Cottonport, LA Hail Storm – May 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Cottonport, LA on May 8, 2026, producing stones up to 4.51 inches. The event generated 24 NWS alerts and multiple radar-detected hail cores across the metro.

What Happened

The event began with an NWS warning at 8:04 AM CDT for 1.00-inch hail and continued through the early morning of May 9 with a final NWS warning at 7:49 AM CDT. In total, 24 NWS alerts were issued between 8:04 AM CDT on May 8 and 7:49 AM CDT on May 9. The alert stream included NWS warning-only notices, dual-polarization radar detections, and spotter-verified reports.

Dual-polarization radar flagged several strong hail cores. A radar-plus-spotter alert at 8:26 AM CDT recorded a 3.39-inch signature. Dual-polarization detections later in the day included a 1.85-inch core at 9:12 AM CDT and a 2.42-inch core at 8:48 PM CDT. Multiple NWS warning-only alerts tracked smaller cores through the overnight period into the following morning.

Spotters and public observers provided surface context. Photographs from Ethel showed quarter-size hail at 7:52 AM CDT. A public spotter reported ping-pong-ball sized hail around 3:15 PM CDT, and a nearby public report at 3:16 PM CDT noted half-dollar sized hail in Destrehan. Numerous spotter reports logged quarter-size hail on the west side of Stone County around 11:40 AM CDT, and a report of quarter-size hail west of Allentown arrived at 2:09 PM CDT. A late report at 12:15 AM CDT on May 9 noted nickel-size hail in Point Blue.

Damage Assessment

Field reports and photographs indicate surface impacts across multiple communities rather than a single contiguous damage belt. Photographs from Ethel show widespread quarter-size pieces on the ground. Spotter accounts at 11:15 AM CDT describe dime-, penny-, and nickel-size hail accumulating in several locations. Public observations near Destrehan and a spotter-verified ping-pong-ball report at 3:15 PM CDT show localized pockets of larger stones during the mid-afternoon pulse.

Radar cores captured larger signatures than those recorded in most ground reports. A radar-plus-spotter alert at 8:26 AM CDT identified a 3.39-inch core, and dual-polarization detections later in the day registered additional larger cores. Those radar signatures indicate isolated, high-intensity hail cores that may have produced concentrated impacts in narrow swaths. The ground-truth reports, however, are clustered at 0.88 to 1.50 inches across the named communities and provide the clearest view of where surface impact was observed.

No systematic photographic or survey evidence of catastrophic roof failure is present in the local storm reports. Damage patterns reported by spotters emphasize scattered accumulation and localized larger stones rather than continuous heavy loss across entire neighborhoods. Inspectors should expect variability by block and by property, with higher risk on vehicles and exposed equipment in the reported locations.