The sixth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has strengthened to a tropical storm and is expected to make landfall in the US as a hurricane.
Tropical Storm Francine formed around 11am ET on Monday, upgraded from a tropical rainstorm in the Bay of Campeche over the weekend.
By Wednesday, Francine is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane.
‘Francine is expected to bring heavy rainfall and the risk of considerable flash flooding along the coast of northeast Mexico, the far lower and far upper Texas coasts, southern Louisiana, and southern Mississippi into Thursday morning,’ stated the National Hurricane Center.
‘A significant storm surge also is expected along the Texas and Louisiana coasts.’
Hurricane watch has been activated along most of the Louisiana coast and tropical storm watch for New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lake Charles.
The Louisiana coastline and parts of upper Texas had life-threatening storm surge alerts in effect and residents were advised to follow any evacuation orders that could come.
Rainfall reached southern Texas on Monday morning and the weather is expected to move northward and arrive at the Louisiana coastline by early Tuesday.
‘Damaging and life-threatening hurricane-force winds are expected in southern Louisiana Wednesday, where a Hurricane Warning is now in effect,’ the National Hurricane Center wrote on X (formerly Twitter) at 5pm ET on Monday.
If Francine reaches 100mph winds, it will be considered a Category 2 and fourth hurricane of the season.
A probably path cone shows Francine reaching north into parts of Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee on Thursday morning and afternoon.
The last hurricane to strike Louisiana was Ida in 2021. The Category 4 storm was the second most damaging hurricane to hit the state, after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The Atlantic hurricane season peaks historically around mid-September. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ha predicted 17 to 25 tropical storms this season including four to seven becoming hurricanes.
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