What to know about Francine
- The center of Francine passed over New Orleans last night, dumping 5 to 7 inches of rain in the city. The storm is expected to continue to bring heavy rainfall across parts of Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.
- Francine made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane at Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, at 5 p.m. local time yesterday and has since weakened to a post-tropical cyclone with sustained wind speeds of 25 mph this afternoon. No deaths were reported.
- At 4 p.m. ET, the storm was 90 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee, the National Hurricane Center said.
- About 318,000 customers were without power in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee, according to PowerOutage.us.
- Flood watches and wind advisories are in effect for parts of the U.S. along or near Francine's path.
- Twelve million people are under flood warnings, with heavy rain and possible tornadoes expected through tomorrow.
Louisiana governor: 'Power is the most important thing that we need right now'
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said his top priority is getting power restored to hundreds of thousands following Hurricane Francine.
Landry told NBC News he hopes power can be fully restored by Sunday.
“The most important thing we can do is get our utilities back up and online. We had … almost 500,000 people without power last night. That has drastically been improved, probably about by a 50% margin,” he said. “Power is the most important thing that we need right now.”
Landry said the federal government had authorized a pre-landfall FEMA declaration and state officials had sent a request for another declaration, which he said would be “helpful” so that any infrastructure damage can be addressed. He also said some of the state’s infrastructure had not been fixed following Hurricane Ida’s wrath in 2021.
Landry said he is concerned about the damage any other hurricanes could cause this year.
“The thing that’s keeping me up at night right now is what happens in the next storm if we have another one this year,” he said.
Landry emphasized to Louisianans that authorities are working diligently to restore power and urged residents in affected areas to stay off the roads so utility workers can do their jobs.
Francine further weakens to post-tropical cyclone; flooding still a concern
Francine, now a post-tropical cyclone, continues on its path and is expected to bring more rain across parts of the South, along with the risk of flooding.
At 5 p.m. ET, the storm was about 90 miles south of Memphis, with maximum sustained winds of 25 mph and some higher gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center. It is expected to turn to the northwest and slow down, the center said.
Flood watches and wind advisories remain in effect for some areas in or near the storm’s path. Francine could bring 4 to 8 inches of rainfall across parts of Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, with some areas getting more than 12 inches, the hurricane center said.
While Francine’s wind speeds have calmed considerably since its peak as a Category 2 hurricane, wind advisories remain in parts of those states, Florida excluded, with some tropical-storm-force gusts possible, the center said.
A few tornadoes are possible through the evening in the Florida Panhandle, southern and central Alabama and southwest Georgia. Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions are possible along the northern Gulf Coast through the evening, but those swells are expected to subside, it said.
Nearly 285,000 customers in Louisiana remain without power
Nearly 285,000 customers remain without power in Louisiana after Hurricane Francine made landfall Wednesday as a Category 2 storm.
The southeastern region of the state is heavily affected, with 284,459 customers without power shortly before 2:30 p.m. local time, according to a power outage map of the state.
Parishes most heavily affected include Terrebonne, with 25,691 customers without power; Lafourche, 30,877; Ascension, 34,263; and Jefferson, 46,771.
Utility company Entergy had 228,356 customers without power, according to the outage map.
Chevron to resume production at facilities off Louisiana after storm passes
Oil and gas company Chevron said today it will resume production at its floating production units in the Gulf of Mexico offshore Louisiana, Anchor and Tahiti “only after the storm has passed and we can safely redeploy our crews.”
Production at other Chevron-operated facilities in the Gulf of Mexico “remains at normal levels.”
“We remain focused on the safety of our workforce, the integrity of our facilities and the protection of the environment,” a Chevron spokesperson said.
311,000 customers without power in Louisiana
The number of power outages in Louisiana slowly decreased today, and at 2 p.m. ET it was at over 311,000 customers, according to PowerOutage.us.
Downed tree injures Louisiana trooper
A Louisiana state trooper was injured trying to clear downed trees from the roadway on Interstate 10 last night.
The trooper, from Troop A outside the Baton Rouge area, was working on removing downed trees around 8 p.m. local time when another tree fell and struck the trooper, causing minor injuries.
The trooper has been released from the hospital and is home recovering, Col. Robert Hodges, superintendent of Louisiana State Police, said at a news conference today.
He said troopers continue to assess damage and road conditions and urged the public to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel.
Around 500 people were in Louisiana shelters overnight
Around 500 people were in shelters overnight across Louisiana, said David N. Matlock, the secretary of children and family services.
The state had a capacity for around 5,000 people in local shelters. As of this morning, around 300 people were sheltering in 18 facilities.
"Through the night we expect some increase in occupancy," Matlock said.
New Orleans was hit with more rain than expected, state climatologist says
Louisiana state climatologist Jay Grymes said Francine has left the state and winds have subsided, leaving weather favorable for recovery.
Francine hit the state with more rain than anticipated, particularly in the New Orleans area.
“Two reasons for that: One, the storm did take a slight jog to the east. Two, it moved a little more slowly than expected,” Grymes said at a news conference today.
He said that rainfall totals in and around New Orleans were 5 to 7 inches, with some pockets hitting 8 inches. On the Northshore, some areas clocked double-digit rainfall. Flooding continues in the Florida Parishes' rivers, but the waters will recede.
Millions face flooding as Hurricane Francine weakens and heads inland
As many as 14 million people from the Florida Panhandle to New Orleans and as far north as Memphis, Tennessee, were under flood watches today after Hurricane Francine slammed into the Louisiana coast and cut a soggy swath across the country’s midsection.
The weakening but still potent storm was forecast to dump up to 10 inches of rain on parts of Alabama and Florida, and the National Hurricane Center warned there could be scattered flash flooding across major Southern cities, such as Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis; and even Atlanta.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. But tornado watches were also in effect across Alabama and northern Florida through this afternoon, while more than 50,000 customers across the region were without power and local officials began to assess the damage.
No reports of storm-related deaths in Louisiana
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said at a news conference today that so far there are no reports of any storm-related deaths.