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Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Francine strengthened into a hurricane on Tuesday night and today was taking aim at Louisiana with life-threatening storm surge and strong winds.
The hurricane has 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 have.
By six o’clock, Louisianans should: “Stay home and stay put.”
Flights at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, and Lafayette Regional Airport were canceled on Wednesday. Some Thursday flights were also affected.
Francine is expected to make landfall in the afternoon or evening.
On Wednesday morning, the hurricane was swirling about 95 miles southwest of Morgan City with maximum sustained winds near 90 miles per hour, with some higher gusts.
The system is anticipated to weaken over land.
The storm brings multiple other hazards, including flash and urban flooding. It is expected to dump as much as a foot of rain across southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, far southern Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday night.
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.
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.
More than 53K Louisiana customers without power as Francine hits the state
Power failures have begun in Louisiana, impacting more than 53,000 customers.
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.
Dramatic satellite video shows Hurricane Francine as it makes landfall
Satellite video from CSU/CIRA and NOAA shows Hurricane Francine as it swirls over Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon.
The Category 2 storm is bringing life-threatening flooding, winds, and storm surge.
NWS issues flash flood warning through this evening
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning until 8 p.m. in Thibodaux, Bayou Blue, and Raceland.
Social media users post dramatic videos of Hurricane Francine as it makes landfall
Hurricane Francine made landfall on Wednesday afternoon. It’s bringing life-threatening hazards to the southern region of the state.
Social media users have taken to X to post dramatic video as the storm comes in.
Hurricane Francine expected to bring several life-threatening hazards: NWS
The National Weather Service is warning residents of multiple hazards related to Hurricane Francine, which will likely make landfall in the next hour.
Sustained hurricane force winds could affect areas west and southwest of the tidal lake, bringing the threat of power outages and damage to homes, trees and power lines.
Coastal areas will see life-threatening water levels, with flooding that may be slow to drain due to wind direction on Thursday.
High rainfall will impact saturated soils and flash flooding could quickly occur in urban and poor drainage areas.
Rises on river areas are expected as the rain drains, including minor flooding along rivers from the north shore through the Mississippi coast.
Several tornadoes are possible in Francine’s bands.
Hurricane Francine makes landfall
Hurricane Francine has made landfall inTerrebonne Parish, about 30 miles south-southwest of Morgan City.
It hit Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 100 miles per hour.
Hurricane Francine expected to make landfall in the next hour
Hurricane Francine is expected to make landfall in the next hour.
The National Weather Service’s New Orleans office said the Category 2 storm has winds near 100 miles per hour.
“Life-threatening conditions are expected across portions of the area,” it said.
Tammany Parish urges its residents to stay safe as Hurricane Francine’s eyewall breaches the Louisiana coast
Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper urged residents to stay safe on Wednesday afternoon as Hurricane Fracine’s eyewall breached the southern Louisiana coast.
“The eye of Francine is projected to be just to the west of us. Now is the time to stay where you are or get to a safe location,” he said.
“Of course, time is ticking and the timeframe is increasingly reduced.”
Locals should be prepared to hunker down until tomorrow morning and stay off the roads. Power outages are expected in the parish, and Cooper warned about the danger of falling trees.
“Strong winds can turn our beautiful, tall pine trees into hazards,” he cautioned.
The area will see wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour and possibly 4-6 feet of storm surge.
Source: independent.co.uk
