Baton Rouge, LA Live Doppler Radar

Watch storms move over Baton Rouge in real time — every NWS radar combined, storm tracks, official warnings, and the closest radar's full 250 m detail.

Open live radar for Baton Rouge What TALON shows

Which radars cover Baton Rouge?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar to Baton Rouge, LA is KHDC (Hammond), about 47 miles to the east. Radar beams climb as they travel because the Earth curves away underneath them, so the height of the lowest scan over a city decides how much of a storm's base the radar can see.

Radar	Distance	Lowest beam over Baton Rouge	View of low-level rotation
KHDC Hammond, LA	47 mi east	3,200 ft	Good — low-level rotation is usually visible
KLIX New Orleans, LA	82 mi east	7,100 ft	Fair — the lowest scan is already well above the ground
KPOE Fort Polk, LA	117 mi west-northwest	12,200 ft	Limited — the beam overshoots the lowest part of storms

Beam height is the center of the 0.5° scan above the radar, using standard atmospheric refraction. Hills and buildings near the radar can block it further.

On TALON you get Baton Rouge's live radar loop, storm tracks with arrival times and NWS warnings free; close-up radar and rotation detection are part of TALON Pro.

Tornado & hail history near Baton Rouge

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 123 tornadoes within 25 miles of Baton Rouge, 20 of them rated EF2/F2 or stronger. They have been most common in June and May. The strongest was an F3 on October 15, 1957, which passed about 22 miles northwest of the city and caused 1 death. The most recent was an EF0 on December 28, 2024, which touched down about 8 miles northeast of the city.

Hail: 218 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 25 miles of Baton Rouge since 1955, 13 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 3.75-inch hail (teacup size) on June 20, 2023.

Tornadoes since 1950	123
EF2/F2 or stronger	20
Strongest tornado	F3 · Oct 1957
Busiest tornado month	June
Largest hail	3.75 in · Jun 2023

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database — tornadoes 1950–2025, hail 1955–2025 (the latest year is preliminary). Distances are to each tornado's recorded track; ratings before February 2007 use the original Fujita (F) scale.

Baton Rouge radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Baton Rouge?

KHDC near Hammond, LA, about 47 miles away. A second radar, KLIX (New Orleans), is 82 miles away and also covers the area.

Can radar see a tornado over Baton Rouge?

Radar can't see the tornado itself, but it can see the rotating storm and, once a tornado is lofting debris, a debris signature. Over Baton Rouge the lowest scan from KHDC is roughly 3,200 ft up. Good — low-level rotation is usually visible. TALON combines that with NOAA's ProbSevere model to flag storms most likely to produce tornadoes.

How often do tornadoes hit Baton Rouge?

NOAA records show 123 tornadoes within 25 miles of Baton Rouge since 1950 — about 1.6 a year on average, most often in June and May. Most were weak, but 20 were EF2/F2 or stronger.

Should I rely on radar for my safety?

No app replaces official warnings. When the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for Baton Rouge, take shelter right away — see watch vs. warning.