Though tropical storm Arthur did not hit as much of Louisiana as originally forecast due to a last-minute turn to the north, some southern parishes still saw storms, flooding and tornadoes Thursday morning.
Arthur was the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, which started June 1. Forecasters have predicted a below-average season due to a strong El Nino expected to form, but abnormally warm water in the Atlantic makes it more likely that at least one very large, destructive hurricane will form.
The storm dumped rain across the region — some areas saw 6 to 9 inches in a matter of hours. Much of the Gulf South remained in a flash flood warning through Thursday afternoon, and the National Weather Service said several area rivers are expected to hit moderate or major flood levels.
Areas south of New Orleans were hit the hardest.
Terrebonne Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness director Earl Eues said the rain ended up overwhelming the parish’s flood control system.
“Our pumping system, which was running at the time, just can’t handle that large of a rainfall at one time,” he said. “But as the rain stopped, the pumping systems were able to catch up.”
Here is the latest information on our area rivers. Several rivers are expected to go into moderate or major flood. For more detailed information on specific rivers in our forecast area, visit:https://t.co/ALX7Huf23Y pic.twitter.com/HnBkvnsmgj
— NWS New Orleans (@NWSNewOrleans) June 18, 2026
For many, Thursday began with a jolt, a shelter-in-place alert pushed to phones just after 5 a.m. For most, that meant staying indoors until the worst passed. But for thousands of people living without a home in New Orleans, it meant something else entirely.
The city deploys outreach teams, through Unity of Greater New Orleans and the city's Office of Homeless Services and Strategies, to known encampments ahead of severe weather. But the storm’s 4 a.m. arrival left little room for warning.
Shelters like Ozanam Inn on Poydras Street opened extra beds, as they do for any severe weather event. But the storm's timing worked against them. By the time Arthur's worst arrived, the nightly check-in window had long closed.
CEO Renee Blanche said few people made it through the door in time.
"When it comes to a situation like [Arthur], I think it's a here-and-now kind of event," Blanche said. "So if it's not happening when it's time for check-in, then maybe they don't think it's going to happen."
The New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board said it lost power to some drainage and potable water pumps last night, causing them to go offline for about an hour at around 7:30 a.m. There was no impact on drinking water, and water service remained available during that time.
This comes after SWBNO officials assured residents during a press conference on Wednesday (June 17) that “we have greater confidence that we will have the power needed to run our pumps” due to a new dedicated Entergy substation and three new static frequency chargers.
Flooding was reported in several parishes — including videos shared on social media showing alligators swimming down residential streets. Three exits off of I-10 Westbound had to be shut down due to water on the roadway, and the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was briefly closed due to high winds.
The NWS confirmed three tornadoes touched down in the New Orleans area — one in the city, one in Houma and one in Avondale. The tornado in New Orleans started near River Road, passed through City Park and lifted near the lake at the University of New Orleans.
Winds blew out a window in the school’s science building and tore off a piece of its amphitheater’s metal roof. Trees, including large hardwoods, were down across the Gentilly campus, some ripped out at the roots.
Some faculty, staff, and students did not receive emergency alerts during the storm, and the university apologized in an email, saying they were working on the issue.
“This was a great season opener to test our protocols,” said Jeanette Weiland, the school’s interim chief administrator, adding that the damage “could have been a lot worse.”
Weiland said the campus maintained power through the storm and that staff were already making improvements to better prepare for weather events.
The campus was closed on Thursday, except for essential staff, and faculty were told to hold classes remotely. Weiland said she expects normal operations to resume next week and for the campus to be cleaned up in time for an event on July 1 marking UNO’s transition back to the LSU system.
WWNO Coastal Desk Reporter Eva Tesfaye contributed to this report.
