The predawn hours in New Orleans looked nothing like a typical Thursday morning. A line of severe thunderstorms, the remnants of Post-Tropical Storm Arthur, pushed through southeast Louisiana before sunrise, leaving emergency managers scrambling and residents jolted awake by sirens and phone alerts.
The National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings across the New Orleans metro area and Northshore parishes beginning around 1 a.m., with dozens stacking up through the early morning hours. By 5:30 a.m., active warnings covered west-central Orleans Parish, northwestern Jefferson Parish, east-central St. Charles Parish and central St. Tammany Parish.
Where the storms are hitting hardest
A tornado-capable storm was tracked over Waggaman, near Avondale, at 5:32 a.m., moving northeast at roughly 25 mph. Communities in its path included New Orleans, Metairie, Jefferson, Harahan, River Ridge, Elmwood, Bridge City and Avondale. A second rotating storm, tracked just minutes earlier, was moving northeast at 35 mph and putting Avondale, Harahan, Waggaman and River Ridge directly in its path.
In St. Tammany Parish, a separate tornado warning was in effect until 5:45 a.m. for areas near Abita Springs, about eight miles east of Mandeville. That warning covered largely rural portions of central St. Tammany. All of the storms showed signs of rotation on radar, according to the National Weather Service…