Louisiana Hurricane History:
Early 20th Century

David Roth*
National Weather Service
Lake Charles, LA

August 14th, 1901: Hurricane forms northeast of Puerto Rico and moves west through Southern Florida and northwest through the Gulf of Mexico before hitting Grand Isle on the 14th. The 5-min average winds reached 56 m.p.h. at Port Eads before the anemometer blew away.

River stages at New Orleans rose to a level of 7 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 26th, 1906: A hurricane made landfall at the Mouth of the Pascagoula River. Gales were experienced along the Lower Mississippi Delta. Winds gusted to 49 m.p.h. 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 10th (Cipra). 

July 21st, 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.  

On September 20th, 1909, a hurricane passed over Berwick Bay before passing inland between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Winds of 80 m.p.h. 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 p.m.. 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.

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. 

August 15-17th, 1915: 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), 10 feet at Grand Cheniere, and 9.5 feet at Marsh Island; Grand Isle reported water 6 feet deep across the city. 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. See Texas Hurricane History for what occurred in Texas during this hurricane. 

September 29th, 1915: A violent hurricane reached New Orleans. The then 10 foot high levee protecting the city 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 gusted to 106 m.p.h.. New Orleans saw as high as 98 m.p.h.. Franklin had 14.43" of rain during the storm, while New Orleans saw over 8". Over 50% of U.S. Highway 90 along the Mississippi coast was destroyed.

Storm surges up to 12 feet ran ashore the northern coast of Grand Isle. 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. Ninety-nine out of 100 buildings were destroyed in the town of Leeville. 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 18th, 1916: A large hurricane hit Pensacola. Gale force winds lashed Lower Plaquemines Parish. The storm produced damage as far west as Burrwood. 

On August 6th, 1918, 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 m.p.h.; Sulphur reported a pressure of 28.36" and winds as high as 125 m.p.h.. Johnson's Bayou saw a 2 1/2 foot storm surge while Morgan City recorded a 3 foot surge. Leesburg (Cameron) itself saw little damage. However, homes in Grand Chenier and Creole were swept away by the storm surge.

The tempest killed 3 at Gerstner Field, formerly near Holmwood. It destroyed 7 hangars and 96 airplanes. Only its Big lake Gunnery School survived, which assisted with relief work after the storm. 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 $3 million in losses. 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. Five million dollars in damage occurred.

The main route between Leesburg (Cameron) and Lake Charles was a ship named the Borealis Rex. It left on the morning of the 6th and fought the 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 the winds reversed out of the north, the Borealis Rex was forced a mile downstream where it sank in 8-10 foot waves. The lowest pressure noted on the Rex's barometer was 29.06". The boat was resurrected, refurbished, and back in commission in the Spring of 1919. Its bell ended up at the Cameron Methodist church, until it was blown off the roof on February 12, 1998 during severe thunderstorms. 

September 11-14th, 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. Similar to Carla of 1961 in effects. See Texas Hurricane History for much more on this tempest. 

September 21-22nd, 1920: Hurricane passed through eastern Louisiana. Pressure fell to 28.99" at Houma with tides up to 6 feet reported in the Mississippi Sound. 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 were estimated at 90 m.p.h. for Grand Isle. Tides did considerable damage at Grand Isle and Manilla Village. Killed one and produced $1.45 million in damage. 

October 16th, 1923: Minimal hurricane hits state near Point Au Fer. 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 25-27th, 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 neat 27N 90.5W. The pressure bottomed out at 28.31" in Houma with estimated winds of 100 m.p.h. at Grand Isle. Morgan City had 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 full of wreckage which became almost 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. 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 railway ferry barge in the Mississippi when two tugboats towing it grounded.

A boat sank at Donaldsonville. The New Canal lighthouse was again damaged, causing it to be raised three feet after the storm. The third Timbalier Bay lighthouse was slightly 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 4 million dollars in building damage occurred as it moved northwest towards Shreveport. 

* Author's current affiliation: NWS National Centers for Environmental Prediction - Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, Camp Springs, Maryland

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