Cold in Louisiana, February 2 to 5, 1996

Name: Cold in Louisiana, February 2 to 5, 1996
Start: 1996-02-02T16:00
End: 1996-02-05T12:00
Location: Louisiana

February 2 to 5, 1996 · NWS LIX · 27 events in 27 counties and zones

An arctic airmass overspread much of SE Louisiana bringing the longest extended period of cold weather since 1989. A 77 year old woman died from hypothermia in Metairie, Jefferson Parish on the 4th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 13 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: $20 million
Events: 27

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS LIX wrote it up.

An arctic airmass overspread much of SE Louisiana bringing the longest extended period of cold weather since 1989. A 77 year old woman died from hypothermia in Metairie, Jefferson Parish on the 4th. She slipped and fell at a construction site at the rear of a hospital, was unable to get assistance, and died of exposure to cold weather. Many schools were closed and considerable property damage resulted from broken pipes due to the extended period of subfreezing temperatures. Several house fires were started by malfunctioning heaters. The cost of the damage to the sugar cane crop was estimated at $20,000,000 by a representative of the American Sugar Cane League. Several daily record minimum temperatures were set on Monday the 5th. The 16 degree reading at Moisant International Airport also established a record minimum temperature for the month. The temperature at the Baton Rouge Airport remained below freezing for 68 consecutive hours.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

27 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Pointe Coupee

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Pointe Coupee forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.709, -91.601 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, West Feliciana

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: West Feliciana forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.880, -91.420 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, East Feliciana

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: East Feliciana forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.845, -91.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, St. Helena

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: St. Helena forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.822, -90.710 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Tangipahoa

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Tangipahoa forecast zone

Cold/Wind Chill, Washington

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.853, -90.040 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, St. Tammany

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: St. Tammany forecast zone

Cold/Wind Chill, Iberville

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Iberville forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.259, -91.349 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, West Baton Rouge

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: West Baton Rouge forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.463, -91.313 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, East Baton Rouge

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: East Baton Rouge forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.538, -91.096 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Ascension

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Ascension forecast zone

Cold/Wind Chill, Livingston

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Livingston forecast zone

Cold/Wind Chill, Assumption

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Assumption forecast zone
Coordinates: 29.901, -91.063 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, St. James

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: St. James forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.026, -90.796 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, St. John the Baptist

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: St. John the Baptist forecast zone
Coordinates: 30.127, -90.471 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Upper Lafourche

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Upper Lafourche forecast zone
Crop damage: $20 million

Cold/Wind Chill, St. Charles

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: St. Charles forecast zone

Cold/Wind Chill, Upper Jefferson

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Upper Jefferson forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect

Cold/Wind Chill, Orleans

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Orleans forecast zone

Cold/Wind Chill, Upper Plaquemines

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Upper Plaquemines forecast zone

Cold/Wind Chill, Upper St. Bernard

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Upper St. Bernard forecast zone
Coordinates: 29.874, -89.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Upper Terrebonne

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Upper Terrebonne forecast zone

Cold/Wind Chill, Lower Terrebonne

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Lower Terrebonne forecast zone

Cold/Wind Chill, Lower Lafourche

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Lower Lafourche forecast zone

Cold/Wind Chill, Lower Jefferson

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Lower Jefferson forecast zone

Cold/Wind Chill, Lower Plaquemines

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Lower Plaquemines forecast zone

Cold/Wind Chill, Lower St. Bernard

When: February 2, 4:00 PM CST to February 5, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Lower St. Bernard forecast zone
Coordinates: 29.874, -89.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Cold/Wind Chill, Upper Jefferson	1996-02-04	77	Female	Outside/Open Areas	Direct

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill: Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Louisiana in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Louisiana, February 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5548319, 5548320, 5548321, 5548480, 5548481, 5548482, 5548483, 5548484, 5548485, 5548486, 5548487, 5548488, 5548489, 5548490, 5548491, 5548492, 5548493, 5548494, 5548495, 5548496, 5548497, 5548498, 5548499, 5548500, 5548501, 5548502, 5548503.