Seasons in Louisiana
Spring and fall are the best seasons to go to Louisiana. The weather is beautiful and warm in the spring, the flora is in full effervescence and the fauna in full activity. The heat becomes pleasant again for tourism in the fall, the vegetation is lush and the wildlife very active. Autumn is also the hunting season for alligators.
Summer is very hot (up to 35°C in the shade but much hotter) and often very humid (80-90% humidity in the air). Showers are sometimes frequent and as a result they create an abundance of mosquitoes. You can feel these showers coming on when the air becomes even more humid and hot, and the wind picks up. You might even think that the air is going to get "cooler". If you've been looking forward to the rain, thinking it will be cooler, you may be in for a long wait. Perfect for the vegetation, which stays bright green and grows quickly, almost visibly.
August also marks the big date with severe thunderstorms and hurricane season (June through November, but hurricanes usually start in August). It is not uncommon to see the roads quickly covered with several centimetres of water.
Winter is not the best time of year because the fauna and flora are not visible. You will come across a few coypu in the marshes and many sites will be closed. On the other hand, it's a good time to see the crazy Christmas decorations and to party in New Orleans.
As for temperature records, the highest was recorded in Plain Dealing on August 10, 1936 with 46°C (114°F) and the lowest was in Minden with -27°C (-16°F) on February 13, 1899
What is the humidex?
In Louisiana, if you check the weather news or an app like WeatherMedia, you'll see that there are always two temperatures: current and felt. But what is this famous "felt temperature"? It is actually a feeling rather than a measurable data. It takes into account two factors, the wind chill (FRE) in winter, which does not apply to Louisiana, and the humidex in summer.
Regarding the humidex, it takes into account the humidity level in the air and is used to measure the level of discomfort and risk to the body.
In the near future, however, these two indices may be replaced by the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTIC). It does not combine temperature with any other factor, but rather integrates four: temperature, air humidity, wind speed and sunshine, i.e. the amount of solar radiation one receives.
When nature goes wild
The most devastating hurricane, Katrina, hit between Louisiana and Mississippi on August 29, 2005. It was a terrible trauma for New Orleans, which took a long time to recover from the biggest natural disaster in its history. Then Gustav, on September1, 2008, became a tropical storm after devastating and flooding southern Louisiana. On a completely different scale, on February 6, 2017, a tornado ripped through New Orleans and the surrounding area, injuring a dozen people and causing extensive property damage. In July 2019, Barry, once a hurricane, then a tropical storm, caused significant flooding in Louisiana. More recently, we will remember Hurricane Laura (August 2020), a monster that hit southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas, among other places, as well as Ida (August 2021), the most powerful hurricane to have made landfall in Louisiana with winds of 240 km/h, 16 years to the day after Katrina. And these are only a few examples...
Some advice. It is important to be prepared in advance in case of a hurricane. If you are just passing through, don't waste time and head to your next destination or shorten your stay. Contact your airline and you may be able to move up your departure time at no cost if your area has been declared a " mandatory evacuation
".During hurricane season, authorities advise residents to make a list of everything they will need in case a tropical storm, hurricane or evacuation order hits the area. This list should include non-perishable food, bottled water, a first aid kit, tools, a flashlight (and batteries if needed), and scratch matches. If a hurricane threatens the area, as water lines may be contaminated or simply not working, fill the bathtub, jugs, buckets, gallons (count on one gallon, or about 4 liters of water per person per day). Don't delay in buying what you need, as supermarkets are often empty of everything you hoped to find. For more information: cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/before.htmlIf
you are near the Gulf Coast, on a bayou or lake, find out in advance where the evacuation routes are. Don't leave at the last minute. Even if you are near hurricane levees, you should have an evacuation plan. Water can sometimes get over the levees.If you decide not to evacuate, be aware that high winds from storms or hurricanes can also do incredible damage. The best way to get to safety, away from destructive winds and tornadoes, is to choose a small room in the center of the building on the lowest floor. In this situation, carry water, a flashlight and batteries, an axe or something that will allow you to break any object that might prevent you from getting out. In the event of flooding, however, you should evacuate completely because the lowest levels, especially basements (which are very rare in Louisiana because of the waterlogged floors), will be flooded immediately. Once the water enters, it can rise without limit. In fact, during Katrina, people were trapped by rising water in attics.
