Above normal rainfall in the preceding 7 days set the stage for the potential for flash flooding as many areas had rain soaked grounds. 2, which is near the climatological max for this time of year.
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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.
Above normal rainfall in the preceding 7 days set the stage for the potential for flash flooding as many areas had rain soaked grounds. The morning upper air sounding at KLIX showed a precipitable water value of 2.2, which is near the climatological max for this time of year. As slow moving thunderstorms developed over the Baton Rouge metro, high rainfall rates quickly overcame local drainage capacity of wet grounds, resulting in flash flooding.
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 Aug 3, 3:18 AM CST, 4 hours 43 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service New Orleans LA
418 AM CDT Wed Aug 3 2022
.SHORT TERM (Today through Friday)...
Main concern over the next couple of hours is fog, which has set
in fairly thick over portions of the area. Not expecting the fog
to become widespread in most areas but went ahead and issued a
dense fog advisory for a few parishes and counties where the
highest likelihood exists. These areas could see periods of dense
fog through the rest of the overnight hours with the fog burning
off fairly quickly after sunrise.
Once the fog burns off, concerns will quickly shift to the
possibility of heavy rainfall once again today. Many parts of the
area have seen considerable rainfall over the past several days
with a few locations having had measurable rainfall for quite an
extended period. While the areas that are saturated are not
widespread, some areas have seen rainfall amounts well above
normal over the last week or so. Due to this, the entire area is
outlooked for a marginal risk of excessive rainfall today with a
narrow area from Baton Rouge to New Orleans in a slight risk.
Rainfall today is expected to be widespread in nature once again
and if it becomes organized in any way, could lead to flooding
issues as rainfall rates of 2-3 inches per hour are likely. A few
of the more efficent storms could produce hourly rainfall rates
closer to 5 inches per hour.
While a few of the storms today could once again become strong,
they are likely to remain generally below severe limits in regards
to wind. The primary concern is surely the possibility of
flooding.
More of the same is expected tomorrow and Friday with high rain
chances and the possibility the showers and thunderstorms that
develop could be efficent rain producers.
.LONG TERM (Saturday and beyond)...
No real changes in the large scale pattern noted for the weekend
and the beginning of next week. Daily rounds of diurnal convection
is expected to continue, with temperatures not straying much from
seasonal norms. Isolated very heavy rain will continue to be
possible.
&&
.AVIATION...
The primary concern through around 14-15Z will the development of
low stratus and fog at a few of the terminals as the combination
of light boundary layer winds below 10 knots, high relative
humidity and soil moisture content, and already cool conditions
allows for an inversion to strengthen through the night. Fog and
low stratus is already evident along the Pearl River Valley and in
the Mississippi Pine Belt. These IFR and lower conditions should
develop at MCB around 08Z and continue through 14Z. At BTR, HDC,
and ASD, low stratus is expected to be more prevalent, and have
TEMPO groups to reflect the risk between 10Z and 13Z. After 15Z,
enough mixing will be in place to clear the fog and low stratus.
However, TEMPO groups around 18Z to 22Z reflect the risk of low
visibilities and gusty winds accompanying any convective activity
that passes over the terminals during that timeframe. The risk of
storms is high tomorrow, so confidence was substantial enough to
include IFR visibilities in the TEMPO groups. PG
&&
.MARINE...
Light onshore flow will continue through the week as weak ridging
remains in place across the northern Gulf of Mexico. The main
issue will be increased winds and seas near any showers and
thunderstorms that develop, along with an increased risk of
waterspouts near and in association with those storms.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
MCB 87 69 87 70 / 80 30 80 10
BTR 89 72 89 72 / 90 30 90 20
ASD 89 72 89 73 / 90 40 90 20
MSY 87 75 87 76 / 90 40 90 20
GPT 87 74 88 75 / 90 50 80 20
PQL 87 73 89 74 / 90 60 80 20
&&
.LIX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
LA...Dense Fog Advisory until 10 AM CDT this morning for LAZ039-071.
GM...None.
MS...Dense Fog Advisory until 10 AM CDT this morning for MSZ070-071-
077.
GM...None.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Six to 12 inches of water covered Choctaw Road as a drainage ditch overflowed.
East Parker Boulevard near Oxford Avenue were impassable due to flooded roadway. The road was blocked with barricades.
Cars were stalled in flood waters on Burbank near the Walkons restaurant.
South Acadian was impassable due to water covering the roadway.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Louisiana in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, August 2022
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: 1055135, 1055136, 1055137, 1055138.