In a hurry? Here’s the situation in the tropics in less than a minute.
Francine continues to weaken and is now a tropical depression, but its impacts are still being felt in the Southeast, the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center said.
Early this morning, a tornado warning was issued for several counties in Florida. Shortly after, a tornado warning was issued for Franklin County.
Heavy rains are spreading across Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
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Hurricane Francine made landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday evening as a Category 2 storm with winds of up to 100 mph (160 km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center.
According to the NHC, Francine made landfall in Terrebonne Parish, 30 miles southwest of Morgan City.
What impacts from Tropical Depression Francine are expected in Florida today?
As Tropical Depression Francine moves across south-central Mississippi, coastal flooding of up to 2 to 3 feet (0.61 to 0.91 m) and tropical storm force winds are expected early this morning, the National Weather Service Mobile said.
➤Spaghetti models for Francine
A few tornadoes are possible today, especially in the morning and afternoon, from the Florida Panhandle to northcentral Alabama.
Francine is expected to bring 3 to 6 inches of rainfall to portions of the Florida Panhandle. Local amounts of up to 10 inches are possible within rain bands across the area.
Conditions are expected to improve by noon.
According to NWS, minor flooding and ponding on roads is likely during the morning hours, especially in the western Florida Panhandle and south-central Alabama.
Impact on Florida Panhandle: Will Tropical Storm Francine Hit the Florida Panhandle? Here’s What You Need to Know
Where is Tropical Depression Francine? What you need to know
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Location: 30 miles south of Jackson, Mississippi
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Maximum sustained wind: 35 mph
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Movement: north-northeast at 12 mph
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Busy: 996 mb
Interactive map: Heavy rain is expected
Spaghetti Models: Latest Models of Where Tropical Depression Francine Could Go
Special note about spaghetti models: Spaghetti model illustrations include a variety of forecasting tools and models, and not all are created equal. The Hurricane Center uses only the four or five best performing models to create its forecasts.
Warnings issued in Florida, US
Storm surge warning:
What can St. Johns County expect?
A flash flood and coastal flood warning is in effect for St. Johns County through Friday, according to the National Weather Service in Jacksonville. Here’s a look at the forecast for the next few days.
Thursday: Showers and possible thunderstorms, mainly before 4:00 PM, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4:00 PM. High around 87. East wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of a half to three-quarters of an inch possible.
Thursday evening: Chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9:00 PM, then a slight chance of showers between 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM Mostly cloudy, with a low around 76. Northeast wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, then showers and possibly thunderstorms after 2:00 PM. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Heat index values as high as 105. East wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three-quarters of an inch possible.
Friday evening: Showers and possible thunderstorms likely before 8:00 PM, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 8:00 PM and 2:00 AM Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Northeast wind around 5 mph, becoming calmer in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday: Chance of showers and thunderstorms, then likely showers and possibly thunderstorms after 2:00 PM. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Northeast wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Saturday evening:Possible showers and possible thunderstorms before 20:00, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 20:00 and 02:00. Partly cloudy, with a minimum temperature around 24 degrees. The chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday: 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 8 AM. Partly sunny, with a high around 88.
Sunday evening: 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2:00 AM. Mostly cloudy, with a minimum temperature around 23 degrees.
How strong is Tropical Depression Francine and where is it headed?
At 7 a.m. CDT, the center of Tropical Depression Francine was located near latitude 31.9 north and longitude 90.1 west. Francine is moving toward the north-northeast at 12 mph.
The wind is expected to shift to a northerly direction over the coming day, with forward speed decreasing somewhat.
Francine’s center of gravity is forecast to move across central and northern Mississippi through Friday morning.
Maximum sustained wind speeds have decreased to around 56 km/h, with higher gusts.
Francine is expected to continue weakening and become a post-tropical cyclone later today.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 996 mb.
Key messages from the National Hurricane Center: What you need to know about Tropical Depression Francine
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There is a risk of life-threatening storm surge in the coming hours for parts of the eastern coastlines of Louisiana and Mississippi, where a storm surge warning remains in effect. Residents in the warning area should continue to follow the advice of local officials.
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A tropical storm warning remains in effect for coastal areas of southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, where tropical storm conditions could persist for the next several hours.
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Francine will continue to bring heavy rainfall and the potential for flash and urban flooding, along with river flooding, to portions of the Lower Mississippi Valley, Tennessee Valley, and the Southeast. Locally, significant flash and urban flooding is possible today and tonight across portions of central and northern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
What impact could Tropical Depression Francine have and which areas could be affected?
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WIND: Tropical storm force wind gusts are possible in parts of southeastern Louisiana, southeastern and central Mississippi, and southwestern Alabama over the next few hours.
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RAINFALL: Francine is expected to bring total rainfall of 3 to 6 inches to portions of Mississippi, eastern Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and the Florida Panhandle. Local amounts of up to 10 inches are possible within rain bands across portions of central and northern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. This rainfall could result in locally significant flash flooding and urban flooding.
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STORM FLOOD: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide causes normally dry areas near the coast to be inundated by rising water flowing inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the areas shown if the peak tide occurs at the time of high tide:
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Mouth of the Pearl River, LA to MS/AL border…2-4 feet
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More Pontchartrain and more Maurepas…2-4 feet
➤ Heavy rain is expected
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TORNADOES:A few tornadoes are possible today, especially this morning and afternoon, from the Florida Panhandle to northcentral Alabama.
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SURFING: The waves generated by Francine will continue to impact much of the northern Gulf Coast through today. These waves are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Atlantic Tropical Storm Tracker
See new ‘cone of concern’ used in Hurricane Francine
The National Hurricane Center launched its new “cone of concern” for Hurricane Ernesto on August 14 and is now using it for Hurricane Francine.
Ernesto stayed far away from Florida and the US, so residents didn’t see much difference between the original and the new cone.
As Francine approaches the northern Gulf Coast, that is not the case with the new cone the National Hurricane Center posted on its website.
One of the biggest differences between the two cones is that the new cone shows wind warnings issued for inland counties, not just coastal counties.
Both cones are visible on the Hurricane Center website. Find the new cone by going to the graphic page for the storm and then clicking on “New Experimental Cone,” which is highlighted in red.
Differences you will see:
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Warnings apply to inland provinces, not just coastal areas.
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White transparent shading for the full five-day forecast, instead of white dots for the four- and five-day forecasts.
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This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Tropical update: Francine impacts Florida today, tornadoes, rain
