Louisiana Hurricane History:
Early 20th Century (continued)

July 22nd-25th, 1933: This tropical storm moved up the Texas coast for several days and brought heavy rainfall. An area of over 25,000 square miles saw an average of 12.5". A small area of East Texas and Western Louisiana measured 20" or more. Logansport recorded 22.3" over a 4 day period. 

June 16th, 1934: Morgan City was hit by a hurricane. Not a single building escaped unharmed. Chimneys tumbled, roofs were torn off, and numerous windows were smashed. Pressure fell to 28.52" at Jeanerette. Winds at Morgan City reached 68 m.p.h., but only reached 35 mph at New Orleans, where the pressure fell to 29.34". Storm killed 7 and produced $2.6 million in damage. 

August 14, 1938: A storm hit the shoreline east of Cameron. Grand Cheniere reported winds of hurricane force. Lake Charles recorded a pressure of 29.56" and wind gusts to 60 m.p.h. around 7:30 PM. Storm surges along the Southwest Louisiana coast were 4 to 5 feet. One person died in Lake Jackson and 250 thousand dollars worth of damage in Louisiana occurred.    

August 7th, 1940: A hurricane with sustained winds of 80 m.p.h. made landfall across Southwest Louisiana. Hurricane force winds only extended 10 miles on either side of the storm. Produced extensive flooding across Acadiana with Crowley receiving 33.71" of rain over a five day period (Aug 6-10); 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 7th and 8th which still stand today (6.77" and 4.84" respectively).

Calcasieu Pass reported at 4.8 foot storm surge and western portions of Lake Pontchartrain saw a 6.4 ft. surge. Muskrat losses were as high as 75,000 head. Damage totaled $6 million, and six lives were lost. See Texas Hurricane History for more of the story.   

September 22nd-24th, 1941: A hurricane which struck Texas City, Texas caused hurricane force winds to blast western Cameron parish. Winds gusted to 40 mph at Lake Charles, where the pressure fell to 29.48".   

August 19th-21st, 1942: This hurricane paralleled the shore before moving westward into Galveston. Hurricane force winds raged in the vicinity of Johnson Bayou. Winds only gusted to 28 mph at Lake Charles, where 2.12" of rain fell.   

July 25th, 1943: The hurricane that 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. Winds gusted to 36 mph at Lake Charles on the 27th. Gales were seen along the entire Louisiana coast.   

September 15-19th, 1943: Storm tides reached 4 feet in Lake Pontchartrain as a dying tropical storm made landfall east of Lake Charles. Very heavy rain occurred throughout Southern Louisiana, with 19.26" falling at Morgan City.

August 22nd, 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 19th, 1947: Hurricane force winds first reached the Mississippi and Louisiana shores at 6 a.m. and New Orleans at 8 a.m.. Gusts to 125 m.p.h. were estimated at Moisant International Airport (highest gust measured was 112 m.p.h.) and the pressure fell to 28.57". The map to the left shows the storm making landfall at 6:30 a.m. CST on on the 19th.

Hurricane force winds reached as far inland as Melville by 4 p.m.. A fifteen foot storm surge overcame the Bay St. Louis seawall. Ostrica saw an 11.5 foot surge and Shell Beach experienced an 11.2 foot storm surge. Water was 6 feet deep in Jefferson Parish. The air fields at Moisant were under 2 feet of water, closing the airport during its second year of operation. This storm demonstrated the dire need for tidal protection levees for New Orleans. Much of the city was flooded, and $100 million in damage was produced. The storm claimed 51 victims, 12 in Louisiana.

September 3rd-4th, 1948: Hurricane hits Timbalier Bay. Moisant International Airport observed 90 m.p.h. gusts. Pressure at the Huey Long Bridge in New Orleans fell to 29.21". Heavy damage was done to oil rigs and other equipment offshore Grand Isle. Crops suffered wind and rain damage. Storm surges of 5 feet occurred at Ostrica Lock and 4-5 feet along the Chandeleurs. Damage estimates were near $888 thousand. All survived the storm.