Francine develops into a hurricane before it reaches land
Tropical Storm Francine has rapidly strengthened this afternoon. Francine is expected to become a hurricane before making landfall.
Tropical Storm Francine rapidly intensified Tuesday as it raged off the Texas Gulf Coast. It is forecast to reach hurricane strength Tuesday and make landfall off the Louisiana coast as a powerful Category 2 storm on Wednesday.
“The storm is slowly gaining momentum,” said Alex Dasilva, hurricane expert at AccuWeather, adding that high water temperatures in the Gulf are serving as “rocket fuel” for the system.
The National Weather Service said Francine was expected to pass just off the coast of Texas through Tuesday and make landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday. Maximum sustained winds were already at 65 mph, with stronger gusts early Tuesday. “Significant strengthening” was forecast before landfall.
Francine was expected to inundate much of Louisiana and Mississippi with 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain. Some areas could see 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rainfall by Friday morning, which “could result in significant flash flooding and urban flooding.”
∎ According to the weather service, some tornadoes are possible in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday.
∎ Swell generated by Francine is expected to spread across the northwestern and northern coasts of the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday and Wednesday.
∎ Energy companies began evacuating offshore workers on several production platforms ahead of the storm. The port of Brownsville, Texas, was closed and other ports from Corpus Christi north to Galveston imposed restrictions.
Tropical Storm Francine: Could be a Category 2 hurricane as it approaches the US
As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, the storm’s center was 125 miles southeast of the mouth of the Rio Grande and 395 miles south-southwest of Cameron, Louisiana. Francine was moving north at 5 mph, but was expected to turn northeast and gain speed.
“There is a risk of life-threatening storm surge along portions of the Upper Texas and Louisiana coasts,” the hurricane center warned, adding that evacuation orders could be the result. “Destroying and life-threatening hurricane-force winds are expected in portions of southern Louisiana.”
Parts of Louisiana were bracing for torrential rain and winds of over 100 mph. Storm surges combined with high tides could cause water levels to rise as much as 10 feet above ground in some areas, the weather service warned.
Parts of southwestern Louisiana are still recovering from the double disaster caused by Hurricanes Laura in 2020 and, six weeks later, Hurricane Delta. The two storms together killed at least 49 people in the U.S. and Caribbean and caused more than $20 billion in damage, most of it in Louisiana. Laura made landfall near Cameron, where meteorologists say Francine could make landfall.
In Lake Charles, 50 miles north of Cameron, a 22-story skyscraper that had been irreparably damaged by the hurricanes was demolished just a few days ago in a planned demolition. The Hertz Tower was the tallest building in the city.
Francine is the sixth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season and the first since the dissipation of Ernesto on August 20.
The system is one of three being monitored by the hurricane center. Another is in the central tropical Atlantic and has a 40 percent chance of developing into a tropical storm within 48 hours. A storm further east has a 70 percent chance of developing within the next week.
Contributors: Dinah Voyles Pulver and Doyle Rice, USA TODAY; Reuters
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