Tornado Risk in New Orleans, LA
Risk Level: High — Score 5/10
Live Tornado alert status near New Orleans
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Live tornado map around New Orleans
Shows tornado warnings and events that are active right now, refreshed through the day. When none are active, the map is empty by design.
Key Risk Factors
- Moderate risk rating based on FEMA National Risk Index
- Estimated annual loss of $2M from this hazard type
- 74 tornadoes within 50 km since January 2015 (7 rated EF2 or stronger, 6 unrated; 2026 figures provisional)
- 11 tornadoes within 50 km in the 12 months to Sep 30, 2026 (2026 figures provisional)
- Occurs roughly 0.28 times per year on average
Peak season: April-June
Last significant event: EF2 tornado on April 10, 2024, closest point 42 km from the city centre (no deaths or injuries recorded)
Highest Risk Cities for Tornados
How New Orleans Compares
Strongest Tornadoes Near New Orleans
74 tornadoes touched down within 50 km of New Orleans between January 2015 and September 30, 2026 (7 rated EF2 or stronger, 6 unrated), according to NWS and SPC tornado records. 2026 figures are provisional until SPC publishes its final 2026 tornado file, and September 2026 is preliminary while NWS damage surveys are completed. The 5 strongest are listed below; distances run from the city centre to the closest point of each tornado's path (start to end point).
EF3 tornado, 10.1-mile path, closest point 10 km from the New Orleans city centre
February 7, 2017 — EF3
33 injuries
EF3 tornado, 11.5-mile path, closest point 5 km from the New Orleans city centre
March 22, 2022 — EF3
1 death, 2 injuries
EF2 tornado, 9.8-mile path, closest point 33 km from the New Orleans city centre
December 14, 2022 — EF2
1 death, 8 injuries
EF2 tornado, 4.7-mile path, closest point 39 km from the New Orleans city centre
February 23, 2016 — EF2
17 injuries
EF2 tornado, 10.6-mile path, closest point 4 km from the New Orleans city centre
December 14, 2022 — EF2
10 injuries
Tornado Preparedness Tips
- 1.Identify a safe room or storm shelter in your home or building
- 2.Practice tornado drills — get low, cover your head, stay away from windows
- 3.Have a NOAA Weather Radio for tornado watch and warning alerts
- 4.Secure outdoor objects that could become projectiles in high winds
- 5.Know the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning
Related Pages
How this data is built
New Orleans, LA tornado risk combines Historical Event Intelligence with authoritative hazard modeling from the Geospatial Intelligence Layers catalog. Live tornado monitoring is available through the Event Intelligence API and the DisasterAWARE Platform.
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The data behind this page
Every score and event here comes from DisasterAWARE's hazard database — available as downloadable historical datasets and a real-time API.
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