From 1851 to the present, at least 200 tropical or subtropical cyclones affected the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to David Roth of the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (HPC), a tropical cyclone makes landfall along the coastline about two times every three years, and a hurricane makes landfall once every 2.8 years.
The most intense storm to make landfall in the state in terms of barometric pressure is Hurricane Katrina of 2005 which is also tied with Hurricane Harvey of 2017 as the costliest hurricane in the Atlantic basin. The deadliest hurricane in the state was the 1893 Cheniere Caminada hurricane, which killed an estimated 2000 people. The 2020 hurricane season saw the most landfalling tropical cyclones in a single season with five total storms. In terms of wind speed, Hurricane Camille was the strongest storm to affect the state, producing maximum sustained winds above , equivalent to Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale.
Pre–1900 October 23, 1527 – A hurricane made landfall at the mouth of the Mississippi River. September 22-24, 1722 – A hurricane made landfall in New Orleans. Food crops were lost and ships in the harbor sunk. September 23, 1740 – A hurricane struck the mouth of the Mississippi. The settlement of La Balize was sunk, and the inhabitants moved to the island of San Carlos, which surfaced in the hurricane. September 2, 1772 – A hurricane struck in Louisiana, west of Mobile, Alabama. August 1793 – A hurricane struck New Orleans, destroying crops and devastating rural sections of Louisiana. August 31, 1794 – A hurricane originating in Cuba struck New Orleans, resulting in crop damage. The storm surge moved inland to Plaquemines, resulting in storm surge up to 10 feet. Fort St. Phillip was completely engulfed, and the chief engineer drowned. Large hail and high winds killed many cattle and horses. 1811 – A hurricane was recorded in New Orleans. August 19–20, 1812 – The 1812 Louisiana hurricane hit the area just west of New Orleans. August 19, 1813 – A hurricane affected the Gulf Coast.
August 10, 1856 – The Last Island hurricane struck the state south of New Iberia with winds of 150 mph (240 km/h), making it the strongest hurricane on record in the state. There were at least 218 fatalities in the state. The resort city of Last Island was destroyed, while New Orleans recorded of rainfall. August 11, 1860 – A hurricane hit southeastern Louisiana, killing 47 people. Damages totaled $260,000. October 1, 1893 – A powerful hurricane struck and destroyed the fishing village of Cheniere Caminada, killing around 2,000 people in the state.
1900s
June 27, 1957 – Hurricane Audrey made landfall in Cameron Parish with winds of . Audrey brought tides as high as to the coast of the state, causing devastating damage and killing over 400 people. The highest rainfall reported in the state was near Basile. September 9, 1965 – Hurricane Betsy made landfall at Grand Isle with winds of . More than 27,000 homes in the state were destroyed by Betsy. 58 people were killed and damage totaled over $1.4 billion. August 26, 1992 – Hurricane Andrew made landfall near Morgan City as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of , producing around $1 billion in damage as a result of high winds, rainfall, and storm surge. of rain was recorded in Hammond, and tides reached in Cocodrie. In total, 17 deaths were reported. October 4, 1995 – Hurricane Opal brought gale-force winds and a moderate storm surge of to portions of coastal Louisiana while passing east of the state. October 5–8, 1996 – Distant Tropical Storm Josephine brought strong winds and increased tidal flooding along the coastline of the state. July 18, 1997 – Hurricane Danny made a brief landfall in Plaquemines Parish as a Category 1 hurricane, producing rainfall up to in Buras, and a storm surge up to in Grand Isle. September 10–14, 1998 – Whilst making landfall in Texas, the outer rainbands of Tropical Storm Frances brought high winds and heavy rain to Louisiana, with up to of rain being recorded in Terrytown. Numerous tornadoes also occurred across the state, one of which killed a person in Lafourche Parish. September 20, 1998 – Tropical Storm Hermine made landfall near Cocodrie as a minimal tropical storm, producing only minor impacts. September 27–28, 1998 – Hurricane Georges brought strong winds and a damaging storm surge to southeastern Louisiana after making landfall in Mississippi as a Category 2 hurricane. Water levels up to above normal were recorded east of Pointe à la Hache, and significant erosion occurred to the Chandeleur Islands. Three indirect deaths were reported.
2000–2009
September 9, 2000 – Tropical Depression Nine made landfall near the Texas and Louisiana border as a tropical depression with winds of . Although the depression made landfall on Texas, most of the rain associated with the system affected Louisiana, where rainfall peaked at . At the coast, Tropical Depression Nine brought a storm surge peaking at . In Terrebonne Parish, strong thunderstorm winds associated with the depression damaged trailers and boats in Bayou Black, resulting in $2,500 in damages. Early–June 2001 – Tropical Storm Allison made landfall near Freeport, Texas on June 5, consequently stalling over the state before moving offshore and subsequently making a second landfall on Morgan City as a subtropical depression on June 11 with winds of and a minimum pressure of . This resulted in catastrophic flooding across the state. Rainfall from Allison peaked at in Thibodaux, ranking as the second–wettest tropical cyclone in state history, only behind a hurricane in 1940. Major river flooding occurred in Amite River and Comite River, which experienced their highest water levels since 1983. Homes were destroyed and swept away by flooding across the state. In Zachary, a man was killed after a tornado knocked a tree onto his truck. Damages from Tropical Storm Allison in Louisiana alone totaled to $65 million. August 6, 2001 – Tropical Storm Barry caused tides of along the southeastern coast of Louisiana before it made landfall on Santa Rosa Beach, Florida on August 6. Prior to making landfall, tropical storm watches and warnings were issued along the Gulf Coast, west to New Orleans. August 5, 2002 – Tropical Storm Bertha made landfall on Boothville as a minimal tropical storm with wind speeds of and a minimum pressure of , moving across Louisiana as a weakening system before moving back into the Gulf of Mexico on August 7. The storm dropped scattered rainfall across the state, peaking southwest of Franklinton at . Streets were flooded by the heavy rainfall in Slidell. In St. Tammany Parish, surface runoff from flash flooding caused some rivers to exceed flood stage. Damage in Louisiana totaled to $150,000 (2002 USD, $260,000 2024 USD). September 5, 2002 – Tropical Storm Fay developed offshore the Louisiana coast before making landfall in Texas as a moderate tropical storm. West of Cameron, Fay caused a storm surge as high as , resulting in minor beach erosion and coastal highway flooding. Tropical Storm Fay's outer rainbands dropped light rainfall over eastern and southern portions of the state, peaking at in Grand Isle. Prior to making landfall, a tropical storm warning was issued for western parts of Louisiana east to Intracoastal City. September 14, 2002 – Tropical Storm Hanna made landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River as a moderate tropical storm with winds of , before subsequently making landfall on the border between Alabama and Mississippi. Despite making landfall in Louisiana, as a result of convection displaced east of the center, the state received primarily minimal effects from Hanna. No significant flooding resulted from high tides caused by the storm. Rainfall was confined to extreme eastern portions of the state, where rainfall peaked at in Sondeheimer, Louisiana.
September 26, 2002 – Hurricane Isidore made landfall just west of Grand Isle as a Tropical Storm with winds of , having significantly weakened after stalling over the Yucatán Peninsula. Rainfall was widespread across the state, peaking at in Metarie. The heavy rains caused the failure of drainage systems, leaving numerous streets flooded. In Terrebonne Parish, 200–300 homes were flooded. The rains also damaged large plots of sugar cane crop in Southwest Louisiana. October 3, 2002 – Hurricane Lili made landfall on the morning of October 3 near Intracoastal City, as a weakening Category 1 hurricane. Wind gusts reaching , coupled with over of rainfall and a storm surge of caused over $790 million (2002 USD) in damage to Louisiana. A total of 237,000 people lost power, and oil rigs offshore were shut down for up to a week. Crops were badly affected, particularly the sugar cane; damage totaled nearly $175 million (2002 USD). No direct deaths were reported as early warnings and the compact nature of the storm circumvented major loss of life. June 30, 2003 – Tropical Storm Bill brought a moderate storm surge peaking at at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium facility in Chauvin. In Montegut, the surge breached a levee that still was damaged from the effects of Hurricane Lili nine months before. The breach flooded many homes in the town, forcing the evacuation of an entire neighborhood. As a result, 150 homes in the town were damaged, with half of them severely. The storm surge affected numerous low-lying cities in southeastern Louisiana by flooding roadways, including the only road to Grand Isle, stranding residents and visitors. The floodwaters entered a few homes and businesses in St. Tammany Parish. Damage from the storm surge totaled to $4.1 million (2003 USD). Rough waves sank two boats offshore, though their occupants were rescued. August 31, 2003 – Tropical Storm Grace dropped light rainfall across the state. September 15–16 and September 22-23, 2004 – Around the time of Hurricane Ivan's initial landfall in Alabama, the storm produced wind gusts as strong as at the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River. About 50 electrical poles were toppled. About a dozen structures in St. Bernard Parish were damaged. Storm surge flooded several low-lying areas in southeastern Louisiana. About 55,000 customers lost power during the storm. Four people died during evacuation and damage in the state reached roughly $7.9 million. The storm's second landfall in Holly Beach resulted in minor coastal flooding, with damage totaling only about $15,000. Inland, generally light rainfall was recorded. October 10, 2004 – Tropical Storm Matthew caused a storm surge of up to in Frenier, Louisiana. The storm surge and waves resulted in significant beach erosion in Grand Isle. Portions of Louisiana experienced significant rainfall, including a peak of in Haynesville. In addition, a tornado caused damage to the roof of a trailer in Golden Meadow. Rainfall and storm surge flooded 20 homes in Terrebonne Parish. In addition, several homes in Lafouche Parish experienced flooding, including two with over two feet of water. Numerous homes in Golden Meadow experienced flooding, as well. The flooding also forced the temporary closing of numerous roads across the state, including portions of Route 11 and Interstate 10. Flood waters from the storm cracked a water line in LaPlace, leaving nearly 30,000 residents and many businesses without tap water. The problem was expected to take little time to fix, though residents were advised to boil the water before drinking it. Matthew also left 2,500 people without power for a short period of time. The storm's impact also closed several schools. In all, Matthew caused $255,000 in damage (2004 USD).