Tropical Storm Francine drifted northwestward over the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, and meteorologists expected it would make landfall as a hurricane along the coast of Louisiana on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Francine was predicted to move gently at first, then speed and intensify.
Damaging and life-threatening hurricane-force winds are expected in southern Louisiana Wednesday, where a Hurricane Warning is now in effect," the hurricane center stated on social media.
The National Hurricane Center produced charts Monday afternoon that illustrated Francine's prognosis as the storm developed stronger and more organized.
Francine was moving slowly north-northwest at around 5 miles per hour on Monday at 11 p.m. EDT, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph as it pushed up into the Gulf. The hurricane center stated that it was positioned roughly 125 miles south-southeast of the Rio Grande's mouth and 420 miles south-southwest of Cameron, Louisiana.
Related : How do you predict if a hurricane is coming?
The greatest sustained winds of 65 mph were a notable increase over the 50 mph winds reported by the hurricane center three hours earlier, while they remained significantly below the threshold for a hurricane. On the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, a tropical storm's maximum wind speeds must reach 74 mph to be categorized as a Category 1 hurricane.
Forecasters upgraded Francine from a tropical depression to a named tropical storm at 11 a.m., triggering the issuing of warnings and advisories for areas of coastal Louisiana and Texas.
On Monday evening, a hurricane warning was issued for the Louisiana coast from Sabine Pass east to Morgan City. A hurricane watch was in place from Morgan City to Grand Isle.
Much of the Louisiana and Texas coasts are under tropical storm warnings, while the New Orleans area and Lake Pontchartrain are under tropical storm watch.
Storm surge watches were issued from High Island, Texas, to the Mississippi-Alabama boundary, covering Vermilion Bay, Lake Maurepas, and Lake Pontchartrain.
If peak storm surge and high tide coincide, water levels from Cameron to Port Fourchon, Louisiana, and throughout Vermilion Bay may soar 5 to 10 feet above ground level, according to the hurricane center. Levels may increase to 4 to 7 feet between Port Fourchon and the Mississippi River's mouth, and 3 to 5 feet between Cameron and High Island.
A storm surge watch signifies that there is a chance of life-threatening flooding in the watch zone within 48 hours. Hurricane and tropical storm watches suggest that the meteorological conditions associated with such occurrences may occur within the same time. Watches differ from warnings, which are issued by the hurricane center for areas when severe weather is approaching.
Related : Is hurricane Lee expected to hit Florida?
The hurricane service warned that tropical storm-force winds spread up to 140 miles from the center of Francine on Monday night. After moving slowly for the remainder of the day, scientists projected that the storm would speed toward the northeast on Tuesday, churning near offshore of the northern Gulf of Mexico.
By Wednesday, they projected Francine to reach the Louisiana and upper Texas shores following a substantial phase of strengthening overnight and into the morning.
Francine was projected to dump 4 to 8 inches of rain on coastal regions from northern Mexico to the southern and upper Texas coasts, as well as southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi, through Thursday morning, with some places getting closer than a foot. Forecasters advised that there was a danger of "considerable" flash floods and urban flooding as a consequence, with a hazardous storm surge related to Francine possibly aggravating the tide and drowning coastal districts.
Forecasters said Francine seemed to drift slightly eastward between Monday morning and early afternoon, and it was forecast to arrive in Louisiana sometime on Wednesday. That was a modest divergence from recent estimates, which predicted Francine would make landfall in either Louisiana or eastern Texas.
Anonymous 
Tropical Storm Francine drifted northwestward over the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, and meteorologists expected it would make landfall as a hurricane along the coast of Louisiana on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Francine was predicted to move gently at first, then speed and intensify.
Damaging and life-threatening hurricane-force winds are expected in southern Louisiana Wednesday, where a Hurricane Warning is now in effect," the hurricane center stated on social media.
The National Hurricane Center produced charts Monday afternoon that illustrated Francine's prognosis as the storm developed stronger and more organized.
Francine was moving slowly north-northwest at around 5 miles per hour on Monday at 11 p.m. EDT, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph as it pushed up into the Gulf. The hurricane center stated that it was positioned roughly 125 miles south-southeast of the Rio Grande's mouth and 420 miles south-southwest of Cameron, Louisiana.
Related : How do you predict if a hurricane is coming?
The greatest sustained winds of 65 mph were a notable increase over the 50 mph winds reported by the hurricane center three hours earlier, while they remained significantly below the threshold for a hurricane. On the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, a tropical storm's maximum wind speeds must reach 74 mph to be categorized as a Category 1 hurricane.
Forecasters upgraded Francine from a tropical depression to a named tropical storm at 11 a.m., triggering the issuing of warnings and advisories for areas of coastal Louisiana and Texas.
On Monday evening, a hurricane warning was issued for the Louisiana coast from Sabine Pass east to Morgan City. A hurricane watch was in place from Morgan City to Grand Isle.
Much of the Louisiana and Texas coasts are under tropical storm warnings, while the New Orleans area and Lake Pontchartrain are under tropical storm watch.
Storm surge watches were issued from High Island, Texas, to the Mississippi-Alabama boundary, covering Vermilion Bay, Lake Maurepas, and Lake Pontchartrain.
If peak storm surge and high tide coincide, water levels from Cameron to Port Fourchon, Louisiana, and throughout Vermilion Bay may soar 5 to 10 feet above ground level, according to the hurricane center. Levels may increase to 4 to 7 feet between Port Fourchon and the Mississippi River's mouth, and 3 to 5 feet between Cameron and High Island.
A storm surge watch signifies that there is a chance of life-threatening flooding in the watch zone within 48 hours. Hurricane and tropical storm watches suggest that the meteorological conditions associated with such occurrences may occur within the same time. Watches differ from warnings, which are issued by the hurricane center for areas when severe weather is approaching.
Related : Is hurricane Lee expected to hit Florida?
The hurricane service warned that tropical storm-force winds spread up to 140 miles from the center of Francine on Monday night. After moving slowly for the remainder of the day, scientists projected that the storm would speed toward the northeast on Tuesday, churning near offshore of the northern Gulf of Mexico.
By Wednesday, they projected Francine to reach the Louisiana and upper Texas shores following a substantial phase of strengthening overnight and into the morning.
Francine was projected to dump 4 to 8 inches of rain on coastal regions from northern Mexico to the southern and upper Texas coasts, as well as southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi, through Thursday morning, with some places getting closer than a foot. Forecasters advised that there was a danger of "considerable" flash floods and urban flooding as a consequence, with a hazardous storm surge related to Francine possibly aggravating the tide and drowning coastal districts.
Forecasters said Francine seemed to drift slightly eastward between Monday morning and early afternoon, and it was forecast to arrive in Louisiana sometime on Wednesday. That was a modest divergence from recent estimates, which predicted Francine would make landfall in either Louisiana or eastern Texas.