Isolated severe thunderstorms affected areas of southeast Louisiana as a strong upper level storm system and associated cold front approached the lower Mississippi Valley and Gulf Coast region.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS LIX wrote it up.
Isolated severe thunderstorms affected areas of southeast Louisiana as a strong upper level storm system and associated cold front approached the lower Mississippi Valley and Gulf Coast region.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS New Orleans, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 9, 3:24 PM CST, 3 hours 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
324 PM CST TUE DEC 9 2008
.DISCUSSION...
THIS AFTERNOON A FRONTAL BOUNDARY STRETCHED FROM SOUTHEASTERN
ONTARIO INTO CENTRAL TEXAS...WITH A WEAK SURFACE LOW OVER ARKANSAS
AND AN ASSOCIATED WARM FRONT FROM ARKANSAS INTO COASTAL ALABAMA.
DEW POINTS HAD REACHED THE UPPER 60S ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN
LOUISIANA...AND SCATTERED CONVECTION HAD BEGUN ACROSS THE AREA.
THE STRONGER ACTIVITY WAS CLOSER TO THE FRONTAL
BOUNDARY...STRONGER SHEAR/HELICITY...AND GREATER INSTABILITY IN
CENTRAL/SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA. EVEN SO...THE LIX 18Z SOUNDING
SHOWED GOOD DIRECTIONAL AND SPEED SHEAR...AS WELL AS LOW-LEVEL
HELICITY...BUT A CAP WAS LIMITING OUR CONVECTION. THIS STRONGER
ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EASTWARD TOWARD OUR AREA...REACHING
THE NORTHWESTERN PORTION OF OUR PCWA BY LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY
EVENING. THE ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO PROGRESS ACROSS THE AREA
TONIGHT...WITH THE FRONT PUSHING THROUGH MOST OF SOUTHEASTERN
LOUISIANA/COASTAL MISSISSIPPI BY DAYBREAK WEDNESDAY. THE PRIMARY
THREAT WILL BE STRONG DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES. HEAVY RAINFALL
ALSO IS EXPECTED...BUT THE FAIRLY DRY GROUND ACROSS THE AREA
SHOULD BE ABLE TO ABSORB MOST OF IT. MODELS WERE STILL HAVING
PROBLEMS WITH CONSISTENCY...THE GFS/ECMWF STILL SHOW A CLOSED
SURFACE LOW DEVELOPING NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ON
WEDNESDAY...WHEREAS THE NAM HAS MORE OF AN ELONGATED LOW THAT
MOVES EASTWARD MORE QUICKLY. ALOFT THERE SEEMS TO BE MORE
AGREEMENT...WITH THE TROUGH SWEEPING THROUGH TEXAS WEDNESDAY AND
DEVELOPING A CUT-OFF LOW AS IT MOVES INTO LOUISIANA WEDNESDAY
NIGHT. THIS UPPER LOW WILL HELP TO INTENSIFY THE SURFACE SYSTEM AS
IT PROGRESSES TO THE NORTHEAST. WRAP-AROUND MOISTURE/PRECIP IS
EXPECTED TO LINGER INTO AT LEAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT...POSSIBLY
THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON.
THE OTHER CONCERN WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME WINTER PRECIP TO
MIX WITH THE RAIN LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING.
THICKNESSES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP ACROSS THE AREA AS THE UPPER LOW
APPROACHES. MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATE A GOOD PORTION OF THE COLUMN
TO BE BELOW FREEZING FROM THE BATON ROUGE AREA THROUGH SOUTHWEST
MISSISSIPPI. HOWEVER...TEMPS AT THE SURFACE ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN
ABOVE FREEZING...SO NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. BUT THERE REMAINS
A POSSIBILITY FOR SOME SLEET OR SNOW TO MIX WITH THE RAIN ON
THURSDAY BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION ENDS.
TEMPS WILL CONTINUE TO BE BELOW AVERAGE INTO FRIDAY...THEN RETURN
FLOW OVER THE WEEKEND SHOULD BRING US BACK CLOSER TO AVERAGE. 25
.AVIATION...
SCATTERED SHOWERS HAVE CONTINUED TO TRACK QUICKLY NEWD ACROSS ALL OF
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI. EXPECT PERIODS OF RAIN
TO IMPACT ALL SITES THROUGH THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE
EVENING. AT TIMES...VIS MAY DROP TO NEAR 3SM WITH HEAVIER RAIN BUT
SHOULD HAVE DECENT VIS OTHERWISE. ONGOING STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS IN
CENTRAL AND NORTHERN LOUISIANA WILL TRANSLATE TO SE LA THROUGH THE
OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE STRONGER STORMS MAY BE SEVERE...ACCOMPANIED BY
FREQUENT LIGHTNING AS WELL AS STRONG WIND GUSTS OR HAIL. WINDS WILL
SHIFT TO WEST AND THEN NW WED MORNING AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH
THE AREA. A BRIEF PERIOD OF WINDS GUSTING TO NEAR 30 KTS WILL BE
POSSIBLE AS THIS BOUNDARY PASSES. LIGHT RAIN WILL LIKELY CONTINUE
THROUGH WED AFTERNOON WITH NORTHERLY WINDS AROUND 15 KTS GUSTING TO
25 KTS. 12
&&
.MARINE...
SURFACE TROUGH OVER OVER EASTERN TEXAS HAS TIGHTENED THE SURFACE
GRADIENT...LENDING TO INCREASING SURFACE WINDS. ALTHOUGH WIND SPEEDS
ARE ONLY NEAR 20 KTS...SEAS HAVE INCREASED TO AROUND 8 FEET AT
42040. THESE CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY PERSIST THROUGH TONIGHT AND THUS
THE CURRENT SCY WILL BE SUFFICIENT. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AND AN
ACCOMPANYING COLD FRONT WILL SURGE INTO THE GULF WED MORNING...
BRINGING STRONG OFFSHORE WINDS. A DEEPENING SURFACE LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM WILL TRACK ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO ON WED. STRONG
COLD AIR ADVECTION AND GOOD MIXING WILL ALLOW FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR
GALE FORCE WINDS TO MIX DOWN TO THE SFC ALONG THE OUTER GULF WATERS
AND HAVE ISSUED A WARNING FOR THIS POSSIBLE EVENT. WINDS SHOULD
WEAKEN ENOUGH BY MID THURS AND SCY TAKES OVER THROUGH 00Z FRI.
DEPENDING ON THE EVOLUTION OF THIS SYSTEM...MAY NEED TO EXTEND SCY
EVEN LONGER IF CURRENT MODEL TRENDS OF AN EXTENDED TIME OF ELEVATED
WINDS OCCURS. 12
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
MCB 48 51 36 44 / 100 50 60 60
BTR 49 52 36 45 / 100 50 60 60
MSY 54 59 41 50 / 100 60 60 60
GPT 57 61 41 50 / 100 70 60 60
&&
.LIX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
LA...NONE.
GM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 12 PM CST THURSDAY FOR GMZ530.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY NIGHT TO 6 PM CST
THURSDAY FOR GMZ570-575.
GALE WARNING FROM 6 AM WEDNESDAY TO MIDNIGHT CST WEDNESDAY NIGHT
FOR GMZ570-575.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THURSDAY FOR GMZ550-555.
MS...NONE.
GM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY NIGHT TO 6 PM
CST THURSDAY FOR GMZ575.
GALE WARNING FROM 6 AM WEDNESDAY TO MIDNIGHT CST WEDNESDAY NIGHT
FOR GMZ575.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THURSDAY FOR GMZ555.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA 455 PM CST TUE DEC 9 2008 GMZ530-550-555-570-575-LAZ034>040-046>050-056>070-MSZ068>071-077- 080>082-102300- LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN AND LAKE MAUREPAS- COASTAL WATERS FROM THE SOUTHWEST PASS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO LOWER ATCHAFALAYA RIVER LA OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM PASCAGOULA MS TO THE SOUTHWEST PASS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM THE SOUTHWEST PASS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO LOWER ATCHAFALAYA RIVER LA FROM 20 TO 60 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM PASCAGOULA MS TO THE SOUTHWEST PASS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER FROM 20 TO 60 NM-POINTE COUPEE-WEST FELICIANA- EAST FELICIANA-ST. HELENA-TANGIPAHOA-WASHINGTON-ST. TAMMANY- IBERVILLE-WEST BATON ROUGE-EAST BATON ROUGE-ASCENSION-LIVINGSTON- ASSUMPTION-ST. JAMES-ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST-UPPER LAFOURCHE- ST. CHARLES-UPPER JEFFERSON-ORLEANS-UPPER PLAQUEMINES- UPPER ST. BERNARD-UPPER TERREBONNE-LOWER TERREBONNE- LOWER LAFOURCHE-LOWER JEFFERSON-LOWER PLAQUEMINES- LOWER ST. BERNARD-WILKINSON-AMITE-PIKE-WALTHALL-PEARL RIVER- HANCOCK-HARRISON-JACKSON- 455 PM CST TUE DEC 9 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF COASTAL WATERS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI...SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY RAIN... THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT ELSEWHERE ACROSS SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI. THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING. THE MAIN THREATS FROM ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM CST FOR SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA. THE WATCH IS GENERALLY WEST OF A LINE FROM MCCOMB TO HAMMOND TO DONALDSONVILLE. IN ADDITION...RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF TWO TO THREE INCHES MAY OCCUR OVERNIGHT WITH ISOLATED FOUR INCH AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. MARINE... SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT TONIGHT FOR THE TIDAL LAKES AND GULF COASTAL WATERS. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20 TO 30 KNOTS WITH SEAS BUILDING TO 7 TO 10 FEET IN THE OUTER COASTAL WATERS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THUNDERSTORMS... ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY MORNING ACROSS COASTAL MISSISSIPPI AND COASTAL AREAS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AS WELL AS THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. ALTHOUGH SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED...A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM DAYBREAK THROUGH THE MID MORNING HOURS. WINTER WEATHER... A LITTLE SNOW AND LIGHT SLEET MAY MIX WITH RAIN AT TIMES DURING THE DAY THURSDAY ACROSS SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI AND THOSE AREAS OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA TO THE NORTH AND NORTHWEST OF LAKES PONTCHARTRAIN AND MAUREPAS. NO ACCUMULATION OF SNOW OR SLEET IS EXPECTED. MARINE... A GALE WARNING WILL BE IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR THE OUTER COASTAL WATERS. AFTER THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT...NORTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 KNOTS WILL INCREASE SEAS TO 7 TO 10 FEET. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING OUTSIDE OF THE GALE WARNING PERIOD. THIS INCLUDES THE TIDAL LAKES AND ALL COASTAL WATERS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TONIGHT. EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND FIRST RESPONDERS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS...OUTLOOKS AND STATEMENTS REGARDING THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA 520 PM CST TUE DEC 9 2008 LAZ034>039-046>050-056>058-MSZ068>071-100230- POINTE COUPEE-WEST FELICIANA-EAST FELICIANA-ST. HELENA-TANGIPAHOA- WASHINGTON-IBERVILLE-WEST BATON ROUGE-EAST BATON ROUGE-ASCENSION- LIVINGSTON-ASSUMPTION-ST. JAMES-ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST-WILKINSON- AMITE-PIKE-WALTHALL- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...NEW ROADS...LIVONIA... ST. FRANCISVILLE...JACKSON...CLINTON...GREENSBURG...MONTPELIER... HAMMOND...PONCHATOULA...BOGALUSA...FRANKLINTON...PLAQUEMINE... WHITE CASTLE...PORT ALLEN...ADDIS...BRUSLY...BATON ROUGE... GONZALES...DONALDSONVILLE...DENHAM SPRINGS...WALKER... PIERRE PART...LABADIEVILLE...PAINCOURTVILLE...LUTCHER... GRAMERCY...LAPLACE...RESERVE...CENTREVILLE...WOODVILLE... GLOSTER...LIBERTY...CROSBY...MCCOMB...TYLERTOWN 520 PM CST TUE DEC 9 2008 ...TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM CST... AT 5 PM CST...A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI TO THE VICINITY OF ALEXANDRIA IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA...SOUTHWESTWARD TO THE HOUSTON METRO AREA. THIS SQUALL LINE OF STORMS WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 15 MPH AND SHOULD BE ENTERING EXTREME SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI AROUND 730 PM...THE GREATER BATON ROUGE AREA AND MCCOMB BY 9 PM CST. THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES...ALONG WITH FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL. STAY TUNED TO LOCAL TV AND RADIO REGARDING THIS DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION THROUGHOUT THE EVENING. BE PREPARED TO TAKE COVER IF A WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA TONIGHT. MAKE SURE YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO IS WORKING PROPERLY AND LEAVE IT IN A MONITORING MODE THROUGHOUT THIS EVENING. LAZ040-059>070-MSZ077-080>082-100230- ST. TAMMANY-UPPER LAFOURCHE-ST. CHARLES-UPPER JEFFERSON-ORLEANS- UPPER PLAQUEMINES-UPPER ST. BERNARD-UPPER TERREBONNE- LOWER TERREBONNE-LOWER LAFOURCHE-LOWER JEFFERSON- LOWER PLAQUEMINES-LOWER ST. BERNARD-PEARL RIVER-HANCOCK-HARRISON- JACKSON- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...SLIDELL...MANDEVILLE...COVINGTON... LACOMBE...THIBODAUX...RACELAND...LAROSE...DESTREHAN...NORCO... METAIRIE...KENNER...NEW ORLEANS...BELLE CHASSE...CHALMETTE... VIOLET...HOUMA...BAYOU CANE...CHAUVIN...DULAC...MONTEGUT... GALLIANO...CUT OFF...GOLDEN MEADOW...PORT SULPHUR...EMPIRE... YSCLOSKEY...PICAYUNE...BAY ST. LOUIS...WAVELAND...DIAMONDHEAD... GULFPORT...BILOXI...PASCAGOULA...OCEAN SPRINGS...MOSS POINT... GAUTIER...ST. MARTIN 520 PM CST TUE DEC 9 2008 ...INCLEMENT WEATHER WILL BE MOVING INTO SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AND COASTAL MISSISSIPPI LATER THIS EVENING... AT 5 PM CST...A SQUALL LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI SOUTHWESTWARD TO THE HOUSTON METRO AREA. THIS LINE WAS MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH AND WILL BE MOVING INTO THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA BETWEEN 9 PM AND MIDNIGHT...THEN INTO THE GULFPORT AND BILOXI AREAS BETWEEN 11 PM AND 2 AM. DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE RAPIDLY NORTH AT 40 MPH. THE MOST ORGANIZED AND STRONGER STORMS WILL DEVELOP AND MOVE THROUGH THE REGION LATER THIS EVENING. ISOLATED TORNADOES HAVE BEEN REPORTED ALONG THIS LINE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS THREAT WILL CONTINUE INTO THE NIGHT. FREQUENT LIGHTNING...TORRENTIAL RAINFALL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED WITH THIS SQUALL PASSAGE. STAY TUNED TO LOCAL TV AND RADIO REGARDING THIS DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION THROUGHOUT THE EVENING. BE PREPARED TO TAKE COVER IF A WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA TONIGHT. MAKE SURE YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO IS WORKING PROPERLY AND LEAVE IT IN A MONITORING MODE THROUGHOUT THIS EVENING...PARTICULARLY BEFORE YOU TURN IN FOR THE NIGHT. 24
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds knocked a power line down.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Louisiana in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, December 2008
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: 147485.