Hurricane Francine Makes Landfall in Louisiana, Weakens

Hurricane Francine made landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday after strengthening to a Category 2 storm that could bring deadly storm surge, widespread flooding, and destructive winds on the northern US Gulf coast. The hurricane crashed into a fragile coastal region that hasn't fully recovered from a series of devastating hurricanes in 2020 and 2021, the AP reports. It hit in Terrebonne Parish about 5pm local time, with maximum sustained winds estimated to be near 100 mph. A short time later, it was downgraded to a Category 1 storm. NBC News reports that Morgan City, at the heart of the storm, was being lashed by strong winds. All police units there have been pulled off roads. "Conditions are going to go downhill really rapidly over the next couple of hours," said Jamie Rhome of the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane center said Francine drew fuel from exceedingly warm Gulf of Mexico waters.

• State officials said during a news conference late Wednesday morning that the time to evacuate had expired, the AP reports. "Now is the time to hunker down and ride this storm out," said Tony Robinson, FEMA's regional administrator for Louisiana. "I know that we have been through a lot here in Louisiana, but I urge everyone to take the necessary preparations," said Gov. Jeff Landry, who urged residents to "stay off the roads, stay home, and stay put."
• A hurricane warning is in effect along the Louisiana coast from Cameron east to Grand Isle, about 50 miles south of New Orleans, according to the NHC. New Orleans is under a hurricane watch. A storm surge warning stretches from the Mississippi-Alabama border to the Alabama-Florida border. Such a warning means life-threatening flooding could occur.

• Robert Frye, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the storm is expected to move into southern Mississippi late Wednesday and early Thursday after making landfall in Louisiana, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. He said a patch of dry air near the storm's center could increase the potential for tornadoes, though it will also stop the storm from intensifying further.
• The hurricane center said parts of Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle were at risk of "considerable" flash and urban flooding starting Wednesday. The lower Mississippi Valley and lower Tennessee Valley could experience flooding later in the week as the soggy remnants of Francine sweep inland.

(More Hurricane Francine stories.)