Hurricane Season 2026: What Every New Orleans Homeowner Should Know About Their Trees
NOAA's 2026 outlook calls for a below-normal Atlantic hurricane season — 8 to 14 named storms, with El Niño conditions expected to suppress overall activity. That's the kind of headline that makes people relax a little. It shouldn't.
Louisiana still faces a roughly 1-in-4 chance of a hurricane passing within 50 miles this season, and "below normal" doesn't mean "no risk" — it means fewer storms forming out in the open Atlantic. El Niño years actually tend to favor "homegrown" storms that spin up close to home, in the northern Gulf, which historically pose the most direct threat to communities like ours. We already got a preview of what that looks like: Tropical Storm Arthur smashed Louisiana's all-time 24-hour rainfall record back in June, giving New Orleans its wettest June day ever recorded — without ever reaching hurricane strength.
The lesson: a quiet-sounding forecast is not a reason to skip tree prep. If anything, storms that form quickly and close to shore give homeowners less warning time, which makes proactive tree care more important, not less.
Warning Signs to Check on Your Property Now
Walk your yard and look up. These are the signs our arborists flag most often before storm season:
Deadwood — bare, brittle branches with no leaves, especially in the upper canopy where you can't always see them from the ground
Cracked or split limbs — even a hairline crack in a large limb can fail under wind load
Leaning trunks, particularly new leaning that wasn't there last year
Exposed or damaged roots, which weaken a tree's anchoring in New Orleans' often-saturated soil
Cavities or fungal growth at the base of the trunk, a sign of internal decay
Overextended limbs hanging over your roof, driveway, or power lines
If you see any of these, don't wait for a named storm to show up in the forecast — deadwood and structurally compromised limbs are exactly what turn into roof damage and downed power lines.
What to Do Before a Storm
Prune deadwood and thin dense canopies. Removing dead and weak wood now, and thinning overly dense canopies, reduces the wind resistance a tree has to fight during a storm. See our Tree Trimming & Pruning page for what this involves.
Cable or brace structurally weak trees. For large, valuable trees — especially live oaks — with a split trunk or heavy co-dominant limbs, cabling can provide real support without removing the tree. This is one of the services we offer that doesn't always get talked about enough — ask us about it if you have an older oak with a questionable fork in the trunk.
Remove what can't be saved. If a tree is dead, severely leaning, or has significant trunk decay, removal before the storm is safer — and often cheaper — than emergency removal after it's already fallen on something. Our Tree Removal page has more on how we assess this.
What to Do After a Storm
Stay clear of any downed tree or limb until you're certain no power lines are involved — treat every downed line as live. If a tree has fallen on a structure or is blocking access to your property, our Emergency Tree Service line is available around the clock.
The Bottom Line
A "below-normal" forecast is still a New Orleans hurricane season. Tropical Storm Arthur proved that in June before hurricane season even hit its usual stride. If it's been more than a year or two since your trees were inspected or pruned, now — before the next storm, not after — is the time.
Call or text (504) 323-5533 for a free storm-prep assessment.
