Update on Hurricane Francine at 3 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2024

Hello, I'm Khou 11. Meteorologist Chris Ramirez. We are tracking the latest on Francine as we bears down on the Louisiana coast. We are seeing mostly so showers here across Southeast Texas. Not much of any direct impacts for us, but we are expecting that storm to continue its track off to the northeast at around 15 or 16 miles an hour. The latest right now is at the 3 p.m. Advisory winds are at 90 miles an hour moving northeast at 17 miles an hour. So as we take a closer look at the storm, we are seeing it just about 100 and 73 miles away from Galveston and it was pretty close to us as it was, uh just south of the Galveston Houston area. But of course, it is gonna make direct impacts to Louisiana as they're already seeing widespread rain showers from New Orleans even along the I 10 Corridor. So torrential rain ongoing right now and they're now about to start seeing hurricane conditions across southern Louisiana as you're able to see the IW just about to bear down on the Louisiana coast. We don't have an official landfall as of now, but we are expecting this to, uh, continue at least within the next hour or so that we could be looking at a potential landfall across, uh, southern Louisiana. There's lots of, uh, watches and warnings are currently in effect. They're seeing 93 mile an hour winds in that buoy that's just offshore. So we're seeing those uh tropical storm force and hurricane force conditions that are now starting to begin for southern Louisiana and that's gonna continue as this storm continues its track off towards the northeast. So looking at the latest, as we look at the latest forecast track, this is expected to move inland quickly. By Thursday morning, we very well could see winds at 45 miles an hour. So they're expecting tropical storm force conditions in southern Mississippi as a storm moves just along I 55 from New Orleans to Jackson. So expecting that to continue at least for the next uh hour or so as we look at future track, torrential rain, lots of rain expected for the city of New Orleans and even along I 10. So not really a good idea to head towards Louisiana right now. If you are traveling out and about, uh especially towards New Orleans, as we look at future track, we're expecting that to continue the heaviest rain to be out of the picture by 10 pm later on this evening. But looking at the winds, the winds are fairly important at the current moment. We are expecting those winds to gust between 100 miles an hour, maybe to 100 mile an hour plus, especially for our extreme southern areas. But once it makes landfall, it will of course, rapidly weaken and then it's gonna lose that energy source as it tracks off towards the northeast. One other thing that they're really gonna have to keep on is that storm surge potential, of course, storm surge warnings in effect for all of the Louisiana coast as they could get up to 5 to 10 ft of water inundation along our area coast. Of course, this area is definitely at sea level, lots of swamps and marshes in this area. So any folks that are in close proximity of the bodies of water in southern Louisiana might expect some water inundation from Francine as it continues to move across. Uh, the southern half of the state into Southwester Louisiana. So the tropical alerts, there's still a hurricane warning in effect for much of southern Louisiana. Even the tropical storm warnings in effect in proportions of southern Mississippi, even Biloxi dealing with those tropical storm conditions as it makes its way across. Uh, Louisiana and southern Mississippi. So here's the latest in the tropics. We're dealing with lots of disturbances currently in the Atlantic Basin. The ones that are currently right closer to just north of South America has a 30% chance or 10% chance just, uh, North of South America. These really not too concerning. But the National Hurricane Center has now, uh of course classified tropical depression seven that is just off the coast of Africa, very well likely that that system is gonna just remain over open water. Uh But there's no other systems directly impacting or expects to impact uh Texas at least in the next few hours. But just keep in mind that we're seeing those indirect impacts for our coastal areas, especially here across uh our coastal areas uh there in terms of that coastal flood warning. So if you are along Galveston might see some rough seas, 1 to 3 ft of storm surge, maybe likely for portions of Bolivar to Crystal Beach. So there's gonna be that coastal flood warning in effect until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, water is really not all that safe to be in right now as Francine, not all all that far away from us, uh going into the next few hours, uh especially we're gonna see conditions improve for us here across our coastal waters as Francine makes his way inland, but just to kind of recap what we're seeing right now. Uh We're seeing just uh light showers out of this across the Houston area. We're seeing those misty conditions overcast skies, but not much of anything in terms of any concerning issues with Francine as it continues its track towards Louis. But looking at the latest right now as of the three pm, advisory winds are at 90 miles an hour. Still a category one hurricane moving northeast at 17 miles an hour. It's coming into some contact with some dry air. So we don't expect it to strengthen all that much if any at all as it continues its track towards uh the coastal areas. And we're just about to see that eye wall start to approach the uh coastal areas of Louisiana, especially in and around Huma, like as we head into the next few hours. So New Orleans definitely dealing with that widespread heavy rainfall, uh that's expected to last at least through the next few hours. But, uh just to kind of give you an indication of how close, not too far away from Galveston as that storm was once south of us, uh there within the past few hours. But uh moving northeast at 17 miles an hour, we might get a landfall within the next maybe hour or two, but just widespread torrential rain falling right now as hurricane conditions are now starting to become apparent across uh Louisiana as the center of that storm is now about to make landfall. So something uh to uh keep an eye on if you are having any plans to travel towards, uh off along I 10 towards the east, but they're already dealing with those uh heavy gusty conditions across the area as we head into the next few hours as the storm continues its path towards the north east. So of course, we are keeping track and we're giving you the latest updates on Francine as it's not really directly impacting us here in Southeast Texas. But for folks, uh, off towards the east, we are expecting those hurricane conditions for our neighbors to the east as, uh Francine continues its track off towards the north. And as always, you can get the latest updates on khou.com as well as on the Khou 11 app. And of course, I'm meteorologist, Christian Marri with the Khou 11 weather team.