Louisiana, 2024

Hail in Louisiana, February 4, 2024

February 4, 2024 · NWS LIX · 5 events in 2 counties and zones

An upper low centered along the Mississippi River between LA and MS tracked southeast across the northeastern Gulf. As many cold core lows do, it substantially lowered mid and upper level temperatures provided an environment with very steep low to mid level lapse rates.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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.

An upper low centered along the Mississippi River between LA and MS tracked southeast across the northeastern Gulf. As many cold core lows do, it substantially lowered mid and upper level temperatures provided an environment with very steep low to mid level lapse rates. Low overall moisture in the atmosphere limited coverage to a few cells but the ones that did produced hail across the Florida Parishes.

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 Feb 4, 3:29 PM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 4, 3:29 PM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Feb 4, 3:51 PM CST, 1 hour 53 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Feb 4, 3:54 PM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Feb 4, 4:53 PM CST, 51 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Feb 4, 4:54 PM CST, 50 minutes before
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Local storm report, Feb 4, 4:59 PM CST, 45 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Feb 4, 5:44 PM CST, 0 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Tangipahoa

When
February 4, 5:44 PM CST
Where
Tangipahoa County, 2.48 mi WNW of Independence
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Social Media
Coordinates
30.640, -90.540

A picture of hail near Independence was estimated to be near quarter sized. Time and location estimated from radar.

Hail, Tangipahoa

When
February 4, 6:02 PM CST
Where
Tangipahoa County, Tickfaw
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
Broadcast Media
Coordinates
30.570, -90.480

A picture from broadcast media showed up to golfball sized hail in Tickfaw. Time estimated by radar.

Hail, Tangipahoa

When
February 4, 6:07 PM CST
Where
Tangipahoa County, 1.38 mi N of Hammond East Arpt
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
Broadcast Media
Coordinates
30.520, -90.480

A viewer photo showed golfball sized hail on the north side of Hammond.

Hail, Tangipahoa

When
February 4, 6:13 PM CST
Where
Tangipahoa County, 1.38 mi ENE of Hammond
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Social Media
Coordinates
30.510, -90.450

A picture showed quarter sized hail in Hammond. Time estimated by radar.

Hail, St. Tammany

When
February 4, 6:25 PM CST
Where
St. Tammany County, 1.43 mi SSE of Chinchuba
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
30.382, -90.068

Dozens of reports and pictures/videos of hail across the city of Mandeville ranging from one half to one inch in size. Duration was around 30 minutes.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Louisiana in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, February 2024

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1162283, 1162308, 1162309, 1162310, 1162312.