Flood, Tangipahoa
- When
- January 5, 6:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
- Where
- Tangipahoa County, Hammond
- Coordinates
- 30.627, -90.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood and Flooding in Louisiana, January 5, 1998
Heavy rain of three to five inches occurred over portions of extreme southeast Louisiana, including the greater New Orleans area, during the morning hours. The heavy rain occurred within a few hours time and overwhelmed drainage pumping capacity resulting in widespread street flooding.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $250,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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.
Heavy rain of three to five inches occurred over portions of extreme southeast Louisiana, including the greater New Orleans area, during the morning hours. The heavy rain occurred within a few hours time and overwhelmed drainage pumping capacity resulting in widespread street flooding. Particularly hard hit was portions of Jefferson Parish where many cars were flooded and stranded during the morning commute. Several businesses and homes in Jefferson Parish were flooded, and one business building collapsed from the weight of rain water on its flat roof.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 flood, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flash Flood, Jefferson
- When
- January 5, 7:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Jefferson County, North Portion
- Property damage
- $250,000
- Coordinates
- 29.681, -90.098 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Orleans
- When
- January 5, 7:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Orleans County, New Orleans
- Coordinates
- 30.069, -89.928 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, St. Tammany
- When
- January 5, 7:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- St. Tammany County, Slidell
- Coordinates
- 30.409, -89.954 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in Maine, January 5 to 10, 1998
- Heavy Snow and Cold in Washington, January 5 to 23, 1998
- Tornadoes in Texas, January 5 to 6, 1998
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, January 5, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, January 5, 1998
- Flash Flood and Hail in Texas, January 5 to 6, 1998
- Flash Flood in Arkansas, January 5, 1998
- Heavy Rain in Texas, January 5 to 7, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, January 5, 1998
- Flash Flood in Arkansas, January 5, 1998
- Hail in Texas, January 5, 1998
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, January 5, 1998
More
Every storm in Louisiana in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, January 1998
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: 5631510, 5631507, 5631508, 5631509.