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Hurricane Francine becomes Category 1 storm; Louisiana landfall expected Wednesday

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Published  September 10, 2024 11:59pm EDT
Hurricanes
FOX 35 Orlando

Hurricane Francine is expected to strengthen

Francine strengthened to become a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday night in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane Francine is expected to make landfall somewhere over Louisiana on Wednesday, the NHC said, with life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds.

Francine strengthened to become a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday night in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The NHC said Hurricane Francine is expected to make landfall over Louisiana on Wednesday. It will bring a life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds.

"The eye of Hurricane Francine looks to me like it will pass either directly over, or very close to, downtown New Orleans on Wednesday evening, sometime between as early as 5 p.m. or as late as 10 p.m.," said FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Noah Bergren. "The majority of the rain will be displaced on the eastern and northern side of the hurricane because of dry air coming in behind it. Hurricane-force gusts in the New Orleans and Gulfport areas are a certainty."

Bergren said gusts could be 90 to 100 mph on or near any larger bodies of water due to less friction. Models indicate potential gusts to 100 mph on Lake Pontchartrain on Wednesday evening.

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Late Tuesday evening, Hurricane Francine was 185 miles east-northeast of the Rio Grande and 295 miles southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana. It had sustained winds of 85 mph, making it a strong Category 1 hurricane.  It was traveling northeast at 10 mph.

"A faster northeastward motion is expected tonight and Wednesday.  On the forecast track, Francine is anticipated to make landfall in Louisiana Wednesday afternoon or evening. After landfall, the center is expected to move northward into the Mississippi Wednesday night and Thursday," the NHC said in its advisory.

Tracking Hurricane Francine: Latest cone, path, spaghetti models

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Two disturbances in Atlantic Ocean

The NHC is also monitoring two tropical waves in the Atlantic Ocean – one with a medium (40%) chance of formation in the next seven days and another with a higher (70%) chance of formation.  

The area of concern in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean could gradually develop into a tropical depression later this week. For now, the long-term path does not track toward Florida. The next storm name on the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season list is Gordon.

Forecasters said environmental conditions in the central tropical Atlantic are only slightly favorable for the wave's development in the next few days, but a tropical depression could still form as the system moves westward at 5 to 10 mph across the Atlantic Ocean.

When is the peak of hurricane season?

The peak of the season is around September 10, with a smaller peak in mid-October, especially in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

After this, storm activity decreases rapidly through the end of the season.

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