A fast-moving line of strong storms muscled through southeast Louisiana in the pre-dawn hours today, snapping limbs, toppling trees and cutting electricity to thousands of customers before most people even poured their first cup of coffee. From the river parishes to the North Shore, residents reported gusty winds, localized street flooding and downed signs. Officials urged people to stay well away from any fallen power lines while utility crews fanned out to assess damage.
Where outages are happening
Entergy's online outage map showed scattered pockets of service loss across the metro area. According to Entergy, St. James Parish had about 873 customers without power, Lafourche about 731, Washington about 699, Jefferson about 208, Tangipahoa about 188, Orleans about 121, Plaquemines about 47 and St. John the Baptist about 30.
The outage tool, which updates in near real time, lists restoration estimates and circuit-level details that parish officials and residents have been watching closely as cleanup gets underway.
Storm warnings and where they hit
The National Weather Service rolled out a string of severe-thunderstorm and tornado warnings after midnight as the line pushed through, with radar showing strong wind gusts over the river parishes and across the North Shore.
Entergy reported roughly 9,400 customers offline statewide in the early-morning hours, with some of the largest clusters in Ascension and Calcasieu parishes, FOX 8 Live reported. While the overnight punch was brief, it was strong enough to trigger multiple warnings and leave behind a messy wake of debris and scattered outages.
How to check your status and report outages
Entergy's outage map and mobile app provide the most up-to-date restoration estimates and let customers report outages. The company also asks customers to call 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243) or text OUT to 36778 for service updates, per Entergy. If you see a downed power line, do not try to move or touch it. Stay away and call 911, then report it to the utility so crews can respond safely.
Crews from Entergy and parish emergency offices were reported across affected areas working to restore service, and updates will be posted on utility and parish channels as assessments continue, according to WWL-TV. With drier air moving in, officials said the threat of additional widespread storms should ease through the day, giving line workers and cleanup crews a better shot at catching up.
