Latest on Tropical Storm Francine: Thursday, Sep 12 update from the National Hurricane Center
Article first published: Thursday, Sep. 12, 2024, 5 a.m. ET
According to the National Hurricane Center’s 5 am Thursday advisory, Tropical Storm Francine is 60 miles north of New Orleans Louisiana, with maximum sustained wind of 45 mph. It’s moving 12 mph to the northeast.
"A turn toward the north-northeast and north is expected during the next day or so, with some decrease in forward speed." according to forecasters. "On the forecast track, the center of Francine will move over central and northern portions of Mississippi through early Friday." They also said "Continued weakening is forecast, and Francine is expected to become a tropical depression this morning and degenerate to a post-tropical cyclone today."
YESTERDAY (Wednesday):
Yesterday, there were numerous changes, particularly at night: first, Francine began as a Category 2 hurricane and a Category 1 hurricane but ultimately became a tropical storm with sustained winds of 70 miles per hour. Francine approached Louisiana's coastline from the Gulf of Mexico
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:
The Tropical Storm Warning and Storm Surge Warning west of Grand Isle, Louisiana has been discontinued.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for:
- Grand Isle, Louisiana to the Mississippi/Alabama Border
- Lake Maurepas
- Lake Pontchartrain
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:
- Grand Isle, Louisiana to the Alabama/Florida border
- Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain, including metropolitan New Orleans
A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, beginning shortly for the indicated locations.
For a depiction of areas at risk, please see the National Weather Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov. This is a life-threatening situation. Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions. Promptly follow evacuation and other instructions from local officials.
A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND:
WIND: Tropical storm conditions, especially in gusts, are expected to continue in portions of the warning area for the next few hours.
RAINFALL: Francine is expected to bring storm total rainfall of 3 to 6 inches across portions of Mississippi, eastern Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and the Florida Panhandle. Localized amounts up to 10 inches are possible within rain bands over portions of central and northern Alabama and over the Florida Panhandle. This rainfall could lead to locally considerable flash and urban flooding.
For a complete depiction of forecast rainfall associated with Francine, please see the National Weather Service Storm Total Rainfall Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at1.shtml? Rainqpf and the Flash Flood Risk graphic at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at1.shtml? Ero. For a list of rainfall observations (and wind reports) associated this storm, see the companion storm summary at WBCSCCNS1 with the WMO header ACUS41 KWBC or at the following link: www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/nfdscc1.html.
STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide...
Mouth of the Pearl River, LA to Ocean Springs, MS...4-6 ft Lake Pontchartrain...4-6 ft Ocean Springs, MS to MS/AL Border...3-5 ft Lake Maurepas...3-5 ft
The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances. Storm surge is not expected to pose a threat to the risk reduction system levees. However, there may be some overtopping of local levees.
For a complete depiction of areas at risk of storm surge inundation, please see the National Weather Service Peak Storm Surge Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at1.shtml? PeakSurge.
TORNADOES: A few tornadoes are possible today, mainly in the morning and afternoon from the Florida Panhandle to north-central Alabama.
SURF: Swells generated by Francine will continue to affect much of the northern Gulf coast through today. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Source: National Hurricane Center
This article was generated by the South Carolina Bot, artificial intelligence software that analyzes information from the National Hurricane Center and applies it to templates created by journalists in the newsroom. We are experimenting with this and other new ways of providing more useful content to our readers and subscribers. You can report errors or bugs to mcclatchybot@mcclatchy.com.
