Louisiana Hurricane Tracker
Louisiana's coast is low, sinking, and losing land, which means storm surge pushes farther inland every decade. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 remains the benchmark. The storm itself was a Category 3 at landfall, but the federal levee failures flooded 80 percent of New Orleans and killed more than 1,300 people. The $14.5 billion Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System built afterward held through Hurricane Ida in 2021, which came ashore at Port Fourchon at 150 mph, tied with Hurricane Laura in 2020 at Cameron as the strongest winds ever recorded at a Louisiana landfall.
Ida's damage was wind and outages. Grand Isle and Houma were wrecked, an Entergy transmission tower fell into the Mississippi, and New Orleans went dark for more than a week in late-August heat, with more people dying from heat and generator carbon monoxide after the storm than during it. Laura and Delta hit the same stretch of southwest Louisiana six weeks apart and Lake Charles took years to recover. Hurricane Francine in September 2024 was a Category 2 in Terrebonne Parish. The lesson across all of them is the same. The areas outside the levee system, including Grand Isle, Lafitte, lower Plaquemines, Cameron Parish, and Terrebonne below the Intracoastal, flood first and worst, and the power grid fails long before the surge arrives.
Tropical Storm Edouard came ashore at Johnson Bayou in Cameron Parish on September 1, 2026 with 60 mph winds and surge over LA 82, the first Louisiana landfall of the 2026 season.
Radar
Composite radar, Louisiana.
Wind
ECMWF wind forecast, Louisiana.
Know Your Evacuation Zone
Louisiana does not use lettered zones. Evacuations are phased by geography and issued by parish presidents. Phase 1 covers areas south of the Intracoastal Waterway, roughly 50 hours before tropical storm winds arrive. Phase 2 covers areas south of I-10 at about 40 hours. Phase 3 covers the New Orleans metro east bank at about 30 hours, when contraflow opens on I-10 west, I-55, and I-59. Once contraflow starts, all lanes lead out and you cannot exit early.
Parish Emergency Management
The most exposed coastal and south Louisiana parishes. Your parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness posts local evacuation orders, shelter openings, and re-entry information.
Metro pages
New Orleans
Local radar, evacuation routes, and county links.
Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana
Coming soon
Houma, Thibodaux and the Bayou Region
Coming soon
Baton Rouge
Coming soon
Louisiana-specific prep
The homeowners insurance market in south Louisiana is strained. A dozen insurers went insolvent or left the state after Laura and Ida. Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is the state insurer of last resort and is meant to be temporary, not a long-term home for your policy. Check your wind deductible, which is often 2 to 5 percent of the dwelling value, not a flat dollar amount, so a $300,000 home with a 5 percent deductible means you pay the first $15,000 of wind damage.
Flood damage from storm surge or heavy rain is not covered by standard homeowners or wind policies. You need a separate National Flood Insurance Program policy, which has a 30-day waiting period, so it will not help for a storm already in the forecast. Most of south Louisiana is in a mapped flood zone, so assume you need it.
The Louisiana hurricane preparedness sales tax holiday was historically held the last weekend in May, but the legislature suspended it for several years. Check revenue.louisiana.gov for the 2026 status before you plan a supply run around it.
After Katrina, Louisiana passed the Pet Evacuation Act, which requires parishes to plan for pets in evacuations and shelters. You still need a carrier, current vaccinations, and food for your pet, and you should check with your parish for the nearest pet-friendly shelter before a storm threatens.
Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, and other parishes use a tiered re-entry placard system after an evacuation. Tier 1 is utility and government crews, Tier 2 is business owners, and Tier 3 is residents. Get your placard from your parish before the season starts so you can cross checkpoints to get home.
Generator carbon monoxide poisoning killed more people after Laura and Ida than the storms themselves. Run a generator at least 20 feet from any door, window, or vent, never in a garage or carport, point the exhaust away from the house, and install a battery-operated carbon monoxide alarm. Assume power can be out for 1 to 2 weeks in any direct hit.
Frequently asked questions
Does Louisiana have evacuation zones?
No lettered zones. Evacuations are phased by geography and issued by parish presidents. Phase 1 covers areas south of the Intracoastal Waterway, roughly 50 hours before tropical storm winds arrive. Phase 2 covers areas south of I-10 at about 40 hours. Phase 3 covers the New Orleans metro east bank at about 30 hours, when contraflow opens on the interstates. Once contraflow starts, all lanes run outbound and you cannot exit early.
Will the New Orleans levees hold?
The post-Katrina Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System is designed for a 1-in-100-year surge and held through Hurricane Ida in 2021 and Hurricane Francine in 2024. Areas outside the system, including Grand Isle, Lafitte, lower Plaquemines, and Terrebonne below the Intracoastal, are not protected and flood first and worst.
What was the strongest hurricane to hit Louisiana?
Hurricane Laura in 2020 and Hurricane Ida in 2021, both with 150 mph winds at landfall, tied with the 1856 Last Island hurricane as the strongest winds ever recorded at a Louisiana landfall. Laura hit Cameron and Ida hit Port Fourchon.
How long is power out after a hurricane in Louisiana?
Often more than a week in a direct hit. After Ida, most of southeast Louisiana was dark for more than a week and parts of Terrebonne and Lafourche waited weeks. After Laura, Lake Charles was without power for weeks. Plan for 1 to 2 weeks without electricity in any direct hit.
When does contraflow start?
Contraflow begins in Phase 3 of a New Orleans evacuation, about 30 hours before tropical storm winds, and is announced by the governor. All interstate lanes on I-10 west, I-55, and I-59 run outbound only. Once it starts you cannot exit early, so leave before contraflow or shelter in place if you are inland.
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Neighboring states
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