Garrett Hazelwood

A map of all the wildfires in Louisiana through the end of October

Swamp fire extinguished in New Orleans East, but wildfire threat continues statewide

Garrett Hazelwood

The subterranean fire smoldered and smoked for much of the fall, contributing to several dangerous "super fog" events around New Orleans and intermittently affecting the region's air quality for several weeks.

In this aerial photo, responders are seen near wreckage in the aftermath of a multi-vehicle pileup on I-55 in Manchac, La. on Oct. 23, 2023. A “superfog” of smoke from south Louisiana marsh fires and dense morning fog caused multiple traffic crashes involving scores of cars.

News

Fog, swamp fire smoke cause second fatal highway pileup in as many weeks

Garrett Hazelwood

City officials are urging drivers to use extreme caution when driving in the vicinity of the fire, particularly in the morning and evening hours, when fog is most likely. The National Weather Service has issued a dense fog advisory through 10 a.m. Wednesday, warning that visibility on roadways could fall below 100 feet without warning.

News

Swamp fire smoke could affect New Orleans for months, city emergency head says

Garrett Hazelwood

Air quality in areas along the river was ranked “moderate” for level of concern Friday morning, according to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. Since then, the smoke has somewhat dissipated.

In this aerial photo, a tugboat pushing barges navigates around a sandbar during low water levels on the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge, La., and Reserve, La., in Livingston Parish, La., Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Coastal Desk

No longer urgent, where do Orleans and Jefferson parishes' pipeline plans stand?

Garrett Hazelwood

The saltwater wedge slowly creeping up the Mississippi River is no longer threatening drinking water for Louisiana’s biggest metro area – but officials in Orleans and Jefferson parishes are moving forward with mitigation plans, in case forecasts shift yet again.

Exposed ground is seen in a dried up river bed where the normally wide Mississippi River would flow, Oct. 20, 2022, near Portageville, Mo.

Coastal Desk

Wetter weather forecast for Gulf South this winter, though drought won’t disappear

Garrett Hazelwood

Rainy weather is set to return to the Gulf Coast after an unusually dry hurricane season that’s contributed to crop failures, saltwater intrusion and record-breaking wildfires.

In this aerial photo, dredging operations to build an underwater sill are seen in Plaquemines Parish, La., Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. A salt water wedge slowly moving upriver from the Gulf of Mexico, due to the unusually low water level in the river, may threaten municipal water supplies, potentially even New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Coastal Desk

Wedge no longer poses threat to New Orleans, latest forecast says

Aubri Juhasz

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says salt levels should be within the safe-drinking threshold set by the Environmental Protection Agency when — and if — the wedge reaches New Orleans.

Coastal Desk

Saltwater wedge moving slower than projected; unlikely to reach New Orleans until late November

Halle Parker

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ latest projections, released Thursday, the “saltwater wedge” isn’t forecast to reach New Orleans’ west bank until late November — a month later than earlier projections suggested.