Tracking Francine: 9 p.m. Update

NEWS FIVE AT NINE ON THE GULF COAST CW. GOOD EVENING. IT IS 9:00. CLOUDY SKIES, WINDS INCREASING, RAIN MOVING IN. AND WE'RE SET FOR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ON THE GULF COAST TONIGHT. DOWNTOWN MOBILE ROOFTOP CAMERA QUICK MOVING CLOUDS. RAIN COMING DOWN 74 TOMORROW MORNING. THERE'S A LOOK AT THE BLP MOBILE PAINTS CAMERA FROM DAPHNE INFIRMARY STARTING TO GET VERY GUSTY OVER THE BAYWAY 75 TOMORROW MORNING WITH CONTINUED RAIN AND SOME THUNDERSTORMS AND PENSACOLA AND OUR UNITY FIBER CAM AROUND 77. ALL EYES ON FRANCINE TONIGHT MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH LOUISIANA. TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ON ON APPROACH TO THE GULF COAST. WE'LL TAKE YOU THROUGH THE LATEST TIMING AND HAZARDS AS WKRG NEWS FIVE AT NINE STARTS RIGHT NOW. LOCAL COVERAGE YOU CAN COUNT ON. YOU'RE WATCHING WKRG NEWS FIVE AT NINE. GOOD WEDNESDAY EVENING TO YOU. I'M ROSE ANN HAVEN. WE ARE GLAD YOU'RE WITH US TONIGHT. I'M CHERISH LOMBARD AND THIS IS WKRG NEWS FIVE AT NINE. WE ARE STARTING WITH THE FRANCINE THAT IS THE BIG STORY TONIGHT. THE HURRICANE MADE LANDFALL AROUND 5:00 AS A CATEGORY TWO IN TERREBONNE PARISH IN LOUISIANA. LESS THAN AN HOUR LATER, WEAKENED TO A CAT ONE STORM STILL DUMPING A LOT OF RAIN AND KICKING UP STRONG WINDS, CAUSING THOUSANDS OF POWER OUTAGES AND ALREADY, AS YOU CAN SEE, QUITE A BIT OF DAMAGE. AND IN MONTAGUE AT THE TERREBONNE SAINT MARY PARISH BORDER, YOU CAN SEE HOW POWERFUL THE DOWNPOUR IS HERE, THE CONDITIONS MAKING VISIBILITY DIFFICULT AT TIMES. RIGHT NOW WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CHECK IN WITH OUR CHIEF METEOROLOGIST, ED BLOODSWORTH FOR AN UPDATED TRACK AND MORE ON WHAT WE CAN EXPECT ON OUR STRETCH OF THE GULF COAST TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. ALL RIGHT. HERE'S A LOOK AT THAT LATEST TRACK FOR FRANCINE. IT IS STILL A HURRICANE. NOW. WE'RE STILL RUNNING OFF OF THE 8 P.M. NUMBERS. WE'LL GET A POSITION UPDATE HERE SHORTLY, BUT STILL HOLDING ON TO CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE WINDS NOW. MAXIMUM WINDS OF 75MPH. STILL BRINGING SOME VERY NASTY CONDITIONS TO NEW ORLEANS. RIGHT NOW. AND YOU SEE THE PROJECTED PATH THERE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO ROLL NORTH THROUGH MISSISSIPPI AS IT WILL BRING IN SOME VERY HEAVY RAIN SPREADING INLAND. AND WE'LL HAVE TO BRING MULTIPLE THREATS, INCLUDING THREATS TO OUR PART OF THE GULF COAST. IN FACT, I WANT TO TAKE YOU THROUGH THE RADAR PICTURE. LIGHT RAIN CONTINUING TO FALL OVER. BALDWIN COUNTY. BUT WHAT WE'RE REALLY PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO TONIGHT IS THIS THIS BATCH OF THUNDERSTORMS SITTING OFF OF THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST, MOVING TOWARDS THE ALABAMA GULF COAST AS DRY AIR WRAPS IN BEHIND THE SYSTEM. CONDITIONS ARE GOING TO BE FAVORABLE FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES TO DEVELOP IN FACT, WE'RE NOTING A COUPLE OF LITTLE SPINNING THUNDERSTORMS OUT THERE. A COUPLE OF SUPERCELLS. THEY'RE NOT HAVING MUCH SUCCESS MAKING IT TO THE COAST. THE COAST YET. BUT AGAIN, THE ENVIRONMENT WILL BECOME MORE FAVORABLE. ANOTHER BIG ISSUE HAPPENING HERE IN NEW ORLEANS TO LAPLACE. THAT IS A FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY THAT HAS BEEN ISSUED. THAT IS WHAT IS LEFT OF THE NORTHERN EYE WALL OF FRANCINE, STILL PACKING SOME STRONG WINDS THERE AS THAT IS NOW MAKING ITS WAY OVER I-10, HEADING UP TOWARDS I-12 AND ALSO INTERSTATE 55. SO OUR NECK OF THE WOODS, THAT BATCH OF THUNDERSTORMS WE MENTIONED THIS IS BY MIDNIGHT, STARTS ROLLING THROUGH COASTAL MOBILE COUNTY AND CONTINUING WORKING THROUGH BALDWIN COUNTY AGAIN, ALL GOING TO PRESENT A SEVERE WEATHER THREAT OVERNIGHT INTO TOMORROW. ALSO, LOOKING AT QUITE A BIT OF WATER THAT STARTS TO PILE UP INTO THE BAY. COASTAL FLOODING STORM SURGE GOING TO BE AN ISSUE EARLY TOMORROW MORNING AND THE WAVE ACTIVITY STARTING TO PICK UP AS WELL. AND WE COULD SEE A PERIOD OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE GUSTS, ESPECIALLY IN MISSISSIPPI. TONIGHT WE'LL TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE WIND GUSTS AND THE SURGE THREATS THAT ARE COMING WITH FRANCINE IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. WKRG CREWS HAVE BEEN OUT IN THE WEATHER ALL DAY, AND OUR LIVE TEAM COVERAGE CONTINUES TONIGHT FROM THE MISSISSIPPI COAST TO NORTHWEST FLORIDA. NOW IS GENERALLY MORE DANGEROUS TO BE IN AREAS JUST TO THE EAST ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF A HURRICANE DUE TO STORM ROTATION THAT TENDS TO PRODUCE STRONGER WIND AND STORM SURGE, WITH THE HIGHER POSSIBILITY OF TORNADOES AND MORE RAIN THAT IS WHY MISSISSIPPI IS UNDER A STATE OF EMERGENCY. WKRG NEWS FIVE'S ASHER REDD IS IN BAY SAINT LOUIS, WHERE THE MAYOR ISSUED A CURFEW WHICH IS SET TO BEGIN AT 10:00 ASHER REDD YOU'VE BEEN RIDING AROUND COASTAL MISSISSIPPI ALL DAY. TELL US WHAT YOU'VE SEEN SO FAR. ROSE ANN THINGS HAVE CHANGED SO MUCH SINCE I GOT HERE TODAY. AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS PROBABLY THE WORST. THE RAIN AND THE WIND HAVE BEEN. THERE IS RAIN GOING SIDEWAYS. WHEN WE FIRST GOT OUT HERE FOR THIS LIVE SHOT, IT WASN'T RAINING. THAT MUCH. AND OF COURSE THE RAIN STARTED RIGHT WHEN THE SHOW STARTED. AS WELL. IF THINGS ARE JUST GETTING WORSE AND WORSE NOW, I DID GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH SOME PEOPLE. NOT TOO LONG AGO WHO WERE OUT HERE WATCHING THE WAVES. THAT'S WHAT THEY WANTED TO DO. IT WAS A CATEGORY TWO STORM, AND THEY THOUGHT THAT WAS A STORM THAT WAS SMALL ENOUGH. BUT AT WHAT POINT DO THEY CALL IT QUITS. IS THERE ANY POINT WHERE YOU MIGHT START TO BE CONCERNED FOR YOUR SAFETY? NOT WITH THIS LITTLE STORM, OKAY. NOT AFTER GOING THROUGH 140 MILE AN HOUR. KATRINA, NO. NOW, IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT HERE IN BAY SAINT LOUIS, THE MAYOR HAS PUT OUT A STATEMENT SAYING THAT PEOPLE MUST BE INSIDE THEIR HOUSES AT 10:00 TO SUNRISE, UNLESS A NEW CURFEW COMING OUT TO KEEP PEOPLE OFF THE STREETS AND OF COURSE, OUT OF HARM'S WAY. NOW, WE DO HAVE HAYLEE KENNEDY IN BILOXI, JUST A FEW MILES EAST OF WHERE I AM. AND NOW, AND HAYLEE. I'M SURE YOU'RE SEEING MUCH SIMILAR CONDITIONS RIGHT. ALSO, AFTER THE RAIN, I'M PRETTY SURE IS COMING UP FROM THE GROUND SIDEWAYS. DOWN. IT'S JUST EVERYWHERE. WELL, RIGHT NOW I CAN BARELY EVEN SEE YOU GUYS. THE RAIN IS LITERALLY COMING INTO MY EYES NOW. THIS RAIN HAS STARTED TO FLOOD THIS AREA A LITTLE BIT. WE'RE OVER BY BOAT RAMP AND THAT WATER IS STARTING TO COME UP FROM THAT BOAT RAMP ONTO THE PAVEMENT OVER HERE. WE'LL SHOW YOU MORE IN DEPTH IN JUST A LITTLE BIT. NOW, I HAVE BEEN CHATTING WITH SOME PEOPLE BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THE STORM HAS BEEN PRETTY INTENSE, HIGH WIND GUSTS, EXTREME RAIN, PEOPLE ARE STILL COMING OUT HERE AND TRYING TO SEE WHAT ALL THE HYPE IS ABOUT THIS STORM. AND SO I WAS CHATTING WITH ONE MAN. HE IS FROM LOUISIANA, FROM THE NORTH SHORE, AND HE DECIDED, HEY, I WANT TO GO CRABBING RIGHT NOW. AND SO LET'S LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT INTERVIEW. LIKE WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE? ACTUALLY, I WAS THINKING ABOUT GOING CRABBING. REALLY? YES, MA'AM. IN THESE CONDITIONS, THEY SAY THE STORM BRINGS THEM IN. OKAY, OKAY. SO YOU'RE NOT SCARED AT ALL OF ANY STORM SURGE OR ANYTHING GOING ON RIGHT NOW? YOU KNOW, I'LL SPLIT IF IT GETS THAT BAD. WILL THIS BE YOUR FIRST TIME CRABBING IN THE MIDDLE OF A HURRICANE? NOT CRABBING? NO. NO. WE DEFINITELY DO NOT RECOMMEND GOING CRABBING IN THESE CONDITIONS. IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE OR IF YOU ARE DRIVING ON THE ROADS, YOU NEED TO GET INSIDE. THE ROADS ARE NOT SAFE. THERE HAS BEEN A CURFEW ISSUED FOR THIS AREA, SO PLEASE GO AHEAD AND GET INSIDE. REPORTING LIVE IN BILOXI, HAYLEE KENNEDY WKRG NEWS FIVE. HE'S GOT TO BE AWFULLY HUNGRY FOR SOME CRAB. I'M TELLING YOU WHAT. WELL, MOBILE AND BALDWIN COUNTY ARE FEELING THE EFFECTS OF FRANCINE. TWO WKRG NEWS FIVE'S AKIEVIA MCFARLAND IS WATCHING OUR ROADS FROM THE NEWS FIVE WEATHER BEAST. AKIEVIA YOU'RE THERE ON THE MOBILE BAY CAUSEWAY, WHICH IS KNOWN FOR ITS FLOODING. ANYTIME WE GET A GOOD AMOUNT OF RAIN. HEY, CHERISH AND ROSE ANN OF COURSE THE CAUSEWAY IS ONE OF THOSE ROADWAYS THAT WE ALWAYS KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON. AFTER HEAVY RAINS BECAUSE OF THAT FLOODING RISK. BUT THANKFULLY, WE'RE NOT SEEING THE FLOODING HERE RIGHT NOW. NOW, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THIS CAMERA AROUND. SO WE CAN SEE A LITTLE BETTER WHAT'S GOING ON OUTSIDE. WE'RE APPROACHING OUR ALDOT CREWS THAT HAVE BEEN OUT HERE ON THE CAUSEWAY ALL DAY LONG, WATCHING THOSE WATER LEVELS AND STAYING ON STANDBY IN CASE THINGS NEED TO BE SHUT DOWN. SO YOU CAN SEE THEY ARE HERE, PREPARED AND READY FOR ANYTHING. FRANCINE HAS TO BRING. BUT THINGS ARE LOOKING OKAY RIGHT NOW. ACTUALLY, ON OUR WAY DOWN HERE, WE ACTUALLY SAW A MOTORCYCLE ON THE INTERSTATE AND THINGS WEREN'T LOOKING REALLY SAFE FOR HIM. SO HAYLEE KENNEDY HAD SOME PRETTY GOOD ADVICE FOR A LITTLE WHILE AGO. IF YOU'RE OUT HERE ON THE ROADS. NOT REALLY THE BEST NIGHT FOR THAT, THOUGH. WE'RE NOT SEEING THAT FLOODING. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THERE'S NOT A RISK THERE FOR YOU. SO PLEASE BE CAREFUL IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE HERE. WE'RE STILL CONTINUING TO WATCH THINGS. NO DAMAGE OR ANYTHING AT THE MOMENT, BUT WE'LL CONTINUE TO WATCH THINGS HERE ON THE CAUSEWAY. BUT FOR NOW, WE'RE GOING TO SEND THINGS BACK TO YOU IN THE STUDIO. AKIEVIA MCFARLAND THE WEATHER BEAST WKRG NEWS FIVE. THANKS, AKIEVIA. WELL, BY NOW PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON DAUPHIN ISLAND KNOW THAT WHEN A HURRICANE FORMS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, THEY BETTER BE READY FOR ANYTHING, ESPECIALLY ON THE WEST END OF THE ISLAND, WHICH IS WHERE WKRG NEWS FIVE'S JEREMY JONES IS TONIGHT. YES, JEREMY IS WITH US NOW. AND JEREMY, YOU ARE GETTING PELTED EARLIER ON THE ISLAND. ARE THINGS ARE CONDITIONS CHANGING FOR YOU? GETTING ANY BETTER? WELL, IF I HAVE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION, IF CONDITIONS ARE GETTING ANY BETTER, THE ANSWER IS NO. IT'S STILL VERY MUCH POURING DOWN RAIN. THE RAIN IS GETTING HEAVIER. THE WAVES ARE GETTING HARSHER, AND IT REALLY HAS BEEN A VERY WET AFTERNOON HERE ON THE ON DAUPHIN ISLAND. NOW, SEVERAL BEACHGOERS WERE HERE EARLIER ENJOYING THE WAVES, TRYING TO ENJOY. SOME TIME OUT HERE ON THE ISLAND. THERE WAS SOME ROUGH SURF. THERE'S STILL ROUGH SURF. AND NOW THESE WAVES ARE GETTING HARSHER AND HARSHER. BUT TONIGHT I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP WITH ONE FAMILY WHO ACTUALLY LIVES ON THE ISLAND JUST TO GET THEIR REACTION TO THINGS OF HOW TROPICAL OR HOW HURRICANE FRANCINE'S IMPACTS, HOW THEY THINK THIS IMPACTED THEM. TAKE A LISTEN. IT'S KIND OF CRAZY BECAUSE THIS IS MY FIRST TIME BEING LIKE BEING DOWN HERE, LIVING ON THE ISLAND SINCE THE STORM, LIKE A BIG STORMS CAME THROUGH. SO JUST HOPING THAT IT DON'T FLOOD YOU KNOW, WHERE WE CAN BE ABLE TO GET IN OUR DRIVEWAY AND OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY AND STUFF LIKE THAT. BUT IT'S NOT AS BAD AS I THINK. LIKE THEY ASSUMED IT WAS GOING TO BE IN THE BEGINNING. SO YEAH, THAT'S WE WANT TO COME DOWN HERE AND LOOK AND SEE. GOOD LUCK WITH THE HURRICANE. THE PEOPLE OF LOUISIANA. AND SO WE'RE STILL CONTINUING TO TRACK EXACTLY THE CONDITIONS HERE ON DAUPHIN ISLAND. BUT I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND SEND IT OVER TO BALDWIN COUNTY IN GULF SHORES TO OUR NEWS FIVE'S DEBBIE WILLIAMS. DEBBIE, HOW ARE THINGS LOOKING OVER THERE? WELL, JEREMY, SINCE NIGHTFALL, WE'VE HAD RAIN ON AND OFF, MOSTLY OFF SINCE. SINCE SUNSET. BUT YOU KNOW, THE DARKNESS REALLY MAKES IT A LITTLE MORE OMINOUS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOING TO BE A STORMY NIGHT. NOW, AS FAR AS THE WIND, IT HAS PICKED UP A LITTLE BIT, BUT NOTHING TOO EXTREME. THE ONCE THE RAIN STOPPED, THOUGH, WE SAW FOLKS GETTING OUT AND ABOUT. THERE'S A STEADY STREAM OF TRAFFIC ON SOME OF THE MAJOR ROADWAYS AND SOME OF THE OFFSHOOTS. SOME OF THOSE ROADS THAT USUALLY FLOOD. THEY ARE STILL OPEN. EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD IN THAT WAY. THE HEAVIEST WEATHER STILL PREDICTED FOR LATER TONIGHT, BUT IF IT STAYS WEST EVEN BETTER. I'VE BEEN A LITTLE NERVOUS, BUT KIND OF JUST AT THIS POINT, LIKE GOING WITH THE FLOW. I GUESS IF WE HAVE TO EVACUATE, WE HAVE TO EVACUATE. BUT JUST CHILLING, I GUESS. A COASTAL FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL TOMORROW AFTERNOON. HURRICANE FRANCINE MAY NOT BE THROUGH WITH OUR PART OF THE GULF COAST JUST YET. AND CHECKING OUT THINGS OVER IN ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FLORIDA IS OUR ALEXA DALY. SHE'S ON PENSACOLA BEACH. ALEXA, I GOT TO THINK THAT YOU'RE YOU'RE DEALING WITH SOME OF THE SAME CONDITIONS. WE ARE RIGHT NOW. YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT, DEBBIE, YOU MENTIONED THAT OFF AND ON RAIN. IT WAS OFF. NOW IT'S BACK ON AGAIN. AND DOUBLE RED FLAGS ARE NOW FLYING OVER PENSACOLA BEACH DUE TO THE ROUGH SURF CONDITIONS. NOW, OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION, THE COUNTY TELLS US THIS SAILBOAT, THE LADY CATHERINE THE THIRD THAT WASHED ASHORE IN JUNE, HAS BEEN MOVED TO THIS ACCESS POINT ON AVENIDA 18 SO THAT IT ISN'T IMPACTED BY HIGH SURF. AND LIKE WE SAID, THAT SURF IS ALREADY KICKING UP IN THE GULF. THE COUNTY TELLS US THE CONTRACTOR WILL COMPLETELY REMOVE THE BOAT FROM THE BEACH IN THE COMING DAYS, AND AGAIN, WHILE THINGS ARE STILL RELATIVELY CALM, NORTHWEST FLORIDA COULD SEE SOME FLOODING LATER. WE'RE UNDER A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY, SO BE CAREFUL IF YOU'RE TRAVELING. LIVE ON PENSACOLA BEACH, ALEXA DALY, WKRG NEWS FIVE. AND SEVERAL SCHOOLS IN OUR AREA WILL BE CLOSED TOMORROW BECAUSE OF THE SEVERE WEATHER IMPACTS EXPECTED. THAT INCLUDES ALL MOBILE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND CHICKASAW CITY SCHOOLS. CLASSES AT GEORGE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLS CANCELED, AS WELL AS PASCAGOULA GO PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THERE ARE TOO MANY SCHOOL CHANGES TO NAME, BUT FOR A COMPLETE LIST, YOU