Louisiana, 2018

Strong Wind in Louisiana, December 26 to 27, 2018

December 26 to 27, 2018 · NWS LIX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A wake low pressure developed behind a large area of rain over southeast Louisiana during the evening and overnight hours of the 26th-27th. A brief period of wind gusts to 40 to 50 mph was noted as the system passed any location.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
$20,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 wake low pressure developed behind a large area of rain over southeast Louisiana during the evening and overnight hours of the 26th-27th. A brief period of wind gusts to 40 to 50 mph was noted as the system passed any location. One fatality was reported when a tree fell on a camper near Ponchatoula.

What forecasters said that day

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 26, 7:03 PM CST, 3 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 26, 7:03 PM CST, 3 hours 57 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 26, 4:11 PM CST, 6 hours 49 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service New Orleans LA
411 PM CST Wed Dec 26 2018

GMZ530-532-534-536-538-550-552-555-557-570-572-575-577-LAZ034>037-
039-040-046>050-056>072-MSZ068>071-077-080>082-271015-
Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas-Mississippi Sound-
Lake Borgne-Chandeleur Sound-Breton Sound-
Coastal Waters from Port Fourchon LA to Lower Atchafalaya River
LA out 20 nm-
Coastal waters from the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River
to Port Fourchon Louisiana out 20 NM-
Coastal Waters from Boothville LA to Southwest Pass of the
Mississippi River out 20 nm-
Coastal waters from Pascagoula Mississippi to Stake Island out
20 NM-
Coastal waters from Port Fourchon Louisiana to Lower Atchafalaya
River LA from 20 to 60 NM-
Coastal waters from Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River to
Port Fourchon Louisiana from 20 to 60 NM-
Coastal Waters from Stake Island LA to Southwest Pass of the
Mississippi River from 20 to 60 nm-
Coastal waters from Pascagoula Mississippi to Stake Island
Louisiana out 20 to 60 NM-Pointe Coupee-West Feliciana-
East Feliciana-St. Helena-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-Northern Tangipahoa-
Southern Tangipahoa-Wilkinson-Amite-Pike-Walthall-Pearl River-
Hancock-Harrison-Jackson-
411 PM CST Wed Dec 26 2018

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of Southeast
Louisiana...South Mississippi and the adjacent coastal waters.

.DAY ONE...Tonight

Small craft advisory conditions from winds in excess of 20 knots
and seas in excess of 7 feet over the coastal waters are expected
to persist tonight.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday

Several rounds of moderate to locally heavy rainfall are expected
to impact the entire forecast area Thursday through Monday. The
first round of rainfall will occur Thursday morning through
Friday. Additional bouts of rain are expected over the weekend and
on Monday. Localized street flooding issues in low lying and poor
drainage areas along with minor to moderate rises on area rivers
are the primary concern from these moderate to locally heavy
rainfall episodes. A Flash Flood Watch will be in effect for all
of southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi Thursday and
Thursday night. Additional watches may be necessary over the
weekend.

A slight risk of severe weather also exists across all of
southern Mississippi and most of southeast Louisiana Thursday into
Thursday night. Only extreme coastal Southeast Louisiana below
New Orleans is in a marginal risk of severe weather. Strong
damaging wind gusts and a few tornadoes will be the primary risks
associated with any severe thunderstorms that develop.

Small craft advisory conditions are expected to continue Thursday
and persist through Friday morning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be requested in support of severe weather
operations on Thursday.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Dec 26, 7:05 PM CST, 3 hours 55 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Dec 26, 8:06 PM CST, 2 hours 54 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Dec 26, 10:44 PM CST, 16 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service New Orleans LA
1044 PM CST Wed Dec 26 2018

LAZ058>065-270645-
St. John The Baptist-Upper Lafourche-St. Charles-Upper Jefferson-
Orleans-Upper Plaquemines-Upper St. Bernard-Upper Terrebonne-
Including the cities of Laplace, Reserve, Thibodaux, Raceland,
Larose, Destrehan, Norco, Metairie, Kenner, East New Orleans,
New Orleans, Belle Chasse, Chalmette, Violet, Houma,
and Bayou Cane
1044 PM CST Wed Dec 26 2018

...GUSTY WINDS SOUTH OF LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN...

An area of rain was moving away from the New Orleans Metro
Area at 1045 pm CST. Southeast winds have increased temporarily
across the area. Wind gusts to 35 to 40 mph have been reported
from several locations in the past hour. These winds have been
strong enough to cause isolated power outages this evening. Wind
speeds should diminish somewhat after midnight.
Special weather statement, Dec 26, 10:55 PM CST, 5 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service New Orleans LA
1055 PM CST Wed Dec 26 2018

LAZ040-MSZ077-080>082-270700-
St. Tammany-Pearl River-Hancock-Harrison-Jackson-
Including the cities of Slidell, Mandeville, Covington, Lacombe,
Crossroads, McNeil, Picayune, Bay St. Louis, Waveland,
Diamondhead, Gulfport, Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, Moss Point,
Gautier, and St. Martin
1055 PM CST Wed Dec 26 2018

...GUSTY WINDS APPROACHING THE MISSISSIPPI COAST...

An area of rain was moving across the Pearl River into the
Mississippi coastal counties from St. Tammany Parish and
Mississippi Sound at 1050 pm CST. Behind this rain area,
southeast winds may occasionally gust to 35 to 40 mph for about
an hour or so, before dropping off to 15 to 25 mph for the
remainder of the night. These winds may be strong enough to
produce brief power outages across the area.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Southern Tangipahoa

When
December 26, 11:00 PM CST
Where
Southern Tangipahoa forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph) estimated gust
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
Emergency Manager

A large tree was blown down by non-thunderstorm winds produced by a wake low pressure system. The tree fell on a camper in Ponchatoula. The occupant was reported dead at the scene. Several observing sites along the track of the wake low reported wind gusts to 40 to 50 mph as the system passed any location. Event time was estimated.

Strong Wind, East Baton Rouge

When
December 27, 1:00 AM CST
Where
East Baton Rouge forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
Social Media
Coordinates
30.538, -91.096 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A tree was reported blown down on a house in Sherwood. The winds were caused by a wake low pressure system. Several reports of 40 to 50 mph winds were reported with the system.

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.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Strong Wind, Southern Tangipahoa2018-12-2658FemaleCampingDirect

What these are

Strong Wind
Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Louisiana in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, December 2018

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: 792845, 792862.