New Orleans,Louisiana's history with tropical systems content for your site
Current weather

(br)=brush (ts)=Tropical Storm (bd)=Back Door,meaning coming from over land from opposite coast.Not all names are noted,also storms before 1950 were not named.Not every stat on every storm description is given(since 1871).

Years within 60 miles
1879,1879ts,1887,1888br,1897br,1892ts,1893,1900tsbr,1901,1905ts,1907ts,1909
1914bdts,1915,1916br,1932ts,1934tsbr,1936ts,1944tsbr,1947,1948,1949ts
1955ts,1964bdts,1965,1969br,1979,1985br,1988ts,1992br,1998ts,2002- 2 ts,2004tsbr,2005ts,2005,(2008br not in stats)
36 times in 137yrs end of 2007


Names from list above
Brenda,Esther,Hilda,Betsy,Camille,Bob,Elena,Florence,Andrew,Hermine,Bertha ,Isidore,Matthew,Cindy,Katrina,Gustav,

How often New Orleans gets affected?
brushed or hit every 3.80 years

Average years between direct hurricane hits.(usually within 40 miles to include small hurricanes)
(11h)once every 12.45 years

Statistically when New Orleans should be affected next
affected in 2008

Last affected by
Last affected by
Sept 1st 2008 Hurricane Gustav passes approx 60 miles to the SW while moving N.W with 110mph winds,high surge but levees held.

This areas hurricane past
1779 one of the earliest recorded hurricanes hits here
1879 Just NW by 40 miles with 100mph winds Sept 1st
1887 oct 18th press 29.22 heavy damage from a brush with a hurricane
1893 oct 2nd 2,000 killed in louisiana by storm surge of 13ft 100mph heavy damage in N.E U.S as well
1901 aug 14th a hurricane causes heavy flooding here kills 10
1909 a hurricane just west kills 353 in louisiana sept causes 5 million in damage 110mph wind gusts.
1915 press 28.11 measured at Tulane university, 124mph gusts to 140mph 275 killed. By the time it reached New Orleans winds were around cat 2 status. A storm surge of 13 ft reported in lake Pontchatrain,near the city it was closer to 9ft.The extreme velocity of 130 miles per hour, from the southeast, occurred at 4:58 p.m while the maximum velocity for five minutes, 86 miles per hour, occurred from 5:11 to 5:16 p.m.
1947 an 11ft storm surge covers St Bernard & Plaquemines parishes.Barometer 28.57 51 killed winds 90mph a one min maximum of 110mph very heavy damage,gusts to 125mph,6ft of standing water Newspaper article
1948 sept 3rd press 29.21
1965 sept 10th hurricane Betsy gives the area gusts to 105mph & dumps very heavy rain here.while moving just west . Power outages last for quite some time, Ruth Chris steak house gave away food during this event & helped establish the popular food chain. NOTE: Betsy was a strong cat 4 while approaching land near Grand Isle but by the time she reached her closest point to New Orleans 45miles to the SW her winds were 105mph. Betsy page
Tropical Storm Frances pushed a 4.5-foot storm surge into St. Charles Parish in 1998, putting U.S. 90 under water for a week .
2005 august 29th Hurricane Katrina hits just east with 125mph winds while moving north with very heavy damage and many fatalities. St Bernard Parish under water with many missing.Death toll after season ended was over 1,800 . Final wind reports show category 1/2 winds were most common in the city.97 mph winds were measured by NASA at 1100 UTC aug 29th. Katrina was officially a category 3 while hitting SE Louisiana & the Mississippi coast. The large size of Katrina as well a being a category 5 before hitting land caused a near 27ft storm surge on the Mississippi coast, causing a high surge into lake pontchatrain. 80% of New Orleans flooded after passage of hurricane Katrina. Radar animation | Newspaper headline | Newspaper headline #2 | Newpaper Headline #3 | Newpaper Headline #4 | Newpaper Headline #5 | Newspaper article about winds |map of flooding | Hyatt hotel glass blown out | Jim Williams & Dr Neil Frank at hurricane conference in New Orleans before Katrina hit(audio clip rp) | Damage shot | Levee being rebuilt | damage shot | superdome damage | Katrina tour Brochure | Illinois newspaper 9 months later | Video of New Orleans damage & rebuilding | Lower ninth ward monument day | Lower ninth ward monument night | St Bernard Parish monument | Color enhanced satellite vapor image | track and dates



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