You’ve seen the alerts. Maybe you even felt that low-grade anxiety when the rain started hammering the roof earlier this week. Flooding in Louisiana today isn’t just a "hurricane season" problem anymore—it’s a year-round reality that keeps Washington and St. Tammany parishes on high alert even in the dead of winter.
Honestly, the state of our waterways right now is a bit of a mixed bag.
While much of the flash flooding from the January 10 storms has drained off, the "hangover" in our river systems is very real. We aren't looking at a Great Flood of 2016 situation, thank goodness, but if you live near the Pearl or the Bogue Chitto, you're likely staring at a lot of brown water encroaching on your backyard.
The Pearl River Reality Check
The Pearl River near the town of Pearl River is the big story today. It’s been hovering in that "minor flooding" stage for days now. Specifically, the gage at Pearl River hit a crest around 15.0 feet earlier this week, which is enough to send water creeping into the Honey Island Swamp and swallowing up secondary access roads.
If you were planning on heading into the Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge, forget it. It’s closed to hunting because once that water hits the 15.5-foot mark, the terrain becomes a lake.
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What's weird is how the water lingers. The National Weather Service (NWS) New Orleans office indicates the river should finally dip below the 14.0-foot flood stage by Saturday morning, January 17. But "below flood stage" doesn't mean dry. It means the ground is a saturated, muddy mess that won't be usable for a while.
Why the Bogue Chitto Scared Everyone
A few days ago, the Bogue Chitto River at Franklinton took a sharp spike. It hit 16.0 feet, which is the threshold where people in the Bogue Chitto Heights Subdivision start moving their cars to higher ground.
When a river jumps from "Action Stage" to "Moderate Flooding" in less than 24 hours, it catches people off guard. We saw homes on the west bank north of Louisiana Highway 10 deal with yard flooding, and sand and gravel operations had to stop dead in their tracks.
The good news? That crest has passed.
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The water is receding toward the Bush area, where the river is expected to fall below its 11.0-foot flood stage. But here’s the thing: just because the "warning" expires doesn't mean the risk is zero. Low-lying areas near Louisiana Highway 21 are still holding onto pockets of water that make driving a gamble.
The "Dry" Paradox in South Louisiana
It sounds crazy to talk about drought when the Pearl River is over its banks, but look at the data.
As of mid-January 2026, parts of the state are actually showing up on the U.S. Drought Monitor as "abnormally dry." This is why the flooding we're seeing today is so localized. It’s "river flooding," not "drainage flooding."
- Baton Rouge: Rainfall totals for 2026 are sitting around 4.14 inches so far—slightly above average, but not catastrophic.
- New Orleans: The Mississippi River at the Carrollton Gage is sitting at a comfortable 2.65 feet. That is nowhere near the 17-foot flood stage.
- Lake Charles: The Calcasieu River at I-10 is basically at sea level, showing no signs of stress.
Basically, if you aren't within a mile of a major river basin in the Florida Parishes, your Friday probably looks pretty normal. But for the folks in Bogalusa or Franklinton, it’s a different story entirely.
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What Most People Get Wrong About Current Flood Risks
People tend to think that if there’s no tropical storm in the Gulf, they don’t need to check the river gages. That’s a mistake.
In Louisiana, we deal with "backwater flooding." This is where the big rivers (like the Mississippi) are high, preventing the smaller bayous and rivers from draining out. Right now, we’re seeing the opposite—the local rivers are high from inland rain, but the ground is so thirsty in some spots that it’s creating a weird tension between saturated riverbanks and dry topsoil.
Navigating the Muddy Transition
If you’re driving through St. Tammany or Washington Parish today, you’ve got to be smart. The phrase "Turn Around, Don't Drown" feels like a cliché until you realize that only six inches of moving water can knock an adult off their feet. Twelve inches can carry off a small car.
Roads like those near the Honey Island Swamp aren't just wet; they're compromised. The soil under the asphalt gets soft, leading to potholes that can swallow a tire once the water finally pulls back.
Real Actions You Can Take Right Now
- Monitor the "River and Lakes" tab: Don't just look at the weather app on your phone. Go to the NWS New Orleans "Rivers" page and look at the hydrographs for the Pearl and Bogue Chitto. They show you exactly when the water is predicted to drop.
- Check your crawlspace: If you live in a flood-prone zone and the water has receded, check for trapped moisture. Standing water under a Louisiana home in January is a recipe for mold by March.
- Update your flood insurance: If you aren't in a high-risk zone but saw water in your yard this week, it's a wake-up call. Remember, there is usually a 30-day waiting period for NFIP policies to kick in.
- Watch the "Secondary Crest": Sometimes, when the main river drops, smaller coulees and bayous stay high because the water has nowhere to go. Keep an eye on your local drainage for 48 hours after the main river crests.
The flooding in Louisiana today is a reminder that water is the boss here. We just live around it. While the immediate threat is tapering off as we head into the weekend, the saturated ground means the next rain event—even a small one—could put us right back where we started. Stay off the flooded backroads and give the Pearl River a few more days to find its way back into its banks.