New Orleans, LA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for New Orleans What TALON shows

Which radars cover New Orleans?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar to New Orleans, LA is KLIX (New Orleans), about 30 miles to the north-northeast. 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 New Orleans	View of low-level rotation
KLIX New Orleans, LA	30 mi north-northeast	1,900 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan is close to the ground, where tornadoes form
KHDC Hammond, LA	44 mi north-northwest	3,000 ft	Good — low-level rotation is usually visible
KMOB Mobile, AL	120 mi east-northeast	12,800 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 New Orleans'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 New Orleans

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 125 tornadoes within 25 miles of New Orleans, 24 of them rated EF2/F2 or stronger. They have been most common in May and February. The strongest was an F4 on December 6, 1983, which passed about 23 miles west-northwest of the city. The most recent was an EF0 on May 2, 2025, which touched down about 5 miles south-southwest of the city.

Hail: 134 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 25 miles of New Orleans since 1955, 9 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 3.00-inch hail (teacup size) on April 6, 1964.

Tornadoes since 1950	125
EF2/F2 or stronger	24
Strongest tornado	F4 · Dec 1983
Busiest tornado month	May
Largest hail	3.00 in · Apr 1964

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.

New Orleans radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to New Orleans?

KLIX near New Orleans, LA, about 30 miles away. A second radar, KHDC (Hammond), is 44 miles away and also covers the area.

Can radar see a tornado over New Orleans?

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 New Orleans the lowest scan from KLIX is roughly 1,900 ft up. Excellent — the lowest scan is close to the ground, where tornadoes form. TALON combines that with NOAA's ProbSevere model to flag storms most likely to produce tornadoes.

How often do tornadoes hit New Orleans?

NOAA records show 125 tornadoes within 25 miles of New Orleans since 1950 — about 1.6 a year on average, most often in May and February. Most were weak, but 24 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 New Orleans, take shelter right away — see watch vs. warning.