Tropical Storm Francine has formed in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to further develop into a hurricane and impact Louisiana later this week, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Monday morning.
The storm is expected to make landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday evening as a Category 1 storm, though forecasters say there is a bit of uncertainty as to Francine’s exact track.
As of 10 a.m., Francine had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. The storm is expected to turn north-northwestward over the next day, turn more east and intensify before making landfall on the Gulf Coast as a hurricane.
Courtesy of the National Hurricane Center
The storm will move over very warm waters in the Gulf, forecasters say, and there could be the potential for rapid intensification.
Storm surge watches have been issued along the Gulf Coast, spanning from High Island, Texas to the Mississippi/Alabama border. A hurricane watch is currently in effect for the Louisiana coast from Cameron east to Grand Isle.
NHC forecasters said it is too soon to pinpoint the exact location and potential impact that Francine will bring, but the chance of life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds is increasing for portions of the Louisiana and Upper Texas coastlines. Hazardous conditions could arrive as early as Tuesday.
Storm surges between 7 and 10 feet are possible along coastal area, forecasters say. Parts of Louisiana, including areas from Cameron to Port Fourchon and Vermilion Bay, could see between 5 and 10 feet of storm surge.
The storm is expected to bring heavy rainfall and flooding along the coast of northeast Mexico, portions of Texas, southern Louisiana, and southern Mississippi into Thursday morning.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
