Louisiana, 2026

Drought in Louisiana, April 1 to 30, 2026

April 1 to 30, 2026 · NWS SHV · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

S. Drought Monitor across much of North Louisiana through the month of April.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 15 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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
15

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 SHV wrote it up.

An extended period of below normal rainfall coupled with much above normal temperatures from Fall 2025 into Winter/Spring 2026 led to the continuation of severe (D2) and extreme (D3) drought conditions from the U.S. Drought Monitor across much of North Louisiana through the month of April. Rainfall amounts during April only averaged between 2 to 4 inches across much of North Louisiana, slightly below the normal amount of rainfall for the month. Coupled with the consistently below normal rain observed since Fall 2025, considerable hardships from area agricultural producers continued, as pastures had become dormant early, forcing farmers to provide hay and other supplemental feed much earlier than normal, as well as water as multiple ponds had dried up. An increase in wildfires also persisted, with above normal temperatures continuing the drying of fuels. Streamflow from area creeks and bayous also fell below to much below normal as well. As a result, severe (D2) to extreme (D3) drought only persisted and further expanded during the month of April.

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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 31, 6:27 PM CST, 5 hours 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 6:27 PM CST, 5 hours 33 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

15 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Bienville

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Bienville forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
32.347, -93.056 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Bossier

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Bossier forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
32.679, -93.605 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Caddo

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Caddo forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
32.580, -93.882 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Caldwell

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Caldwell forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
32.092, -92.117 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Claiborne

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Claiborne forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
32.823, -92.996 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, De Soto

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
De Soto forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
32.056, -93.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Grant

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Grant forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
31.600, -92.559 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Jackson

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
32.302, -92.558 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, La Salle

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
La Salle forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
31.677, -92.160 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Natchitoches

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Natchitoches forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
31.724, -93.096 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Ouachita

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Ouachita forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
32.478, -92.155 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Red River

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Red River forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
32.093, -93.340 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Sabine

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Sabine forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
31.564, -93.555 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Webster

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Webster forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
32.714, -93.335 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Winn

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Winn forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
31.944, -92.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Louisiana in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, April 2026

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: 1332689, 1332690, 1332691, 1332692, 1332693, 1332694, 1332695, 1332696, 1332697, 1332698, 1332699, 1332700, 1332701, 1332702, 1332703.