Francine has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and is forecast to keep strengthening ahead of landfall along the Louisiana coast Wednesday.
Francine was about 295 miles from Morgan City, Louisiana, Tuesday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center.
In Louisiana, some communities were evacuating and slamming closed their floodgates in anticipation of the storm’s likely landfall there.
Because of the eastward shift, coastal Mississippi and Alabama are were placed under tropical storm and storm surge watches and warnings.
Francine will push several feet of the Gulf of Mexico onto normally dry areas across the western Gulf Coast in what’s called storm surge.
Storm surge watches and warnings stretch along the coast from far northeastern Texas to the Mississippi-Alabama line.
The storm surge threat here is the reason behind several evacuation orders across the Louisiana and Gulf coasts.
Water levels will begin to rise most severely as Francine nears a potential landfall along the central Louisiana coast, where surge levels could reach 10 feet above normal.
Evacuations ordered along the Gulf Coast Louisiana Gov.
“I will be signing an emergency declaration (Monday) in anticipation of Tropical Storm Francine,” Lee Shang said.
With winds as high as 75 mph, Francine has intensified into a Category 1 hurricane. It is expected to continue to strengthen before making landfall on the Louisiana coast on Wednesday.
The National Hurricane Center estimates that on Tuesday night, Francine was located roughly 295 miles away from Morgan City, Louisiana. A hurricane watch was earlier issued by the center for the New Orleans region due to a slight shift in the forecast track towards the east.
As the hurricane continues to strengthen in the historically warm Gulf of Mexico, forecasters anticipate that it will make landfall Wednesday afternoon or evening.
Ahead of the storm’s anticipated landfall in Louisiana, several towns there were forcing their floodgates to close and initiating evacuations. Francine “poses a serious threat,” according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, so people in her path were advised to get ready. “.
The agency advised, “Don’t wait until the last minute—Francine is intensifying quickly and immediate action is critical.”.
Follow the Storm: Check out this page for additional storm maps and the most recent spaghetti models.
After battling harsh conditions overnight, the powerful storm began to weaken Tuesday morning and moved northeast through the Gulf of Mexico, where it will begin to intensify once more. Tuesday morning, it soaked parts of far South Texas with several inches of flooding rain and strong gusts.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stated on Tuesday that although “this is not an unusual storm,” the state is preparing for possible effects from strong winds and rain. “.
“We should and are equipped to deal with this storm,” he declared.
Further eastward movement of the storm’s projected path could help intensify it by extending its time over the water and involving a larger area of the New Orleans region. Tropical storm and storm surge watches and warnings have been issued for Alabama and Mississippi’s coastal areas due to the eastward shift.
Intense rainfall, strong winds, and a potentially fatal storm surge could limit the storm’s strength before it makes landfall, but they won’t lessen the overall effects: they could flood roads, severely damage homes, and cause widespread power outages.
A larger portion of the Gulf Coast will feel the storm’s effects well in advance of landfall, with southern Louisiana probably experiencing the worst effects.
Along portions of the coasts of upper Texas and Louisiana, rain and sporadic thunderstorms are expected to persist until Wednesday morning, when Francine’s rain bands arrive. Winds stronger than a tropical storm might arrive as early as Wednesday morning.
The biggest dangers facing Francine.
Although a storm’s official strength may be determined by its winds, the water is what is most likely to cause fatalities. This also applies to Francine.
Storm surge caused by Francine will cause several feet of the Gulf of Mexico to spill onto typically dry areas along the western Gulf Coast. From far northeastern Texas to the Mississippi–Alabama border, there are watches and warnings for storm surges along the coast. There are multiple evacuation orders in effect along the Gulf and Louisiana coasts due to the threat of storm surge.
As Francine gets closer to a possible landfall along the coast of central Louisiana, water levels will start to rise most noticeably, with surge levels possibly rising up to ten feet above average.
Flooding brought on by persistent heavy rain is another serious risk. There are flood watches in effect for a portion of the Gulf Coast; since a non-tropical system soaked some of the areas that Francine is predicted to drench last week, flash flooding will be more likely with less rainfall.
The storm’s outer rain bands may start to affect the Gulf Coast on Tuesday night, but Wednesday morning will bring the most intense rains.
From the northeast Mexican coast to southern Mississippi, 4 to 8 inches of rain are predicted to fall during the storm; in some areas of southeast Louisiana, as much as 12 inches.
While the storm is expected to quickly weaken as it moves onshore on Wednesday, the lower and middle Mississippi River Valleys are predicted to experience significant rainfall throughout the remainder of the week.
On the Gulf Coast, evacuations have been ordered.
Louisiana Gov. On Monday, Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency. On Tuesday, FEMA announced that they are coordinating with local authorities to ensure prompt distribution of resources.
On Tuesday, the state’s coast was covered by more evacuation orders.
President Cynthia Lee Sheng of Jefferson Parish, which covers a portion of the greater New Orleans region, announced during a press conference on Monday that mandatory evacuations had been ordered for areas not covered by the levee protection system.
“In preparation for Tropical Storm Francine, I will be approving an emergency declaration on Monday,” stated Lee Shang. “Due to the potentially fatal storm surge, I will also impose a mandatory evacuation for everyone not protected by a levee, including Grand Isle and Lafitte. “.
The Lafourche Parish government announced that both required and voluntary evacuations would take place in various areas on Tuesday afternoon. Zone 1 in Terrebonne Parish was also subject to mandatory evacuations, according to the parish administration.
A government representative posted on social media on Monday that most of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, was under mandatory evacuation. In the town of Grand Isle, Jefferson Parish, which was completely destroyed by the Category 4 storm Ida in 2021, both forced and voluntary evacuations were issued.
Curfews are required by the parishes of Terrebonne, Lafourche, and Iberia prior to landfall, and St. On Monday, the parishes of Mary and Terrebonne began distributing sand bags and shutting off the floodgates. According to a news release, Terrebonne Parish also declared a state of emergency.
On Wednesday and Thursday, all Louisiana parishes—Jefferson, Terrebonne, and Orleans, which includes New Orleans—close their schools.
The citizens of Pass Christian, Mississippi, have started to leave on their own volition.
This report was assisted by Amanda Musa and Taylor Romine of CNN.
