Lafayette, LA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Lafayette What TALON shows

Which radars cover Lafayette?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar to Lafayette, LA is KLCH (Lake Charles), about 72 miles to the west. 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 Lafayette	View of low-level rotation
KLCH Lake Charles, LA	72 mi west	5,900 ft	Good — low-level rotation is usually visible
KPOE Fort Polk, LA	86 mi northwest	7,600 ft	Fair — the lowest scan is already well above the ground
KHDC Hammond, LA	98 mi east-northeast	9,400 ft	Fair — the lowest scan is already well above the ground

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 Lafayette'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 Lafayette

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 209 tornadoes within 25 miles of Lafayette, 42 of them rated EF2/F2 or stronger. They have been most common in May and January. The strongest was an F3 on November 7, 1957, which passed about 11 miles north-northwest of the city and caused 4 deaths. The most recent was an EF0 on June 10, 2025, which touched down about 17 miles southwest of the city.

Hail: 166 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 25 miles of Lafayette since 1955, 9 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 4.25-inch hail (softball size) on April 7, 2003.

Tornadoes since 1950	209
EF2/F2 or stronger	42
Strongest tornado	F3 · Nov 1957
Busiest tornado month	May
Largest hail	4.25 in · Apr 2003

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.

Lafayette radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Lafayette?

KLCH near Lake Charles, LA, about 72 miles away. A second radar, KPOE (Fort Polk), is 86 miles away and also covers the area.

Can radar see a tornado over Lafayette?

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 Lafayette the lowest scan from KLCH is roughly 5,900 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 Lafayette?

NOAA records show 209 tornadoes within 25 miles of Lafayette since 1950 — about 2.8 a year on average, most often in May and January. Most were weak, but 42 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 Lafayette, take shelter right away — see watch vs. warning.