New Orleans, Louisiana Hail Report and Map: August 21, 2026

Published October 15, 2026 by StormLens · Storm date (Eastern time) August 21, 2026

Was there hail in New Orleans, LA on August 21, 2026? Radar estimated hail up to 0.91 inch inside the town limits of New Orleans on August 21, 2026 (Eastern time). Radar estimates of at least 0.5 inch covered 5% of the town. Across the report area, the maximum radar estimate was 1.61 inches. The strongest part of the swath was about 32 miles north of New Orleans, LA. Radar detected hail aloft in this area between about 2:40 p.m. and 6:55 p.m. CT on August 21, 2026.

Radar-estimated hail swath in New Orleans, LA on August 21, 2026; colors show estimated hail sizes

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Hail estimates at a glance

Storm date (Eastern time)	August 21, 2026 (Friday)
Maximum radar estimate across the area	1.61 inches; strongest part of the swath about 32 miles north of New Orleans, LA
Maximum radar estimate inside New Orleans	0.91 inch
Share of New Orleans with radar estimates of at least 0.5 inch	5%
Approximate radar timing	Between about 2:40 p.m. and 6:55 p.m. CT on August 21, 2026 (Central time)
County coverage includes (0.5 inch or larger)	St. Tammany Parish (72 sq mi), Tangipahoa Parish (33 sq mi) and Orleans Parish (8 sq mi)
Area with radar estimates of 0.5 inch or larger	about 113 square miles
Area with radar estimates of 1 inch or larger	about 27 square miles
Source	NOAA MRMS radar hail estimates (MESH)

Which towns had hail on August 21, 2026?

Radar estimated hail of at least 0.5 inch inside these town limits, using U.S. Census boundaries. Each percentage is the share of town area with those estimates.

Town	County	Maximum radar estimate inside town limits	Town area with estimates of at least 0.5 inch
Madisonville, LA	Saint Tammany Parish	1.56 inches	100%
Mandeville, LA	Saint Tammany Parish	1.09 inches	40%
New Orleans, LA	Orleans Parish	0.91 inch	5%
Covington, LA	Saint Tammany Parish	0.83 inch	30%

How big was the hail in New Orleans?

Radar estimated hail up to 0.91 inch inside the town limits of New Orleans. Among the listed towns, the highest estimate was 1.56 inches inside the limits of Madisonville. A town's maximum isn't an estimate for every home. Check the swath for estimates around an address.

What time did radar detect hail?

Radar detected hail aloft in this area between about 2:40 p.m. and 6:55 p.m. CT on August 21, 2026. We used 48 NOAA radar hail detections in this area to estimate the window. We trim outlying detection times when enough are available, then round down to five-minute marks. It doesn't give an arrival time at an address.

Data source and limits

We use NOAA's MRMS radar product MESH (Maximum Estimated Size of Hail) for hail-size estimates. Each town's figure is the maximum inside its Census town limits. The percentage is the town area with estimates of at least 0.5 inch. A town's maximum isn't an estimate for every home. Each storm date covers one calendar day in Eastern time. A late-evening storm west of the Eastern time zone can appear under two dates. Radar estimates don't confirm hail on the ground or roof damage. Hail of 0.5 to 0.75 inch can damage roofs, especially older roofs. An estimate below 1 inch doesn't rule out damage. Read how we calculate sizes and times.