Don’t let the fall weather fool you. Hurricane season is not over in Louisiana. State climatologist Barry Keim says it’s too early to let your guard down because the history books reflect that storms can make a Louisiana landfall in October.
“The Cheniere Caminada storm was on October 1, Hilda was on October 3, the Racer’s Storm was on October 6. Obviously, these things lean toward the earlier part of the month,” said Keim.
The records date back to 1851.
While many of the state’s October landfalls may be frontloaded, Hurricane Juan made landfall on October 29, 1985, looped around, and made a second landfall on October 31. Keim says it may not have been the most powerful hurricane, but its stationary nature pummeled south Louisiana.
“It did horrific damage to the sugar cane crops across south Louisiana with the heavy rains and the protracted winds at hurricane strength. That storm did a whole lot of damage in Louisiana at the very end of October,” said Keim.
Juan is the latest into a season that a hurricane has made landfall in Louisiana. Keim says that means no storm has made a Louisiana landfall in the last month of hurricane season.
“We’re not out of the woods until October is over with. I kind of close the book on hurricane season in November, but the chances of getting hit are not zero,” said Keim.
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