Storm Surge/Tide — Orleans, Louisiana

2020-10-28 · Orleans, Louisiana

Event narrative

Leading up to to the storm, the parish issued voluntary evacuation orders for areas outside the hurricane and storm damage risk reduction system levees. This included Irish Bayou, Lake Catherine, and Venetian Isles. The parish housed 12 people in a shelter for medical needs. Along Lake Pontchartrain, the NOS gauge at New Canal (NWCL1) peaked at 4.84 ft MHHW. A gauge near the Rigolets (RIGL1) recorded a peak water level of 5.32 ft NAVD88. The West End (WEGL1) gauge measured a peak of 6.30 ft NAVD88. The Lakefront (PLAL1) gauge measured a peak of 4.21 ft NAVD88. The Chef Pass (CMPL1) gauge measured a peak of 4.04 ft NAVD88.

Wider weather episode

A tropical depression formed in the northwestern Caribbean on the afternoon of October 24th. 9 hours later, it became the twenty-seventh named storm and eleventh hurricane of the exceptionally active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. After meandering virtually in the same place, it finally began moving northwest and slowly strengthening before making its first landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula on October 26th. Zeta exited the Yucantan Peninsula weaker but still a strong tropical storm. The path of the storm began shifting from northwest to northeast, and heading straight towards Louisiana. In terms of intensity, Zeta slowly but steadily strengthened from this point all the way up until landfall. It reached the highest wind speed possible of a Category 2 storm, 110 mph. Zeta produced extensive wind damage across southeast Louisiana with measured sustained winds up to 87 mph and gusts up to 110 mph. Thousands of power poles were downed and thousands of homes experienced minor damage. Storm surge ranged from a few feet to several feet. There were a total of 1 fatality and 1 injury. Hurricane Zeta caused approximately $1 billion worth of damage.

Zeta was the record-tying sixth hurricane to make landfall in the United States and the record fifth named storm to strike Louisiana in 2020.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 925297. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.