Accessories in Louisiana
70 inches of rain, 162 wet days, 79% humidity, and two freezing days a year.
essentially no freezing weather, 33 genuinely hot days. Measured at New Orleans, 5 years of daily observations.
New Orleans gets seventy inches of rain across 162 wet days and freezes twice a year. It is, along with Florida, the hardest climate in the country on anything made of leather, silk or plated metal, and the honest advice here is to stop fighting it and change materials.
That means canvas, coated fabric and nylon for everyday bags; stainless steel, solid metal or frankly plastic for jewellery worn in summer; and treating suede as a November-to-February material only. It sounds like a downgrade and is not — coated canvas in a good colour looks entirely intentional and will outlast a leather bag here by years.
Louisiana also has the most demanding occasion calendar in the country relative to its climate. Mardi Gras, festival season and a restaurant culture that dresses mean there are more evenings requiring real accessories than almost anywhere, and they all happen in heat. The specific answer is lightweight statement pieces — resin, beads, fabric — over heavy metal, which is genuinely uncomfortable at 90°F and 79% humidity.
The costume-versus-jewellery distinction gets unusually blurry here, and that is part of the fun rather than a problem. But if you want something to survive to next year, it needs to be a material that tolerates a damp closet.
What national advice gets wrong here
Every "invest in good leather" article ever written. In this climate a leather bag is a consumable, and coated canvas is not the compromise — it is the correct answer.
Skip the gloves
It freezes about 2 days a year. National autumn coverage will push leather gloves at you every October; they will live in a drawer.
Humidity is what will actually ruin things
Summer humidity averages 79%. Suede marks, silk water-spots, leather grows mildew in a closed closet, and plated metal tarnishes faster. Store bags somewhere with air movement rather than sealed in plastic, and treat a protector spray on suede as mandatory rather than optional.
Rain is a routine consideration, not an event
162 days a year see measurable rain. That rules out suede as an everyday material and makes a zip closure worth more than any styling detail — an open tote collects water. Coated canvas and nylon genuinely outperform leather here, which is the reverse of the usual advice.
Worth owning here
| Coated canvas over leather | 162 wet days makes leather a consumable. |
|---|---|
| Lightweight statement pieces | Heavy metal is uncomfortable at 90°F and 79% humidity. |
| A dehumidifier for the closet | Cheaper than replacing what mildew takes. |
The numbers
| January low – high | 48°F – 62°F |
|---|---|
| July average high | 88°F |
| Freezing days a year | 2 |
| Days at 90°F or above | 33 |
| Annual snowfall | 0" |
| Annual rainfall | 70.3" over 162 wet days |
| Summer humidity | 79% |
| Bright sunshine | 9.4 hours a day |
