Hurricane tracker live updates: Francine downgraded to tropical depression after making landfall in Louisiana

Parts of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi have wind advisories in effect as Francine brings strong winds and gusts as high as 50 mph to the Southeast, according to the National Weather Service.

Areas in Tennessee are expected to experience wind gusts up to 45 mph and have wind advisories in place until Friday morning.

Wind advisories for portions of southeast Arkansas, northeast Louisiana and much of Mississippi are in effect until 7 p.m. local time on Thursday.

North Central and Northwest Georgia may experience isolated gusts nearing 35 mph, the NWS said. North and south portions of the Atlanta metro area will also experience wind gusts up to 35 mph. A wind advisory is in effect until 5 a.m. local time on Friday.

Parts of Alabama, including the southern and northern parts of the state, and northwest Florida are expected to get wind gusts up to 40 mph. Wind advisories are in place until 1 p.m. Thursday in some parts of Alabama and Florida, stretching into Friday morning in areas like Huntsville, Ala.

Tornado watches are in effect for southeast Alabama and the Florida Panhandle until 1 p.m. local time in the following counties, according to the National Weather Service:

Florida

• Bay

• Calhoun

• Escambia

• Franklin

• Gulf

• Holmes

• Jackson

• Liberty

• Okaloosa

• Santa Rosa

• Wakulla

• Walton

• Washington

Alabama

• Butler

• Covington

• Escambia

• Houston

• Coffee

• Crenshaw

• Geneva

• Monroe

• Conecuh

• Dale

• Henry

• Wilcox

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said that no injuries have been reported and around 51,000 people were without power in the state on Thursday morning.

"This is down from a high of approximately 64,000," Reeves wrote on X. "Over 160 people used shelters last night. Several roads are closed in coastal and central counties due to flooding." He noted that "heavy rain is expected to continue through at least this afternoon, so please continue to stay weather aware."

Francine is expected to dump around 3 to 6 inches of rain through parts of Mississippi on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

"Downed trees & power outages along with flash flooding & minor river flooding have already been reported and are expected to continue," NWS Jackson MS said. A flood watch is in effect until 1 p.m. local time.

Meteorologists also reported wind gusts of up to 50 mph in central and northern Mississippi. A wind advisory is in effect until 7 p.m.

Scenes of flooded roads and residents assessing the damage done by uprooted trees in their neighborhoods emerged in the aftermath of Hurricane Francine.

Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies said they safely rescued 26 people, including small children, trapped in their homes by rising floodwaters in Thibodaux on Wednesday evening.

The people were taken to a local emergency shelter, local news outlet WGNO reported.

Residents in other parts of Thibodaux were also rescued by deputies in other parts of the parish, including the Kraemer neighborhood.

New Orleans International Airport recorded 7.32 inches of rain on Wednesday, breaking the daily record set in 1998, when 5.64 inches fell, according to local meteorologists.

Francine is bringing heavy rain to a large swath of the southeast as it moves inland.

According to the National Weather Service, the storm is expected to dump 3 to 6 inches across portions of Mississippi, eastern Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.

"Localized amounts up to 10 inches are possible within rain bands over portions of central and northern Alabama and over the Florida Panhandle," the weather service said. "This rainfall could lead to locally considerable flash and urban flooding."

Even though Francine has weakened, the National Weather Service warns that hazards still remain. "This is NOT the time to put your guard down," the NWS New Orleans office wrote online.

According to PowerOutage.us, a website that tracks utility companies across the country, more than 390,000 customers in Louisiana were without power as of 8 a.m. ET, or roughly 20% of the total number tracked in the state. Most of the outages were in Terrebonne, Lafourche and Jefferson parishes, near where Francine made landfall.

Francine was downgraded to a tropical depression on Thursday morning, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory on the storm.

The storm made landfall on Wednesday evening as a Category 2 hurricane, before weakening to a tropical storm.

Meteorologists said that "heavy rainfall" is now spreading across Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

The storm is currently around 30 miles south of Jackson, Miss., with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph.

Francine was downgraded to a tropical storm late Wednesday night by the National Hurricane Center, as the storm's power decreased after it made landfall earlier in the evening.

All hurricane watches have been discontinued, and hurricane and tropical storm warnings west of Intracoastal City have been discontinued. The storm surge warning west of Avery Island has been discontinued. The bulletin warned that "heavy rains and wind gusts to hurricane-force" were still happening in Metropolitan New Orleans.

A number of watches and warnings are still in effect.

Storm surge warning for:

• Avery Island, La., to the Mississippi/Alabama border

• Vermilion Bay, La.

• Lake Maurepas, La.

• Lake Pontchartrain, La.

Tropical storm warning for:

• Intracoastal City, La., to the Alabama/Florida border

• Lake Maurepas, La.

• Lake Pontchartrain, La., including metropolitan New Orleans

A storm surge warning signifies "there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, beginning shortly for the indicated locations," according to the hurricane center.

A tropical storm warning means storm conditions are expected somewhere in the area.

A flash flood emergency has been issued for parts of Southern Louisiana, including New Orleans, as heavy rains and winds from Francine douse the e

Francine made landfall Wednesday afternoon as a Category 2 hurricane, bringing winds of 100 mph to Louisiana. As of Wednesday night, Francine was moving northeast and had been downgraded to a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.

"This general motion should continue, taking the system across southeastern Louisiana tonight and across Mississippi Thursday and Thursday night," the hurricane center projected.

The storm is forecast to bring as much as "12 inches (of rain) across southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, far southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday night."

Flash flooding is possible in these areas as well as the threat of tornadoes.

The storm will have a far-reaching impact as it drenches the Southern U.S. for the rest of the week.

"Across portions of the Lower Tennessee Valley, Lower Mississippi Valley, northeast Florida and Alabama, rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches with local amounts of 8 inches are possible through Friday morning. This rainfall could lead to flash and urban flooding," the NHC said.

By Friday afternoon, the storm will have reached Northeastern Arkansas and Western Tennessee, and by early Saturday morning Francine's effects will be felt in Southern Missouri, according to current projections.

Almost 250,000 customers are without power in Louisiana as of 9:25 p.m., as Francine moves inland after making landfall earlier in the day.

The outages are heaviest in the southern parishes near the coast, including St. Mary, Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption, Jefferson, Orleans, East Baton Rouge, and Ascension, according to PowerOutage.us, a website that tracks outages across the country.

The effects of Hurricane Francine are now being felt across the New Orleans area, the National Hurricane Center said in its 9 p.m. ET update.

"Heavy rains and gusty winds are spreading across metropolitan New Orleans," the hurricane center said. "An observation in Lakefront Airport has recently reported sustained winds of 37 mph (59 km/h) with a gust to 49 mph (80 km/h)."

"Conditions are expected to continue to deteriorate during the next couple of hours," the bulletin additionally warned.

Weather Channel meteorologist Paul Goodloe was struggling to stay upright as he reported from the city Wednesday night.

Satellite imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Francine moving across the Southern U.S. Wednesday.

Roughly 175,000 customers are now without power in Louisiana, as Francine continues to ravage the state's coast.

The outages are concentrated in St. Mary, Terrebonne, Lafourche, and Assumption parishes, according to PowerOutage.us, a website that tracks outages across the country.

Video from local media in Southern Louisiana showed strong winds and rain from Francine battering the region.

As Francine moves inland, the storm brings the threat of tornadoes with it. The National Weather Service has extended its tornado warning into the outheastern U.S. for Thursday.

"A few tornadoes will be possible, mainly in the morning and afternoon from the Florida Panhandle to north-central Alabama," the weather service said.

The National Hurricane Center issued a new series of warnings at 8 p.m. ET for Hurricane Francine:

Storm surge warnings:

• Vermilion/Cameron Parish, La., to the Mississippi/Alabama border

• Vermilion Bay, La.

• Lake Maurepas, La.

• Lake Pontchartrain, La.

Hurricane warning for:

• The Louisiana coast from Vermilion/Cameron Line eastward to Grand Isle

Hurricane watch for:

• Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain, including metropolitan New Orleans

Tropical storm warning for:

• The Louisiana coast from Cameron to the Vermilion/Cameron Line

• East of Grand Isle, La., to the Alabama/Florida border

• Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain, including metropolitan New Orleans

According to the hurricane center, a storm surge warning means "there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, beginning shortly for the indicated locations."

A hurricane or tropical storm warning means conditions are expected in the area, while a watch means conditions are possible.

Even as Hurricane Francine made landfall, communities in Louisiana were still reeling from two other major storms that have hit the state in the last few years.

Hurricane Laura in 2020 and Hurricane Ida in 2021, both Category 4 storms, were two of the strongest hurricanes on record to hit Louisiana since 1856.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's hurricane tracker calculates that 57 hurricanes have either hit or traveled over Louisiana from the mid-1800s through 2023. That averages out to the state experiencing at least one hurricane every three years.

Scenes of strong winds and heavy rain emerged Wednesday as Hurricane Francine battered Southern Louisiana.

The eye of Hurricane Francine is just inland over southern Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center announced shortly after 7 p.m. ET.

"Life-threatening storm surge, heavy rains and hurricane-force winds continue to affect portions of the area," the hurricane center said in a bulletin. "Stay inside and away from windows and have multiple ways to receive warnings and updates."

The bulletin said sustained winds of 90 mph were still being measured close to the center of the storm. Sustained winds of 68 mph with gusts of 97 mph were recorded in Duluc, La.

Nearly 90,000 Entergy customers are without power thanks to the arrival of Hurricane Francine, Axios reported.

More than 20,000 customers in coastal parishes close to where the Category 2 storm made landfall — Lafourche Parish and Terrebonne Parish — are without power.

As Hurricane Francine approached the Louisiana coastline Wednesday afternoon, at least 45,000 residents lost power, according to Nola.com. That number is expected to grow as the storm continues to push inland.

Video posted to X by WREG-TV meteorologist Jake Dalton shows electrical transformers being blown out in the town of Houma, La., in Hurricane Francine's high winds.

United Parcel Service said in a statement Wednesday that its pickup and delivery services across the southern U.S. may be impacted by the arrival of Hurricane Francine.

"Contingency plans are in place to help ensure that shipments arrive at their final destinations as quickly as possible," the company said.

Read more from Reuters.

Hurricane Francine became the eighth Category 2-level-or-higher storm to make landfall in the state of Louisiana in the last 24 years, according to Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach.

It wouldn't be hurricane coverage without video of Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore being pummeled by strong winds and heavy rain.

Hurricane Francine, now a Category 2 storm, made landfall on the Louisiana coastline late this afternoon. Shortly before it came ashore, winds picked up in places like Morgan City, according to the Weather Channel.

In its 6 p.m. ET update, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Hurricane Francine came ashore in Louisiana as a Category 2 storm.

"Francine has made landfall in southern Louisiana in the Parish of Terrebonne, about 30 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, as a Category 2 hurricane. Maximum sustained winds are estimated to be near 100 mph (155 km/h)," the NHC said in a bulletin.

The American Red Cross is preparing food, supplies, and plans to recover from the impacts of Hurricane Francine.

"Ahead of me, I can see ... 18-wheelers that are stocked to the brim with food, as well as shelf-stable meals, snacks, cots, cleanup kits, things that folks need in the immediate aftermath of an impact from a disaster," American Red Cross spokesperson Stephanie Fox told AccuWeather.

Fox said that as soon as it's safe, the American Red Cross will assess damage, provide shelter and meals, and talk to local officials to determine which areas were most impacted — from the coast of Louisiana to states like Arkansas and Missouri as well.

She also said the biggest concern for the Red Cross is that people take the storm seriously.

"Please do not travel later today," Fox said. "Stay hunkered down."

If you're in need of a shelter or disaster relief, you can call the Red Cross at 800-RED-CROSS. The nonprofit also recommends visiting http://redcross.org/shelters and downloading the Red Cross Emergency app.

Insurance companies aren't expected to take a massive hit following Hurricane Francine, Reuters reports.

According to a preliminary estimate from reinsurance brokerage Gallagher Re, damages from Hurricane Francine are projected to remain in the low single-digit billions, which is considered highly manageable.

Hurricane Beryl — which hit the southern U.S. in late June and early July — was estimated to have caused between $28 billion and $32 billion in damages.

All flights out of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport have been canceled for the rest of the day, according to the airport's website. While some cancellations were already made on Thursday morning, the airport told travelers to check with their specific airlines to see if upcoming flights are also canceled.

Despite the flight cancellations, the airport will remain open "unless conditions become unsafe."

Hurricane Francine has strengthened into a Category 2 storm as the eye approaches the Louisiana coast, the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center said. Currently, the hurricane is located about 100 miles west-southwest of New Orleans and is moving northeast at 17 mph with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph.

"Francine is anticipated to make landfall in Louisiana within the warning area in the next few hours," the hurricane center said. However, once reaching land, the storm is forecast to rapidly lose strength and become post-tropical Thursday night or Friday.

At least four inches of rainfall is possible in New Orleans on Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service, as Hurricane Francine is expected to make landfall west of the city.

"Locally heavy rainfall and tornadoes will be possible inside these bands along with the damaging winds from the hurricane," the NWS posted on .

As people brace for the impact of Hurricane Francine, here are some precautions you can take to stay safe before and during a storm:

• Make an evacuation plan and follow any evacuation orders immediately.

• Secure loose items around the yard (trash cans, lawn furniture, etc.) so that they aren't picked up by high winds and pose a danger to others.

• Trim trees that could fall on the home in a storm.

• Protect windows with storm shutters or plywood.

• Get a battery-powered radio.

• Find a way to charge your phone (even in the event you lose power and can't use your standard charger).

Read more from Yahoo on how to prepare for a hurricane and protect yourself after it makes landfall.

Louisiana residents have been preparing for Hurricane Francine to make landfall this week, stocking up on bottled water and filling their cars with gas.

Hurricane Francine's eyewall is nearing southern Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest forecast update.

"Hurricane-force winds in the northern eyewall of Francine are nearing the coast of southern Louisiana," the hurricane center said, adding: "Now is the time to stay inside and away from windows."

The Category 1 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, is now just 60 miles southwest of Morgan City, La., moving northeast at 17 mph. It is expected to make landfall within hours.

In a recent update, the National Hurricane Center said that rain bands from Hurricane Francine have already moved onshore and that "conditions will continue to deteriorate throughout the afternoon."

According to the National Hurricane Center, tropical storm-force winds and heavy rainfall from Hurricane Francine are spreading inland across southern Louisiana and hurricane-force winds are just offshore.

"Now is the time to stay inside and away from windows," the weather service warned in its latest update.

Francine remains a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph. It is currently located 80 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, La., moving northeast at 17 mph.

Ahead of Hurricane Francine's expected landfall, the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center has issued a tornado watch for a 70-mile stretch of southern Louisiana, far southern Mississippi and coastal waters until 11 p.m. CT.

According to the Weather Service, a tornado watch means "conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area."

Tuesday, Sept. 10, was the peak of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, according to the National Hurricane Center — and Francine is the sixth named storm of the year.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 until Nov. 30, but most hurricanes happen in September and October.

Jaime Hernandez, the emergency management director in Hollywood, Fla., previously told the Associated Press: “That’s a little bit different this year because of the reality we’re dealing with with global warming, warmer sea surface temperatures, atmosphere conditions that are more favorable to tropical cyclone development."

According to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Francine remains a Category 1 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph. It is located about 95 miles southwest of Morgan City, La., and is moving northeast at 16 mph.

"Little change in strength is expected before landfall," the hurricane center said. "Francine is expected to rapidly weaken after landfall, and the system is forecast to become post-tropical on Thursday."

Officials in several cities and parishes in Louisiana have issued curfews and shelter-in-place orders as Hurricane Francine approaches. In Terrebonne Parish, officials implemented a curfew beginning at 8 a.m. CT on Wednesday. In Morgan City, a curfew was set for 11 a.m. CT on Wednesday until 6 a.m. CT on Thursday for the city's 11,000 residents.

"We want everybody to just kind of shelter in place," Morgan City Police Chief Chad Adams told reporters.

In New Orleans, residents were told to stay off roads and shelter in place by 11 a.m. local time.

At a press conference earlier Wednesday, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry told all of the state's residents to "stay home and stay put."

At Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry's briefing, Jay Grymes, Louisiana's state climatologist, relayed "a little bit of good news" about Hurricane Francine.

"The storm should move through relatively quickly," said Grymes, the former chief meteorologist for WAFB-TV. "Most of the impacts should be out of the state by or soon after midnight and ... we are already looking at a little bit of a reduction in the rainfall totals.

"All that said," he added, "this is still going to be a serious weather event between now and midnight tonight."

In addition to hurricane force winds, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are warning that Francine could bring a life-threatening storm surge to the Louisiana coast, with up to 10 feet expected in some areas.

Here's a map showing the peak storm surge forecast.

At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and state officials said all of the state's residents should shelter in place until the storm passes.

"Stay home and stay put," Landry said.

"The time to evacuate has now passed," said Jacques Thibodeaux, director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, or GOHSEP. "It is the time to go to ground and hunker down. We are now no longer in the 'prepare for a hurricane,' we are in the 'respond to a hurricane.'"

Landry posted a similar plea to X earlier Wednesday.

As of 12 p.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Francine was located around 140 miles southwest of Morgan City, La.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph and was moving northeast at 13 mph.

The hurricane center said it would release hourly updates on the storm.

The governors of Louisiana and Mississippi have declared states of emergency ahead of Hurricane Francine's arrival.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency on Monday. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves did so on Tuesday.

Landry also deployed the Louisiana National Guard to parishes that could be affected by Francine.

President Biden on Tuesday approved an emergency declaration for the state of Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Francine making landfall.

Biden's declaration authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to "coordinate all disaster relief efforts." FEMA can help provide shelter support, evacuation assistance and funding to the parishes of Louisiana and other areas in an emergency.