New Orleans

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Orleans Parish, the county that contains New Orleans.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Orleans Parish, the county that contains New Orleans.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

High tide flooding

Tide gauges in Orleans Parish.

1. High tide flooding days are days on which a NOAA tide gauge recorded water at or above NOAA's minor flood threshold, set from the gauge's tide range, counted by meteorological year (May to April). These are the counts in NOAA's annual high tide flooding reports; they are not National Weather Service flood stages. Years with less than 80 percent of data are left out.

NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, through April 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Orleans Parish, the county that contains New Orleans.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Tsunamis

Tsunami records for Orleans Parish.

1. Places where NOAA's Global Historical Tsunami Database records a tsunami's water arriving, with the greatest height it reached above sea level at the time. Only tsunamis NOAA rates probable or definite are counted. Heights from eyewitness accounts and tide gauges are mixed, and older events are less completely recorded.

NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Aug 29, 2005Storm Surge/Tide, Orleans$18 billion
   National Weather Service narrative

   Storm surge damage in southeast Louisiana, especially in the New Orleans area and the coastal parishes, was catastrophic. Hurricane protection levees and floodwalls were overtopped and/or breached resulting in widespread and deep flooding of homes and businesses. Much of Orleans and Plaquemines Parishes and nearly all of St. Bernard Parish were flooded by storm surge. Approximately 80 percent of the city of New Orleans was flooded. Thousands of people were stranded by the flood waters in homes and buildings and on rooftops for several days and had to be rescued by boat and helicopter. In Jefferson Parish, levees were not compromised, however many homes were flooded by either heavy…

2. Aug 28, 2005Hurricane (Typhoon), Orleans$3.6 billion
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Katrina was one of the strongest and most destructive hurricanes on record to impact the coast of the United States. It will likely be recorded as one the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States to date resulting in catastrophic damage and numerous casualties in southeast Louisiana and along the Mississippi coast. Damage and casualties resulting from Hurricane Katrina extended as far east as Alabama and the panhandle of Florida. Katrina developed from a tropical depression southeast of the Bahamas on August 24th. After moving through the Bahamas as a tropical storm, Katrina strengthened to a category 1 hurricane prior to landfall in south Florida…

3. Aug 29, 2021Hurricane (Typhoon), Western Orleans Parish$500 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The parish suffered widespread tree damage with many trees snapped or uprooted, some falling on homes or power lines. Numerous power poles were also snapped. The strong winds also caused widespread minor to moderate structural damage such as shingle and minor roof damage, awning damage, signs blown over and other minor damage. A few structures suffered major damage or were destroyed. It also resulted in a catastrophic failure of the power system to the parish with all 8 transmission lines failing. This resulted in a 100% power outage not only to the parish but to the entire metro area. There were twelve indirect fatalities in the parish: eight due to excessive heat, two due to…

4. Aug 29, 2021Hurricane (Typhoon), Eastern Orleans Parish$300 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The parish suffered widespread tree damage with many trees snapped or uprooted, some falling on homes or power lines. Numerous power poles were also snapped. The strong winds also caused widespread minor to moderate structural damage such as shingle and minor roof damage, awning damage, signs blown over and other minor damage. A few structures suffered major damage or were destroyed. It also resulted in a catastrophic failure of the power system to the parish with all 8 transmission lines failing. This resulted in a 100% power outage not only to the parish but to the entire metro area. There were twelve indirect fatalities in the parish: eight due to excessive heat, two due to…

5. Aug 28, 2012Storm Surge/Tide, Orleans$62.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Isaac entered the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical storm on August 26, moving northwest after crossing Haiti, Cuba and the Florida Straits. Isaac strengthened into a hurricane on the morning of the 28th when it was 75 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Isaac made landfall in Plaquemines Parish as a Category 1 Hurricane near Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River on the evening of the 28th. A second landfall occurred near Port Fourchon the following morning. The storm weakened to a tropical storm on the afternoon of the 29th about 50 miles west southwest of New Orleans, and weakened further to a tropical depression on the afternoon of the 30th near Monroe,…

6. Dec 14, 2022Tornado$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado entered into Orleans Parish from Jefferson Parish as it crossed the Westbank Expressway. Moving into Algiers, the tornado again caused significant structural damage along Tita St. One home was shifted from its foundation and began to roll over, being completely destroyed in the process. Three others suffered significant roof structure loss or partial wall collapse. A church was also|shifted from its foundation and destroyed on Wiltz Ln. The tornado then crossed the river, exiting Orleans Parish and entering into St. Bernard Parish.

7. Aug 28, 2012Hurricane (Typhoon), Orleans$26.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Isaac entered the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical storm on August 26, moving northwest after crossing Haiti, Cuba and the Florida Straits. Isaac strengthened into a hurricane on the morning of the 28th when it was 75 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Isaac made landfall in Plaquemines Parish as a Category 1 Hurricane near Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River on the evening of the 28th. A second landfall occurred near Port Fourchon the following morning. The storm weakened to a tropical storm on the afternoon of the 29th about 50 miles west southwest of New Orleans, and weakened further to a tropical depression on the afternoon of the 30th near Monroe,…

8. Oct 28, 2020Storm Surge/Tide, Orleans$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Leading up to to the storm, the parish issued voluntary evacuation orders for areas outside the hurricane and storm damage risk reduction system levees. This included Irish Bayou, Lake Catherine, and Venetian Isles. The parish housed 12 people in a shelter for medical needs. Along Lake Pontchartrain, the NOS gauge at New Canal (NWCL1) peaked at 4.84 ft MHHW. A gauge near the Rigolets (RIGL1) recorded a peak water level of 5.32 ft NAVD88. The West End (WEGL1) gauge measured a peak of 6.30 ft NAVD88. The Lakefront (PLAL1) gauge measured a peak of 4.21 ft NAVD88. The Chef Pass (CMPL1) gauge measured a peak of 4.04 ft NAVD88.

9. Oct 28, 2020Hurricane (Typhoon), Orleans$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Zeta produced widespread damage due to high winds. A Weatherflow station near the border of St. Bernard and Orleans parishes on |Bayou Bienvenue recorded a maximum sustained wind of 87 mph with peak gust of 112 mph, though it should be noted that at 27.4m. The station is elevated higher than the standard observation height of 10m. Trees, power lines and power poles were snapped throughout the parish with the parish responding to around 550 tree emergencies. 40 city facilities suffered minor structural damage in addition to 400 residential and commercial buildings. 10 buildings sustained major damage. 1 indirect fatality occurred due to electrocution and one injury due to falling…

10. Jul 5, 2005Hurricane (Typhoon), Orleans$17.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Hurricane Cindy developed from a tropical depression that formed over the extreme western Caribbean Sea on July 3. This depression moved northwest over the Yucatan Peninsula and emerged over the south central Gulf of Mexico on July 4. On July 5th the depression strengthened into a tropical storm and moved north toward the southeast Louisiana coast. Cindy made landfall in southeast Louisiana early on July 6th just to the west of Grand Isle, and reached minimal hurricane strength for a short period of time. Cindy then turned toward the northeast and moved over the New Orleans area and toward the Mississippi coast before dissipating inland over central Alabama later that day. Cindy…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

105°F2 times, most recently Aug 27, 2023

All-time low

20°F2 times, most recently Jan 17, 2018

Warmest night

88°F5 times, most recently Aug 7, 2024

Coldest day

33°FFeb 4, 1996

Wettest day

10.81 inMay 8, 1995

Snowiest day

1.0 inDec 11, 2008

Hottest year

2023mean 74.5°F

Coldest year

2014mean 69.4°F

Wettest year

199283.55 in

Driest year

199934.91 in

Station New Orleans Lakefront Airport (USW00053917), 3 ft elevation, 5.7 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1991 to October 27, 2026; 95.4% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Orleans Parish.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00053917.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tide gauges NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tsunamis NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.