm. The highest wind gust recorded

at NWS Lake Charles was 49 mph, which became the

highest recorded during the month of October since records

began in 1939. Over ten inches of rain fell across Imperial

Calcasieu as well as portions of southeastern Louisiana,

with Galliano receiving 17.78”. To the right is an image of

Juan in the Gulf of Mexico taken by the NOAA-9 polar

orbiting satellite.

46

Storm surges reached eight feet at Cocodrie. Highway

LA 1 south of Leeville and Highway LA 3090 near

Fourchon were destroyed. Three bridges were washed out

near Lacombe on LA 434. Levees were overtopped in

Lockport, Marrero, Oswego, and Myrtle Grove; this added

to the already serious flooding. Two hundred cattle were

drowned in Terrebonne Parish. Grand Isle was under four

feet of water while 1200 residents were trapped on the

barrier island.

Offshore, conditions were far worse. An oil rig 35 miles south of Leeville collapsed, then

smashed into a neighboring rig while in 20 foot seas and hurricane force winds late on the 27

th

.

The ship Miss Agnes sank during a rescue operation 60 miles south of Morgan City that day. The

rig AM Howard capsized early on the 29

th

. The boat Kiwi sank while in the Atchafalaya Bay.

This all led to nine lives being lost offshore. Total damages exceeded $300 million and 12 people

died in all. Damages from Danny, Elena, and Juan across Louisiana totaled $2.5 billion and 19

people perished.

June 26

th

, 1986 (Bonnie): Bonnie, a minimal hurricane,

moved ashore just southwest of Sabine Pass on the 26

th

, then

moved northward through East Texas before recurving

northeast into Arkansas on the 27

th

. Some beach property

was damaged in Cameron Parish with water damaging

coastal roadways in Western Cameron Parish. Five tornadoes

were caused by Bonnie in Louisiana; three in DeSoto and

Webster Parishes alone, located in the northern section of the

state.

At 2 AM CST on the 27

th

, a period of 10-14 hours of

heavy rain fell in Northwest Louisiana in Caddo, Bossier,

and Northern DeSoto Parishes, causing extensive flash flooding between 5 and 9 AM CST. The

highest rainfall total was 9.92” measured one mile north of Mooringsport. Interstate highway 20

was under 5 feet of water. Highways US 71 and LA 1 were cut by flash flooding. Flooding alone

caused $10 million in damages. Only one person died in the storm, when winds overturned his

fishing boat in Cross Lake.

September 9

th

, 1988 (Florence): A coastal trough developed over the Western Gulf of

Mexico on September 1

st

at the tail end of an old frontal zone. It moved into Southeast Louisiana

on the 4

th

, but began drifting south again as a strong high pressure system dived south out of

Canada. On the 6

th

, it had moved southwest into the Western Gulf of Mexico before drifting back

to the east on the 7

th

. It finally developed enough tropical characteristics to be designated a

tropical storm, and moved north toward Louisiana.

47

It rapidly strengthened and became a hurricane before striking

Port Eads on the 9

th

. However, the system had begun weakening as

dry air began to intrude into the western portion of the circulation.

It became extratropical by the 11

th

, as dry air continued to wrap

around the western semicircle. The low dissipated later that day, as

it drifted northwest over Oklahoma.

Highest winds reported were at New Orleans Lakefront Airport,

which received a gust to 61 mph. Lowest pressure noted inland

was 29.26" at New Orleans Naval Air Station. Highest rain total

with the system was 4.47" at Abita Springs Fire Tower.

Significant beach erosion occurred along Grand Isle. Trees were downed, mostly in Orleans

Parish. The storm surge flooded LA 300 near Delacroix. Total damages were estimated near $2.5

million.

August 26

th

, 1992 (Andrew): Andrew formed in the

tropical north Atlantic, and remained a tropical storm as

it tracked northeast of the Leeward Islands. After

escaping an environment of vertical wind shear, Andrew

strengthened markedly north of the Greater Antialles,

becoming a category five hurricane which slammed into

South Florida on August 24

th

before striking the

Louisiana coastline on the 26

th

.

Seven people died and 94 were injured across Southern Louisiana during Andrew. Winds

reached hurricane force from Lafayette eastward to the Atchafalaya. The highest gusts reported

were: 39 mph at Lake Charles Regional Airport, 66 mph at Moisant International Airport in New

Orleans, 71 mph at Lafayette Regional Airport, 83 mph at Salt Point in St. Mary Parish, 104 mph

at the Lafayette Parish Courthouse, 153 mph at the New Iberia Emergency Operating Center, and

173 mph at the Drilling Barge on Bayou Teche in St. Mary Parish.

Rainfall totals from Andrew exceeded 5 inches over a

four day period from August 24-28 in many

locations...with Robert receiving 11.02" and Hammond

receiving 11.92". The storm surge moved inland from

Lake Borgne westward to the Vermilion Bay...the highest

surge reported was at 6.48 feet at Bayou Dupre. An F3

tornado struck LaPlace and stayed on the ground until

reaching Reserve in St. John the Baptist Parish which

caused 2 of the deaths. Around 1 1/2 million people

evacuated across Southern Louisiana with damages

estimated near 1 billion dollars in Louisiana.

48

October 4

th

, 1995 (Opal): Opal, after moving

aimlessly in the Bay of Campeche for days at the

beginning of October, moved northeastward, passing

150 miles off the Mississippi Delta towards the Florida

panhandle on the morning of the 4

th

. Rainfall amounts

were greater than two inches across Southeast

Louisiana. Winds in extreme Plaquemines Parish were

near 60 mph with gusts to hurricane force. To the right

is an infrared satellite picture of Opal, taken on the 4

th

by GOES-8.

Damage occurred to area roofs and also to some mobile homes. Gale force winds were seen in

Southern Lafourche, Jefferson, and East St. Bernard Parishes. Storm surges were 3 to 5 feet

from Grand Isle eastward. Significant damage occurred across the barrier islands of Southeast

Louisiana. Ten thousand people evacuated the region. One person was injured when the large

flag he was lowering became a parasail, tossing him high into the air and causing significant

injuries.

October 5-8

th

, 1996 (Josephine): A gale center in the Western Gulf of Mexico that became

Josephine teamed up with a strong high pressure ridge over the Southeast United States. This

caused strong east to northeast winds, inducing tides to 4 feet above normal along the entire

Louisiana coast. The highest tide noted was 5.5 feet at Bayou Bienvenue, near Lake Borgne.

Highway 1 was under a foot of water. A few homes and roads were also flooded in Orleans and

St. Bernard Parishes, outside the flood control levees. Damages totaled $5.5 million.

July 17-18

th

, 1997 (Danny): A cluster of showers

and thunderstorms moved off the Louisiana coast on

July 13th, leaving strong winds and damage in its wake

in Southern Louisiana. A low level circulation became

apparent south of Houma early on the afternoon of the

14th and drifted slowly southwest. By the 16th, the low

had stalled near 27N 92W...about 150 miles offshore.

By late in the day, the system had developed into a

tropical depression. Early on the 17

th

, the center jumped

about 80 miles to the east-northeast and the system

began to intensify rapidly.

Danny had formed that morning and became a hurricane by the next day as it slowly moved

east-northeast. Winds gusted to 95 mph at Grand Isle, just as the center made a brief landfall on

the morning of the 18th, before progressing over to Mobile to cause copious amounts of rain in

the vicinity of Dauphin Island as the system stalled again late on the 19th through early on the

21st.

49

Danny then moved northward to Western Alabama before making a hard right, moving across

Atlanta and Raleigh-Durham. As it moved across North Carolina, it became a tropical storm

again and moved northeast off the lower Virginia coast on the morning of the 24

th

, becoming an

extratropical storm just off Nantucket the next evening.

The storm surge measured 5.4 feet at Grand Isle, which caused significant flooding to the

island along with moderate to severe beach erosion. Rain totaled 11.40" at Buras, where 170

boats sustained damage. Much heavier rains were saved for southern Alabama, where Danny

stalled after it passed by the Bayou State. Ninety-one businesses and 173 houses experienced

damage in Plaquemine and Jefferson Parishes.

September 10-14

th

, 1998 (Frances): On the 7

th

, an

area of disturbed weather formed in the Central Gulf of

Mexico. It was complex with a broad area of low

pressure, induced by a nearby upper low to the west of

the circulation. Strong easterly winds had barely relaxed

after Charley, which had just made landfall in Texas,

before redeveloping. Air Force aircraft investigated the

system on the 8

th

, and a tropical depression was found

220 miles southeast of Corpus Christi. It moved very

little over the next 24 hours, slowly strengthening into a

tropical storm by the 9

th

. Strong winds along the

Louisiana and Texas coasts increased, resulting in a large area of coastal flooding. Sabine Pass

was cut off to travel by land on the 10

th

and remained so for the next week, until Hermine passed

by to the east.

Frances began to move north on the 10

th

, and the drought-ending rains began. A large area of

tropical storm force winds buffeted the coasts of Louisiana and Texas, worsening the coastal

flooding and leading to backwater flooding of area rivers, as water was no longer able to drain

into the Gulf of Mexico. Meacom's pier was nearly destroyed. San Luis Pass pier was damaged.

Grand Isle went underwater, but water never reached the homes as they were on pilings rising up

from the island. Tides ran as high as 5.4 feet at Cameron and Sabine Pass. Five homes in

Constance Beach fell into the Gulf, while sand piles up on Holly Beach. Offshore oil platforms

saw howling winds reaching as high as 90 mph in gusts.

50

The system strengthened and moved north as feeder bands

moved inland, increasing the rainfall across the region. The

deluge caused a large area of 10 inches of rain or more across

southern Louisiana and eastern Texas. The highest rain totals

noted were 21.10" at Terrytown in Southeast Louisiana and

14.62" at the Lacassine Wildlife Refuge, ten miles south of

Lake Arthur. The pressure induced by all the rain in New

Orleans caused manholes to be blown skyward. Sections of I-

10 in New Orleans and Houston were underwater on the

11th. Roads and bridges were submerged near Corpus

Christi. Numerous towns evacuated in the face of flash

flooding.

The center made landfall at midnight on the night of the 10

th

near Matagorda, Texas and

became stationary again on the 11

th

, prolonging the wind and rain. During the 12

th

, the system

resumed its northerly course through East Texas before accelerating into Iowa on the 14

th

. Rains

of five inches or more soaked Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri.

At least 8 tornadoes touched down across the state on the 11

th

and 12

th

. Seven tornadoes

wreaked havoc across South Central Louisiana near Lake Arthur, Estherwood, Basile, Oberlin,

and Lafayette. A Lafourche parish man was killed when a tornado destroyed his mobile home.

The coastal flooding and beach erosion were the worst seen since Carla (1961). River

flooding was significant across East Texas and Louisiana. A major disaster declaration was

issued for Cameron, Jefferson, Lafourche, and Terrebonne parishes. Over $10 million in damage

was experienced across Southwest Louisiana and Extreme Southeast Texas.

September 27-28

th

, 1998 (Georges): In mid-September, a

tropical storm formed in the East Atlantic. It moved west-

northwest and became a major hurricane as it approached the

Lesser Antilles. Georges left a trail of destruction as it raked

the Virgin Islands and most of the islands of the Greater

Antilles. Over $2 billion in damages occurred as Georges

terrorized the West Indies. The hurricane struck the

Mississippi coast at Category 2 intensity. Winds gusted to 55

mph at New Orleans Lakefront

Airport...the pressure fell to 29.37”.

Storm surges above seven feet overflowed some of the land surrounding Lakes Pontchartrain

and Borgne...a storm surge of 8.9 feet was noted at Northeast Gardene Bay, east of Pointe a la

Hache. A large number of fishing camps were damaged or destroyed along Lake Pontchartrain.

Two died from Georges in Louisiana.

51

Early Twenty-First Century Hurricanes

June 4-11

th

, 2001 (Allison): A tropical wave moved off

the west coast of Africa on May 21st. Tracking westward, it

moved through the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean

Sea...reaching the eastern Pacific Ocean on June 1st. A low

level circulation formed on the 3

rd

south of Vera Cruz, and

this system moved north into southeast Mexico steered by

deep southwest flow. It emerged into the Bay of Campeche on

the 4

th

as an area of thunderstorms, and guided north-

northwest through the western Gulf of Mexico.

The low became increasingly organized, and became a tropical storm about 80 miles south of

Galveston Texas. Steered by the subtropical ridge off the southeast, Allison moved north into

Texas that evening, eventually tracking as far inland as Lufkin by the morning of the 7th. After

already dropping ten or more inches of rain across portions of Texas and Louisiana, the cyclone

began to move southward as a ridge over New Mexico strengthened just as the high off the

southeast flattened and moved southeast.

This set the stage for massive flooding in southeast

Texas on on the 7

th

and 8

th

. The highest totals noted were

40.68 inches at Moore Road Detention Pond in Jefferson

County, Texas, with 36.99 inches at the Port of Houston

Texas, and 29.86 inches at Thibodaux Louisiana. Portions

of Houston, Beaumont, Thibodaux, Lafayette, New Orleans,

and Baton Rouge saw severe flooding from this excessive

rainfall. Rains would continue into the 11

th

, as Allison

moved back off the Texas coast, paralleling the coast of

Louisiana before making a second landfall in the Teche

region of the Bayou State.

Reintensifying over land as it tracked through southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi,

Allison formed an eye feature during the morning of the 11

th

, a rare accomplishment for a

tropical cyclone over land. The system moved swiftly east-northeast crossing southern

Mississippi and Alabama, central Georgia, and South Carolina, being steered by the subtropical

jet stream to its north. Allison would continue moving northward along the East coast through

the 16

th

. One person died due to the storm as a tornado in Zachary knocked a tree onto his truck.

52

September 23-27

th

, 2002 (Isidore): A tropical wave

moved off the coast of Africa on September 9

th

accompanied by a large area of thunderstorms. The

convective activity decreased significantly as the system

moved toward the west-southwest during the next few days.

As the wave approached the 50

th

meridian longitude, the

shower activity began to increase and an upper-level

anticyclone became evident over the system. Shortly after

noon on the 14

th

, the system became a tropical depression as

it approached Trinidad. As it moved west-northwestward

and interacted with the South American landmass, it

weakened back into tropical wave in the eastern Caribbean

Sea. As the tropical wave emerged into western Caribbean

Sea, it redeveloped a closed circulation and regained

tropical depression status on the morning of the 17

th

.

Strengthening into a tropical storm after midnight on the

18

th

,

the tropical cyclone moved very slowly toward the northwest, passing just west of Jamaica.

Isidore then moved very slowly toward the west-northwest across the Cayman Islands and

strengthened, as it became a hurricane shortly after noon on the 19

th

Isidore reached its peak

intensity of 125 mph after noon on the 21

st

.

Isidore meandered for 24 to 36 hours over northern Yucatan and weakened to a minimal tropical

storm. It moved northward over the Gulf of Mexico where the circulation expanded but the

cyclone never redeveloped an inner core of strong winds due to its extremely warm, and stable,

core. Isidore regained central convection as it made landfall with winds of 65 mph just west of

Grand Isle, Louisiana just after midnight on the 26

th

. Once it moved inland, Isidore

weakened to a tropical depression and moved north-northeastward across the southeastern

United States, producing torrential rains. It became an extratropical storm over southwestern

Pennsylvania during the early afternoon of the 27

th

, and was then absorbed into a frontal zone.

One died at Port Fourchon due to rip currents in advance of Isidore. Damaged totaled $330

million, mostly within Louisiana.

October 2-5

th

, 2002 (Lili): Lili originated from a tropical wave that moved over the tropical

Atlantic Ocean from the west coast of Africa on September 16

th

. The wave developed a low -

level cloud circulation center midway between Africa and the Lesser Antilles on the 20

th

and

eventually into a tropical depression on the 21

st

about 900 n mi east of the Windward Islands.

Tracking around the southwestern periphery of the subtropical ridge, the system moved just

north of due westward at near 25 mph, crossed the Windward Islands as a developing tropical

storm on the 23

rd

and then its winds briefly reached 70 mph on the 24

th

. The storm weakened to

an open tropical wave on the 25th and 26th in the east central Caribbean Sea as its organization

was disrupted by vertical wind shear. Lili re-acquired a low-level closed circulation on the 27

th

53

when its forward speed slowed towards 6 mph by the 28

th

while beginning a slow northward jog

around the north coast of Jamaica. The storm dumped heavy rain on Jamaica and also Haiti.

Resuming a west-northwestward track, Lili became a hurricane

on the 30

th

, while passing over Cayman Brac and Little Cayman

Islands. The center of the hurricane moved over the southwest tip

of the Isle of Youth on the morning of October 1

st

, and over

western mainland Cuba a few hours later, with wind speeds as

high as 105 mph.

Gradually accelerating its forward speed towards 18 mph, Lili

turned northward and made landfall on the Louisiana coast on the

3rd, with an estimated 90 mph maximum wind speed after rapidly

weakening during the 13 hours prior to landfall. Lili was absorbed

by an extratropical low on the 4

th

while moving northeastward near

the Tennessee/Arkansas border. Sugar cane fields were flattened

across southern portions of the state. Damages totaled $830

million within the state. One person died due to carbon monoxide poisoning in Crowley due to

the running of a generator.

October 6-12, 2004 (Matthew): The origin of Matthew can be

traced to a tropical wave that moved across the west coast of Africa

on September 19

th

, moving closely to Tropical Storm Lisa and

another large disturbance in the tropical Atlantic. The wave crossed

the Lesser Antilles on the 29

th

and interacted with a westward

moving upper-level low. Cloudiness and showers increased as the

wave moved very slowly westward, trailing the upper-level low.

The shower activity associated with the wave reached the Bay of

Campeche on October 5

th

and gradually became better organized

while moving little. An upper-level ridge became established over

the convection leading to falling pressures in the area.

On the 7

th

, a broad area of low pressure had formed just east of Tampico, Mexico. The

system continued to become better organized while moving little and became a tropical

depression on the morning of the 8

th

about 180 n mi southeast of Brownsville Texas. By that

afternoon, the cyclone strengthened into Tropical Storm Matthew. Initially, the cyclone moved

toward the east and east-northeast, but then gradually turned to the northeast and north steered by

a large mid- to upper-level low over western Texas. Matthew reached its peak intensity of 45

mph and a minimum pressure of 997 mb early in the afternoon of the 9

th

. Matthew's center made

landfall just west of Cocodrie, Louisiana early in the morning on the 10

th

as a minimal tropical

storm. Thereafter, Matthew weakened to a depression before crossing the upper jet and

becoming an occluded cyclone. It continued moving northeastward across the Mid-Mississippi

and lower Ohio valleys before becoming absorbed by a frontal wave in the Great Lakes on the

morning of the 14

th

. A tornado touched down near Golden Meadow, which damaged the roof of

54

a trailer. Extensive beach erosion occurred at Grand Isle, as the storm surge reached 5.85 feet at

Frenier.

August 29

th

, 2005 (Katrina): This horrific storm formed from a tropical wave...becoming a

depression about 175 miles southeast of Nassau in the Bahamas on August 23

rd

. It developed

into a tropical storm on the 24

th

. Katrina moved northwestward through the Bahamas...and then

turned west-southwest into South Florida before turning sharply south-southwest through

Miami/Dade county as a minor hurricane, dumping heavy rainfall to the left of the track, and

high winds to southeast Florida and the Florida Keys.

As the system emerged into the Gulf of Mexico the storm strengthened, reaching category

five status on the 28

th

about 250 miles south-southeast of Burrwood, Louisiana. Its central

pressure fell to 902 mb...the fourth lowest on record for the Atlantic Basin and lowest inside the

Gulf of Mexico...later that day. Katrina slowly recurved...moving through lower Plaquemines

Parish south of Buras with 140 mph winds at 6:10 AM on the 29th. Katrina made a second

landfall near the mouth of the Pearl River at 10:00 AM...with maximum sustained winds near

125 mph.

Katrina weakened as it moved inland to the north-northeast but was still a hurricane 100 miles

inland near Laurel, Mississippi. Katrina continued to weaken and became a tropical depression

near Clarksville, Tennessee on the 30th. Katrina accelerated

east-northeastward and was absorbed into a developing

extratropical cyclone to its northeast as it reached central

Pennsylvania. The lowest pressure recorded was 27.17” at

Buras. The highest wind gust was estimated at 123 mph at the

NASA Michoud Assembly Facility. The maximum rainfall

recorded within Louisiana was 14.82” at Big Branch.

Katrina will likely be recorded as the worst natural disaster in

the history of the United States...producing catastrophic damage

and untold casualties in the New Orleans area and along the

Mississippi Gulf Coast. As of August 10, 2006, the death toll was designated as 1577 within the

borders of the Pelican state. Damages totaled $81 billion within the United States.

September 23-25

th

, 2005 (Rita): Rita was an intense, destructive, and deadly hurricane that

devastated extreme southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana. It formed off an old frontal zone,

and developed into a tropical depression on the 17

th

just east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and

moved westward, becoming a tropical storm on the afternoon on the 18

th

and a hurricane on the

20

th

as it moved through the Florida Straits. The center of Rita passed just south of Key West

before it emerged into the Gulf of Mexico and rapidly intensified. Maximum sustained winds

increased to 175 mph on the 22

nd

while moving through the central Gulf of Mexico, and its

pressure fell to 897 hPa, the 3

rd

lowest on record for the Atlantic Basin and the lowest reported

from the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

55

Easterly gales into Lake Ponchartrain led to renewed flooding

in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans. A significant shearline aloft

lured Rita more northwesterly, and the storm weakened as it

moved away from the warm waters of the loop current. Landfall

occurred at 2:30 AM between Sabine Pass and Johnsons Bayou,

LA while a category three hurricane. Rita slowly weakened as it

accelerated inland, and maintained at least tropical storm

strength when it crossed back into northwest Louisiana. The

cyclone moved northeast and merged with a frontal wave on the

26

th

.

Heavy rains fell near and east of the track of the hurricane, with the highest total in Louisiana

recorded at Bunkie, where 16 inches fell. A C-MAN station along the Sabine River recorded a

gust of 99 mph. The lowest pressure recorded within Louisiana was . A storm surge of 15 feet

was recorded at Cameron, with Gulf waters invading Calcasieu lake, which subsequently caused

an eight foot storm surge at Grand Lake. The storm surge moved up the Calcasieu river as far as

the Interstate 10 bridge in Lake Charles. Waters as deep as 6 feet submerged portions of

downtown Lake Charles. Most, or all, of Vermillion, Iberia, and St. Mary parishes south of

Louisiana highway 14 and U.S. highway 90 were submerged. The towns of Holly Beach,

Cameron, Creole, Grand Chenier, and Pecan Island were nearly completely destroyed. A storm

surge of 4-7 feet inundated southeast Louisiana as well. Ninety tornadoes were spawned by the

hurricane across Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. One died in Louisiana from

Rita. Damages from the cyclone totaled $10 billion.

September 13-14

th

, 2007 (Humberto): A broad low pressure area formed along a surface

trough in the western Gulf of Mexico. An area of thunderstorms formed on the northern end of

the trough, which forced the develoPMent of a new, well-defined low pressure area. The system

organized into a tropical depression on the morning of the 12

th

. Rapid develoPMent ensued, and

within 18 hours of becoming a tropical depression Humberto became a tropical storm and then a

hurricane as it headed north-northeast into the Golden Triangle of Southeast Texas during the

early morning hours of the 13

th

, becoming the most rapidly developing tropical cyclone known to

develop close to land in the Atlantic Basin. Weakening slowly after landfall, Humberto regained

tropical storm and then tropical depression status as it moved through Louisiana into

Mississippi. Its surface circulation was left behind across Louisiana as west-southwest vertical

wind shear carried its mid-level center northeastward.

56

According to surface analyses and satellite imagery, as

Humberto's mid-level circulation continued progressing northeast,

it spawned a new low pressure area in Georgia which forced the

original circulation southeast towards northern Florida before

dissipation. As the mid-level center continued progressing, a third

cyclone in southeast Virginia developed and moved northeast into

the western Atlantic, absorbing the second low. A total of 13,000

lost power statewide during Humberto’s passage. Overall property

damage was estimated at $50 million across Texas and Louisiana.

August 31-September 3

rd

, 2008 (Gustav): A tropical wave moved across the tropical North

Atlantic ocean. It brought squally weather to the Windward Islands before entering the

Caribbean Sea. The system developed due to favorable upper level conditions, and became

Tropical Depression Seven by August 25

th

, and a tropical storm later that day. While

approaching Hispaniola, strengthening continued and Gustav reached hurricane strength early on

the 26

th

. The cyclone moved across southwest Haiti before dropping southwest towards Jamaica

due to strengthening high pressure to its north and northwest. The system, then a tropical storm,

nearly reached hurricane strength before moving near Jamaica.

Clearing the island, Gustav regained hurricane strength and rapidly intensified into a category

four hurricane which struck western Cuba on the 30

th

. A combination of land interaction with

western Cuba and an upper level low to its west kept Gustav on a slow weakening trend until its

final landfall in southeast Louisiana on September 1

st

. The system slowed to a crawl across

northwest Louisiana and southwest Arkansas on the 2

nd

and 3

rd

, dropping heavy rainfall across

east-central Louisiana, Arkansas, and southwest Mississippi.

Heavy rains fell along and east of its track within east-

central and south-central Louisiana and western Mississippi,

with the highest total measured of 21 inches at Larto Lake.

Winds gusted to 117 mph at Southwest Pass. The lowest

reliable pressure observed was 28.15” at Caillou Lake.

Eleven tornadoes touched down within the state borders. A

storm surge of 12-13 feet swamped the Mississippi Delta, and

and 9-10 foot surge in southeast Louisiana overtopped some

flood walls and levees in New Orleans, though flooding due

to surge in New Orleans was not widespread. Seven perished

from Gustav in Louisiana.

September 12-14

th

, 2008 (Ike): A tropical wave left the coast of Africa on August 28

th

. The

system slowly organized, becoming a tropical depression, then a tropical storm, on September

1

st

. The cyclone moved westward for much of its lifetime as the subtropical ridge extended

westward to its north. By the 3

rd

, Ike had become a hurricane, then a major hurricane as it

rapidly intensified underneath an upper level high. Ike wavered between category two and four

strength due to northerly vertical wind shear and eyewall replacement cycles. On the 7

th

, Ike

57

moved through the southeast Bahamas into eastern Cuba. Briefly emerging into the northwest

Caribbean, Ike remained a hurricane through its next landfall across western Cuba on the 9

th

.

Land interaction appears to have made Ike a larger cyclone after interacting with western Cuba,

and its central pressure fell significantly on the 10

th

as it moved over the Loop Current. The

large system strengthened back into a category 2 hurricane, which moved west-northwest

through the Gulf of Mexico around the periphery of the subtropical ridge.

On the 12

th

, Ike became slightly more compact as it moved

into a confluent zone between the subtropical ridge to its east-

northeast and troughing across the Plains. This allowed

maximum sustained winds to increase despite a relatively

constant central pressure. Ike developed a banding-type eye,

and moved into Galveston, Texas, and weakened as it moved

into through eastern Texas and Arkansas. Heavy rains were

confined to its track, and amount were limited under five

inches across Louisiana. The main effect from Ike was storm

surge. Across southeast Louisiana, the surge was limited to 3-

6 feet. Surge heights increased significantly west of Grand Isle, reaching 17 feet at Cameron,

which overspread the parish. Two died in Louisiana and overall damaged reached $19.3 billion.

Acknowledgments

During the initial three year journey in preparing this Louisiana Hurricane History in the

late 1990’s, many people helped along the way. The base framework for the document was a

one page public information statement sent out annually from the New Orleans office during the

mid 1990’s which was subsequently expanded. Roger Erickson, WCM at Lake Charles, helped

in locating some of the material locally for this work while I was stationed at the Lake Charles,

Louisiana forecast office. A great deal of support was given by management on this endeavor:

the list includes Ellie Pittman (former Data Acquisition Program Manager (DAPM) at Lake

Charles), Steve Rinard (former Meteorologist in Charge at Lake Charles), and Rick Gravitt

(current DAPM at Lake Charles). Photographs taken during Danny, Frances, and Georges are

used with the permission of A. J. Sisco, their photographer.

A significant amount of research was acquired from other sources. All tracks from 1886

onward were provided in the database done by Neumann, et al, and maintained by the National

Hurricane Center in West Miami, and generated using nMAP software at the

Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (HPC) in Camp Springs, MD. Information from the

metadata regarding changes to the tropical cyclone database at the Hurricane Research Division

was used for a few storms in the late nineteenth century. Some United States Signal Corp and

Army Surgeon records were obtained from the Library of Congress concerning a few of the

systems in the 19

th

century. The Washingtonian Division of the Martin Luther King library in

Washington, D.C. was utilized for searching newspaper records on microfilm for the 1812

58

hurricane. Rainfall graphics used in this document were constructed by the author while

developing a tropical cyclone rainfall database between 1999 and 2010, using data primarily

supplied by the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina for the United States.

Most of the satellite imagery used was provided by the National Climatic Data Center in

Asheville, North Carolina. Many visits to McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA and

Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge provided a volume of newspaper articles, along with

unique pieces from their respective archives.

Work was coordinated with John Guiney (formerly at the Slidell office) and Henry Diaz at the

Climate Diagnostics Center in Boulder, Colorado. Posthumously, David Ludlum, Ivan Ray

Tannehill, Gordon Dunn, Jose Fernandez-Partagas, and David Cipra are to be honored; without

them much of the information on storms before 1871 could have been lost to history.

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Last modified on January 13, 2010