Tropical Storm Francine Moving Through Louisiana, Mississippi With Damaging Gusts, Heavy Rain And Storm Surge.

This is what the current state of that system is: Francine is moving northeastward through Louisiana and Mississippi now as a tropical storm.

Tropical storm conditions pounded southern Louisiana, including New Orleans, Wednesday evening. New Orleans International Airport has reported a 78 mph wind gust while the worst of Francine moves through metropolitan New Orleans. Flash flood emergency for New Orleans and LaPlace, Louisiana where 5-7" of rain has fallen along the Interstate-10 corridor. Cars seen filling with water as power has been knocked out in parts of the metro. Multiple spots in Southern Louisiana where flooding is being reported include Cocodrie and Dulac.

Earlier Wednesday, a wind gust of 105 mph was reported on Eugene Island, Louisiana, Wednesday evening. Dulac, Louisiana recently reporting a gust to 97 mph. Gusts at offshore oil rigs have gusted as high as 112 mph on elevated platforms.

 

Forecast track/intensity: 

Francine will spread rain and strong wind gusts over eastern Louisiana, and parts of Mississippi and Alabama overnight. Rainfall from Francine and its remnants will impact other portions of the Southeast as far north as the lower Ohio and Tennessee valleys through at least Friday and possibly into the weekend as a non-tropical system.

F​Francine may eventually become bogged down in the mid-Mississippi Valley late this week.

Potential Impacts:

S​torm Surge

Life-threatening storm surge will continue to inundate low-lying areas along the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coasts through the overnight hours. In some spots, an early Thursday morning high tide may bring the worst inundation.

According to the National Hurricane Center, if the surge occurs at the time of high tide, peak inundation overnight could be 5 to 8 feet for parts of southern Louisiana - including Vermilion Bay. Flooding along the shores of lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas is also possible, with the surge possibly reaching as high as 3 to 6 feet in these areas.

Evacuate if ordered to do so by local officials.