Will Hurricane Francine hit Louisville? What to know about the tropical storm
Hurricane Francine is expected to bring life-threatening conditions with strong winds and potential flooding as it heads for Louisiana's shores.
According to USA TODAY, Francine will reach Louisiana land Wednesday afternoon between Lafayette and Houma bringing up to a foot of rain. It is forecasted to move north with heavy rainfall into Mississippi before traveling into the Mississippi Valley as a tropical depression, reaching Memphis by Thursday night and possibly causing some weekend rain for those in the Louisville area.
Here's what we know.
Hurricane Francine Francine strengthens into a hurricane as Louisiana braces for landfall: Updates
Hurricane Francine to hit Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee
Hurricane Francine, with maximum winds at 90 mph thus far, is nearing Category 2 hurricane strength Wednesday morning, according to USA TODAY, but a mix of dry air and an increase in wind shear should stop it before reaching the Louisiana coast.
Much of Louisiana and Mississippi is expected to get 4-8 inches of rain, with a foot possible in some areas through Friday morning that could cause serious flash flooding. Winds from Francine could reach up to 100 mph, with New Orleans expected to receive the worst of the hurricane Wednesday night.
Louisville could receive excess rain from Hurricane Francine
National Weather Service meteorologist CJ Padgett said Louisville's metro area is most likely to see storms Friday associated with Hurricane Francine.
"The best chances for any showers and storms associated with that system is going to be Thursday night into Friday," Padgett said.
Rain is also possible Saturday and Sunday, with one to two inches predicted in Louisville through the weekend. Central parts of the state will likely see the most rain, Padgett said.
"That system is going to stall out in the confluence area of the Mississippi River and Ohio River, kind of in that region between Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky, and it's just going to meander through the Tennessee Valley over the weekend," Padgett said. "That's going to promote additional rain showers for both Saturday and Sunday."
Padgett said some winds are expected in the area, most prominent Friday, with dry conditions expected by Tuesday or Wednesday after the storm passes through.
Weather forecast in Louisville
The NWS seven-day forecast predicts the following as of Wednesday morning.
Thursday night
Showers are likely after 2 a.m. on Thursday night with east winds of 7 mph, a low of 65 degrees and a 60% chance of precipitation.
Friday
There's a 70% chance of precipitation Friday with showers likely and storms possible. East winds of around 10 mph are expected with gusts of as high as 22 mph and a high near 77 degrees.
Friday night has a 50% chance of precipitation with cloudy skies and a low near 66.
Saturday
Saturday has a 50% chance of precipitation with a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Temperatures will reach a high near 79.
The chance of precipitation Saturday night is 30% with a low near 66.
Sunday
Sunday will reach a high of 83 with a 30% chance of showers. At night, there's a 30% chance of showers with a low of 64.
Monday
Monday has a 30% chance of showers with sunny skies and a high near 82.
Francine travels toward Louisiana Storm tracker: See projected path of Hurricane Francine toward Louisiana coast
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Hurricane Francine: Gulf's storm impacts Louisville with heavy rain
