Weather tools · September 7, 2026
NWS Rain Dashboard Feedback Closes September 30: What New Orleans Homeowners Should Know
The National Weather Service is accepting comments on its experimental Urban Rain Rate Dashboard through September 30, 2026. For New Orleans homeowners planning exterior work, it is an opportunity to explore a specialized rainfall tool and tell NWS whether its explanations are useful.
What is the official announcement?
NWS Public Information Statement 25-63, issued September 16, 2025, established a comment period ending September 30, 2026. Homeowners exploring the experimental tool this month can still provide feedback under that published schedule.
The notice describes automated guidance showing probabilities that short-duration rainfall will exceed specified rates or NOAA Atlas 14 recurrence thresholds. Listed hourly rate thresholds include 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 inches. Read the NWS notice and feedback instructions.
A 2026 research paper explains how user feedback informed the tool’s development, including work with participants in New Orleans. Its focus is city-level rainfall decision support. Read the research summary in NOAA’s repository.
Three questions to ask before using a rainfall graphic
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What threshold is selected? | A chance of exceeding an hourly rate answers a different question from the total rain expected over several days. |
| What place and time does it cover? | A metropolitan-area display should not be treated as an address-specific prediction. Read its geographic definition, valid period, and update time. |
| What decision are you making? | Scheduling work, preparing for heavy rain, and responding to a warning require different information. |
Illustrative example: If a display shows a 30% probability of exceeding a specified rainfall threshold, that is not a 30% chance of damage to your roof. Damage also depends on exposure and the building’s condition. Read the tool’s geographic definition before interpreting what the percentage covers.
A rainfall threshold also does not describe storm surge, river levels, sewer backup, or water depth inside a building. Do not use one graphic as a substitute for the relevant local forecasts and warnings.
How this can help with a New Orleans exterior project
Use rainfall information to start a specific conversation with your contractor: Which surfaces will be opened? What protection will be installed before a weather interruption? Who decides whether to postpone removal work? Where will roof runoff go while gutters are disconnected?
These questions are useful in Metairie and on the Northshore as well, but do not assume the New Orleans dashboard domain represents every surrounding community. In Baton Rouge, Slidell, Bay St. Louis, or Gulfport, check the actual coverage and the official forecast for your location.
NOLA Ready’s rain guidance explains the city’s drainage and flooding challenges and provides local preparation resources. Exterior maintenance can address roof runoff and building leaks; it cannot guarantee protection against neighborhood flooding. Review NOLA Ready’s rain resources.
How to explore the dashboard and submit feedback
- Open the official tool. Use the WPC Urban Rain Rate Dashboard linked by NWS. Review its explanation and available locations before interpreting a display.
- Note what is unclear. Is the selected time easy to understand? Can you identify the geographic area? Is the difference between rainfall amount and probability clear?
- Use the official feedback route. The NWS notice links to a public feedback survey . Submit comments by September 30, 2026, under the published notice.
You can describe which explanation would help you plan around rain without sharing your home address, insurance information, or project documents.
Status checked September 7, 2026 against the published NWS notice. This article reports the feedback deadline and intended use; it does not report live rainfall conditions. A comment deadline does not, by itself, announce that the tool will shut down.
Useful home-maintenance follow-up
Address recurring roof runoff and exterior leaks
For a planned exterior project in Southeast Louisiana or the Mississippi Gulf Coast, ask SHIC to review the roof, gutter, or wall conditions you have observed. Share where the problem appears and when it occurs.
Request a project estimate