While the hurricane season is not over just yet, as we begin to get more consistent cold fronts moving through, the odds of a major tropical event begins to decrease.

As the chance for a hurricane strike decreases, the chance for severe weather increases.

Tornadoes are possible year round in south Louisiana, but there are two primary seasons in which we see severe weather: Fall and spring.


The spring months of March, April and May typically produce the most tornadoes in southeast Louisiana and south Mississippi. There is a second spike of severe weather activity that typically occurs in the fall, mostly in the month of November. Warm, unstable air from the Gulf of Mexico interacts with cold fronts or disturbances, resulting in active weather.

What makes severe weather so dangerous this time of year, is that majority of the events occur at night. Nocturnal tornadoes result in the most injuries and fatalities because most are asleep and do not have a way to be woken up when a warning is issued.

SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY REMINDERS FROM THE WBRZ WEATHER TEAM:

*Be sure you can hear warnings if needed. NEVER rely on an outdoor warning siren; if that is your main way of hearing warnings, you have little hope of hearing them indoors. Have a NOAA Weather Radio in your home or business, and a good app designed for warnings on your smart phone like WeatherRadio by WDT.

*Know the safe place in your home. Small room, lowest floor, away from windows, and near the center of the house. If you live in a mobile home, you have to leave and go to a shelter or site built structure.

*In your safe place, be sure you have a helmet for everyone to wear (not just children)… it is also good for everyone to have a portable air horn (to get the attention of first responders if you need help), and be sure and wear hard sole shoes (you don’t want to walk over a tornado debris field with tennis shoes, or bare feet).