(AURN News) — As Hurricane Francine barrels toward the northern Gulf Coast, residents and officials in Louisiana and Mississippi are preparing for its imminent arrival. The category one hurricane, currently churning in the Gulf of Mexico, is expected to make landfall later today, bringing with it a host of life-threatening conditions, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters are particularly concerned about the storm surge, which threatens to inundate coastal areas of Louisiana and Mississippi.
Hurricane warnings blanket much of the Louisiana coast, with tropical storm warnings extending further inland. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that tropical storm conditions will begin to affect the area as early as Wednesday morning, with hurricane-force winds following close behind.
“An elongated area of low pressure located over the central tropical Atlantic continues to produce some disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity. Environmental conditions appear marginally conducive for some slight development during the next day or two while the system moves westward at 5 to 10 mph over the central tropical Atlantic,” The National Hurricane Center posted on Facebook.
As Francine approaches, it’s not just wind and storm surge that have officials worried. The storm is expected to dump significant amounts of rain across a wide swath of the southeastern United States. Flash flood watches are in effect for the Lower Tennessee Valley and the Lower Mississippi Valley. Hurricane hunter aircraft were dispatched Wednesday morning to gather crucial data about Francine.
Click play to listen to the AURN News report from Jamie Jackson:
