Thunderstorm Wind, West Baton Rouge
- When
- April 26, 12:58 AM CST
- Where
- West Baton Rouge County, Erwinville
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 30.530, -91.400
Damaging Winds in Louisiana, April 26, 1997
A line of severe thunderstorms moved across east central and southeast Louisiana during the early morning hours. Wind gusts of 60 mph or greater were measured at several wind gages in the greater New Orleans area and on Lake Pontchartrain.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $88,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 18
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.
A line of severe thunderstorms moved across east central and southeast Louisiana during the early morning hours. Wind gusts of 60 mph or greater were measured at several wind gages in the greater New Orleans area and on Lake Pontchartrain. North of Norco, wind gusts were strong enough to disloged approximately 3500 unsecured 250 pound timbers from the Bonnet Carre Spillway, which links the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain. All but 100 of the timbers were recovered. Wind gusts at the Lakefront Airport in New Orleans damaged several light aircraft. In Erwinville, a mobile home was overturned by wind gusts, but there were no injuries. The remainder of damage reports primarily consisted of trees and large tree limbs being blown down, resulting in power outages in scattered locations across the region.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
18 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, East Feliciana
- When
- April 26, 1:00 AM CST
- Where
- East Feliciana County, Norwood
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Coordinates
- 30.970, -91.100
Thunderstorm Wind, East Baton Rouge
- When
- April 26, 1:15 AM CST
- Where
- East Baton Rouge County, Baton Rouge
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 30.470, -91.170
Thunderstorm Wind, Ascension
- When
- April 26, 1:40 AM CST
- Where
- Ascension County, Donaldsonville
- Property damage
- $300
- Coordinates
- 30.100, -91.000
Thunderstorm Wind, Lafourche
- When
- April 26, 1:45 AM CST
- Where
- Lafourche County, Thibodaux to 6 mi of Thibodaux
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 29.880, -90.830
Thunderstorm Wind, Terrebonne
- When
- April 26, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Terrebonne County, Schriever
- Property damage
- $300
- Coordinates
- 29.750, -90.820
Thunderstorm Wind, Livingston
- When
- April 26, 2:15 AM CST
- Where
- Livingston County, Walker
- Property damage
- $500
- Coordinates
- 30.480, -90.870
Thunderstorm Wind, Livingston
- When
- April 26, 2:22 AM CST
- Where
- Livingston County, Livingston
- Property damage
- $500
- Coordinates
- 30.500, -90.750
Thunderstorm Wind, St. James
- When
- April 26, 2:30 AM CST
- Where
- St. James County, Convent
- Property damage
- $500
- Coordinates
- 30.020, -90.830
Thunderstorm Wind, St. John the Baptist
- When
- April 26, 2:55 AM CST
- Where
- St. John the Baptist County, La Place
- Property damage
- $500
- Coordinates
- 30.070, -90.480
Thunderstorm Wind, St. Charles
- When
- April 26, 2:57 AM CST
- Where
- St. Charles County, Ama
- Property damage
- $500
- Coordinates
- 29.950, -90.300
Thunderstorm Wind, St. Charles
- When
- April 26, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- St. Charles County, Des Allemands
- Property damage
- $500
- Coordinates
- 29.830, -90.470
Thunderstorm Wind, St. Charles
- When
- April 26, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- St. Charles County, 4 mi N of Norco
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 30.050, -90.420
Thunderstorm Wind, Orleans
- When
- April 26, 3:04 AM CST
- Where
- Orleans County, (New)lkfrnt Arpt to Algiers
- Measured
- 57 kt (66 mph)
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 30.050, -90.030
Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson
- When
- April 26, 3:05 AM CST
- Where
- Jefferson County, Metairie to Harvey
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Coordinates
- 29.980, -90.150
Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson
- When
- April 26, 3:15 AM CST
- Where
- Jefferson County, 9 mi N of Metairie
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 30.120, -90.150
Thunderstorm Wind, St. Tammany
- When
- April 26, 3:15 AM CST
- Where
- St. Tammany County, Slidell
- Property damage
- $300
- Coordinates
- 30.270, -89.780
Thunderstorm Wind, Orleans
- When
- April 26, 4:10 AM CST
- Where
- Orleans County, Ft Pike
- Measured
- 54 kt (62 mph)
- Coordinates
- 30.170, -89.730
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flood in Florida, April 26, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, April 26, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Florida, April 26, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Mississippi, April 26 to 27, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, April 26, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Mississippi, April 26 to 27, 1997
- High Wind in Mississippi, April 26, 1997
- Hail in Texas, April 26, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, April 26, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, April 26, 1997
- Flash Flood in Texas, April 26, 1997
- Hail in Louisiana, April 26, 1997
More
Every storm in Louisiana in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, April 1997
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5598503, 5598504, 5598505, 5598506, 5598181, 5598182, 5598183, 5598184, 5598185, 5598186, 5598187, 5598188, 5598189, 5598190, 5598191, 5598192, 5598193, 5598194.