Twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina tore across the Gulf, leaving behind one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. But as former Louisiana State Climatologist Barry Keim reminds us, Katrina wasn’t just a natural disaster, it was a man-made catastrophe.
In this special episode of Three Degrees, we revisit the storm that changed New Orleans forever. Barry explains how Katrina intensified over the Loop Current, why a Category 5 surge hit Mississippi even though the storm weakened to Category 3 before landfall, and how levee failures turned a natural hazard into a humanitarian disaster.
He breaks down why he believes 98% of what unfolded in New Orleans was man-made, how forecasting has improved since 2005, and what it would mean if a Katrina-strength storm struck today in 2025’s warmer climate.
We also explore his concerns about FEMA and NOAA budget cuts, the growing risks of extreme rainfall and flash flooding, and the lessons policymakers still haven’t learned.
🎧 Watch and listen now on Substack, Spotify, or YouTube.
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