Hurricane Francine updates: System now a tropical storm as it move though Gulf region
State of emergency declared in Louisiana as New Orleans under tornado watch
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Francine strengthened into a hurricane on Tuesday night and made landfall near New Orleans on Wednesday.
The hurricane sent New Orleans residents scrambling to prepare with evacuations underway in multiple areas, impacting certain services and shutting down City Hall. Mayor LaToya Cantrell urged residents to prepare to hunker down.
“Hold the line, stay focused, stay prepared,” she said at a Wednesday briefing.
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Governor Jeff Landry – who had declared a state of emergency to help free up resources to prepare for the storm – instructed residents to take advantage of the electricity they still receive.
By Wednesday night, the system was downgraded into a tropical storm as it moved its way through Mississippi, heading north.
“There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge during the next several hours for portions of the Louisiana and Mississippi coastlines, where a Storm Surge Warning remains in effect,” National Weather Service forecasters warned.
Even as Tropical Storm Francine continues to weaken, forecasters ask people to remain vigilant about the rainfall and the potential for flash flooding.
More than 53K Louisiana customers without power as Francine hits the state
Power failures have begun in Louisiana, impacting more than 53,000 customers.
Power outage tracker PowerOutage.US shows 53,680 customers have been affected.
Earlier in the day, before the storm hit, only 7-8,000 customers were without power.
The hurricane’s severe weather threats inland will continue into the evening.
Jefferson Parish asks residents to conserve water in the hurricane
Jefferson Parish is asking its residents to conserve water by limiting any non-essential activities.
“If we get too much water in our system, it can cause sewer backups. Anything we can do to mitigate helps!” the parish wrote on X.
Storm downgraded to Category 1
Hurricane Francine has been downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane after making landfall in Louisiana, according to forecasters.
A Category 1 storm has winds between 74 to 95mph. That is still enough to cause significant damage.
The storm sustained winds of 68mph in Dulac, Louisiana, according to NBC News. It had a peak gust in the city of 97 mph. A gust of 59mph was reported in Patterson, Louisiana.
Flood warnings issues in New Orleans
New Orleans is now under a Florida warning as Hurricane Francine makes its way through the area.
As the storm made landfall, the National Weather Service in New Orleans issued the advisory.
“We are getting consistent gusts of 55-65MPH across the metro and higher to the southwest. Flooding also likely. Shelter in place and stay away from windows!” the agency wrote on social media.
Floods in New Orleans are always a concern, especially after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. That storm led to massive flooding in Louisiana and led to a total of 1,392 deaths in its path.
Photo shows Hurricane Francine from space
A new satellite image shows Hurricane Francine from space as the storm made landfall in Louisiana. The stunning visual shows the massive size of the storm, with its bands stretching from Texas to Florida.
The now Category 1 storm is bringing damaging winds and a flooding threat to the Gulf Region. Many communities are under storm-related warnings as it moves through the area.
The storm’s current projected path has it heading into Mississippi, where it will continue to weaken into a tropical depression. It's expected to remain in Mississippi until early Friday morning when it will pass into the Tennessee/Arkansas region.
Curfews are in place for several communities
Several Louisiana communities are using curfews to help keep people off the road and safe as Hurricane Francine moves through the area.
In Terrebonne Parish, a 7 p.m. curfew is in effect for the zone south of the Morganza Levee system, according to WGNO. Officials also warned that the area under curfew is expected to grow.
In Washington Parish, a curfew of 10 p.m. is in place for today and lasts until noon on Thursday.
Officials in Lafourche Parish announced a curfew will be in place until sunrise on Thursday. The local sheriff was in charge of enforcing the curfew, but essential workers needing to be in the storm could have a placecard on their vehicles to show they are essential.
System downgraded to a tropical storm
As Francine moves north through the Gulf region, it has been downgraded to a tropical storm.
During an 11 p.m. update Wednesday, National Weather Service forecasters said the system continues to lose strength as it remains over land.
“As Francine continues inland, the storm will spin down and likely become a tropical depression by late Thursday and a post-tropical cyclone Thursday night or early Friday,” forecasters said.
Even though the storm is weakening, there is still the potential of flash flooding and damaging winds from the system.
“Francine is expected to bring heavy rainfall and the risk of considerable flash and urban flooding, along with river flooding, across southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, far southern Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday night. Flash and urban flooding is probable across the Lower Tennessee Valley and Lower Mississippi Valley into Friday morning,” the service stated.
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