Lightning TrackerNew Orleans storms: live alerts, hail & tornado history
Live watches and warnings for New Orleans, LA, the 48-hour thunderstorm outlook, and every hail, damaging-wind and tornado report within 25 miles since 2016.
Live alerts for New Orleans, LA
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Storm outlook, next 48 hours
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Severe weather in New Orleans by the numbers
New Orleans gets regular severe thunderstorms: since 2016, spotters and emergency managers have filed 215 severe-weather reports within 25 miles of the city — 36 hail reports, 151 damaging-wind reports and 28 tornado reports. On average that is 8.0 days a year with at least one report.
Storm season here peaks in April, May, June, when 66% of all reports were filed.
In the last 12 months there were 4 hail reports, 21 wind reports and 5 tornado reports around New Orleans; the largest hail was 1.50″ (walnut / ping pong ball) on May 8, 2026.
Latest storm reports near New Orleans
| Date | Report | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 24, 2026 | Damaging wind | 20 mi W · St. Charles Co. |
| Aug 21, 2026 | Damaging wind | 2 mi S · Orleans Co. |
| Aug 21, 2026 | Hail 1.00″ | 3 mi SW · Orleans Co. |
| Jun 19, 2026 | Tornado | 5 mi E · St. Bernard Co. |
| Jun 17, 2026 | Damaging wind | 4 mi NW · Orleans Co. |
| Jun 17, 2026 | Tornado | 5 mi W · Jefferson Co. |
| May 22, 2026 | Hail 1.00″ | 15 mi W · St. Charles Co. |
| May 9, 2026 | Damaging wind | 6 mi NE · Orleans Co. |
| May 8, 2026 | Damaging wind | 8 mi SE · Plaquemines Co. |
| May 8, 2026 | Hail 1.50″ | 19 mi W · St. Charles Co. |
One line per day and type — the closest report that day. Distance and direction from the city centre. The latest SPC reports are preliminary until NOAA finalises them.
Storm reports by year
Storm season in New Orleans
All hail, wind and tornado reports within 25 miles, 2016–2026, by month.
Hail in New Orleans
New Orleans averages 1.4 days a year with hail reported nearby. The biggest stone on record since 2016 was 2.00 inches — about the size of a hen egg — reported 9 miles from the city centre on May 15, 2022. Hail of 1 inch (quarter size) or larger is what makes a thunderstorm severe; see the hail size chart.
Tornadoes near New Orleans
There have been 28 tornado reports within 25 miles of New Orleans since 2016; the strongest was rated EF3 (Mar 22, 2022, 5 miles from the city centre). A tornado warning means a tornado is occurring or imminent — take shelter immediately.
Storm alerts for New Orleans on your iPhone
Lightning Tracker shows storm risk around you, live severe-weather alerts and how close the storm is — free on the App Store.
Storm trackers near New Orleans
Questions about storms in New Orleans
Does New Orleans get a lot of severe storms?
New Orleans averages 8.0 days a year with at least one hail, damaging-wind or tornado report within 25 miles, based on NOAA Storm Prediction Center reports 2016–2025.
When is storm season in New Orleans?
Most severe-weather reports around New Orleans come in April, May, June.
What is the biggest hail recorded near New Orleans?
2.00 inches (hen egg size) on May 15, 2022, 9 miles from the city centre.
Have tornadoes hit near New Orleans?
Yes — 28 tornado reports within 25 miles since 2016, the strongest rated EF3 on Mar 22, 2022.
How do I get storm alerts for New Orleans?
The live panel on this page shows every active National Weather Service watch and warning for New Orleans, LA. For alerts on your phone, Lightning Tracker for iPhone shows storm risk and warnings for your location.
How this page works: storm reports are NOAA Storm Prediction Center local storm reports (final database 2016–2025, preliminary daily reports after that) within 25 miles of New Orleans, LA. They are reports of hail, damaging wind and tornadoes — not lightning strike counts, which no free public dataset provides at city level. Live alerts come from the National Weather Service API, the outlook from Open-Meteo forecast models. Updated Sep 29, 2026.