Francine downgraded to tropical storm after sweeping into Louisiana

2 days ago

WWNO

Francine downgraded to tropical storm after sweeping into Louisiana

Francine weakened to a tropical storm Wednesday evening after making landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane.

Francine weakened to a tropical storm Wednesday evening after making landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane.

At 10 p.m. Wednesday, the storm was bringing heavy rains and gusty winds to the New Orleans area.

The storm came onshore in Terrebonne Parish as a Category 2 hurricane Wednesday, bringing life-threatening storm surge to the state, and knocking out power to more than 250,000 homes.

The National Hurricane Center discontinued the hurricane watch it issued for Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain, including metropolitan New Orleans. The hurricane warning for the Louisiana coast from Cameron eastward to Grand Isle was downgraded to a tropical storm warning. Hurricane and tropical storm warnings west of Intracoastal City were also discontinued.

Where is Francine?

At 10 p.m. CT, Francine was about 35 miles west-northwest of New Orleans. It had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, with tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 140 miles from the storm's center.

Where is Francine headed?

Francine is expected to weaken rapidly into a tropical depression and a post-tropical cyclone Thursday night or early Friday as it moves north into Mississippi.

How has Louisiana been impacted?

Francine was bringing life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds to parts of Louisiana, the Hurricane Center said.

More than a dozen parishes, including Orleans, are under a tornado watch until 11 p.m.

Forecasters said storm surge could be over 9 feet in St. Mary Parish and Terrebonne Parish. Lake Pontchartrain could see storm surge 4 to 6 feet.

Francine is expected to bring storm total rainfall of 4 to 8 inches, with local amounts to 12 inches across eastern Louisiana.

Southern Louisiana and other areas along the Gulf Coast expected to see up to 8 inches of rain into Thursday morning with some areas seeing isolated amounts of 12 inches, which could cause considerable flash and urban flooding.