Louisiana Hurricanes

Revolutionary improvements occurred in hurricane research and technology throughout the 20th century. Researchers began observing cyclones via reconnaissance aircrafts and using weather surveillance systems to track tropical systems well in advance of their landfalls, in addition to the development of a storm naming system. Building codes began to account for the possibility of hurricane force winds, cities and regions created evacuation plans, and emergency preparations improved. Even so, the 20th century saw some of the state’s costliest and deadliest hurricanes on record.

During this century, a minimum of 61 known storms impacted Louisiana. Many of these storms are referenced in local newspapers, which may be available for viewing through LSU Special Collections’ Louisiana Newspaper Collection holdings. LSU Special Collections houses primary sources pertaining to storms for the years 1909, 1910, 1915, 1926, 1938, 1948, and Hurricane Carmen in 1974. For Hurricanes Audrey, Betsy, Camille, and Andrew, please refer to the corresponding pages in the left-hand menu. 

Listed below are some recommended subject headings for searching for 20th century hurricanes. Full steps on how to use these subject terms can be found on this LibGuide's homepage.

Hurricanes.
Hurricanes -- Gulf States.
Hurricanes -- Louisiana.
Hurricanes -- Mexico, Gulf of -- History -- 20th century.
Louisiana -- Hurricanes.

A few of the collections held by LSU Libraries Special Collections are listed below. Additional collections may be found utilizing the subject headings listed in the sections above. 

Books and other published materials

Manuscript collections

Additional resources on 20th Century hurricanes may be located at the following link.

Images in the banner from left to right are numbered below 1 to 8.

1. Hurricane Audrey  2. Hurricane Betsy  3. Hurricane Camille  4. Hurricane Andrew  
5. Hurricane Katrina  6. Hurricane Rita  7. Hurricane Gustav  8. Hurricane Ike

Images 1-4 are in the public domain because they contain materials that originally came from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, taken or made as part of an employee's official duties. 
Images 5-8 are in the public domain in the United States because they were solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See NASA copyright policy page.)