5:30 p.m. update on Hurricane Francine with National Hurricane Center

TALKING ABOUT THIS RADAR HERE IN JUST A MOMENT. BUT AT THIS TIME WE'VE GOT JAMIE RHOME. HE'S THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER ON WITH THIS OF SPOKE WITH HIM A FEW TIMES BEFORE. ALWAYS GREAT TALK TO PICK HIS BRAIN. ARE YOU WITH US NICE TO HEAR FROM YOU. >> YEAH, I'M WITH YOU IS IT'S A NICE TO BE WITH YOU. THANK YOU FOR LETTING THE ONLY YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO LET'S START WITH THIS SORT OF LAST MINUTE. UPGRADE HERE, IF YOU WILL, RIGHT AT LANDFALL. WE DON'T TYPICALLY SEE THAT NECESSARILY, ESPECIALLY WITH THE STORM WAS UNDRESSING ME ABOUT THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THE RADAR PRESENTATION. WE HAD THE OPEN SORT OF CORE ON THE SOUTHERN AND THERE YOU'RE LIKE, OK, THE DRYERS COMING INTO WIND SHEAR AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN BOOM, CATEGORY 2. CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH THAT PROCESS OF OF THAT UPGRADE THERE? I MEAN, FROM THE OUTSIDE, IT LOOKS LIKE OUT A MAJOR. >> UPGRADE. A MAJOR STEP GOING FROM CATEGORY ONE TO CATEGORY 2. BUT BETWEEN YOU AND ME AS METEOROLOGISTS, IT'S IT'S ROUNDING ERROR OF 5 MILES PER HOUR. IT JUST SEEMS LIKE BIG UPGRADE. BUT IN THIS CASE, IT JUST HAPPENS TO BE 5 MILES PER HOUR. AND SOMETIMES STORMS DO DO THAT, RIGHT? RIGHT, AS THEY'RE MAKING LANDFALL. AND THEN ONCE THEY FULLY GET ON LAND, YOU GO AHEAD AND START SEEING THE WEAKENING COMMITS. >> YEAH, IT'S A GREAT POINT. SOMETIMES A LAND INTERACTION CAN GIVE YOU A FEW EXTRA MILES PER HOUR. AT THE END THERE. >> SO TELL ME WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW. WHAT YOU GUYS ARE SEEING NOW IS THIS STARTS TO MOVE INLAND. I MEAN, WE EXPECT WEAKENING, OF COURSE, AT SOME POINT. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? WHAT'S YOUR LATEST? >> THOUGHTS ON THIS SYSTEM AS IT STANDS NOW AND WHERE OUR BIGGEST CONCERNS AT THE MOMENT. >> YEAH. YOU DON'T NEED ME TO YOU. WALK YOU THROUGH THIS. THIS IS AN IMPRESSIVE RADAR PRESENTATION. A REALLY IMPRESSIVE RADAR PRESENTATION. THESE WINDS BECAUSE IT'S MOVING SO QUICKLY. NOW, 17 MILES PER HOUR. GOING TO OVERSPREAD THE THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA JUST WEST OF THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA AND BRING NOT ONLY TORRENTIAL RAINS, YOUR RAINFALL RATES OF SEVERAL INCHES PER HOUR, BUT YOU'RE GOING TO GET THIS REALLY BIG PUSH OF WIND THAT'S COME PROBABLY GOING TO CAUSE SOME WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES AND DRIVING CONDITIONS, JUST NOT GOING TO BE SAFE. THE REST OF THE NIGHT. CERTAINLY WANT EVERYBODY TO STAY INSIDE. AND OF COURSE, >> YOUR BACKGROUND, ESPECIALLY IN THE STORM SURGE ROUND. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THAT SURGE HERE. COMING UP. WHAT IT WHAT HAVE YOU GUYS SEEN ME? I KNOW THIS IS A SYSTEM THAT WASN'T OVER THE GULF ARE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF TIME WHEN DIDN'T BUILD UP MAYBE A TON WITH OTHER SYSTEMS THAT WE'VE SEEN. BUT >> TALK ABOUT THAT STORM SURGE. YOU KNOW WHAT WENT INTO THAT FORECAST AND WHAT YOU'VE SEEN SO FAR IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, HAVE WE VERIFIED THAT AND WHERE RED THERE NOW? >> YEAH, THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE DO STORM SURGE FORECASTING. WE DON'T BASE TO STORM SURGE FORECAST ON THE EXACT LANDFALL INTENSITY. WE GO AHEAD AND INCLUDE SAINTS IN AREAS THAT ARE STRONGER. AND IN THIS CASE THAT PHILOSOPHY WORK OUT BECAUSE IT STRENGTHENED TO A CATEGORY 2 RIGHT AT LANDFALL. SO SO THANKFULLY OUR FORECAST ALREADY HAD THAT BIG SO EMERGENCY OFFICIALS YOU KNOW, WE'RE MAKING SOLID DECISIONS ON STORM SURGE BASED OFF THIS SCENARIO ON FOLDING NOW IN TERMS OF VERIFYING THE FORECAST, WE DON'T HAVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATIONS THAT ALLOW US TO SEE PRECISELY WHAT'S HAPPENING. LOT OF TIMES WE HAVE TO GO AND DO SURVEYS ON THE GROUND AFTERWARDS TO TO REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH SURGE. BUT FROM MY EXPERIENCE DOING THIS FOR OVER 25 YEARS THAT MUCH WIND IS GOING TO PRODUCE A PRETTY BIG STORM SURGE EVENT. >> YEAH, NO DOUBT. WE'VE SEEN SOME VIDEO DOWN ON THE COAST WERE LOOKS LIKE QUITE A BIT OF WATER FLOWING IN ALREADY. NO QUESTION ABOUT IT. I LOVE BEING ABLE TO TALK TO YOU GUYS. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T GET JUST TO SEE YOU GUYS EVERY DAY. THE BEHIND THE SCENES ASPECT OF IT. GIVE US A LITTLE INSIDE BASEBALL IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING THERE NOW AT THE NHC AND GIVE THE VIEWERS AT HOME, IF YOU WOULD JUST A LITTLE YOU GUYS WORK SO THE SYSTEMS. OF COURSE, GIVE US A LITTLE SCOPE OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE BEHIND THE SCENES DURING ONE OF THESE. >> FOR ALI FORECASTER TONIGHT IS ABOUT 15 FEET AWAY FROM ME. COMPOSING THE FORECAST AS I TALK. HE CAN SORT OF GIVE ME INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING. YOU KNOW, AS HE SEEING THINGS ARE CONTEMPLATING THINGS ARE SEEING STUFF FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND THAT WAY WE CAN RELAY THE INFORMATION INSTANTANEOUSLY. WE'VE GOT 3 PEOPLE BEHIND THE CAMERA TO HELP WITH THE MEDIA PRODUCTION. THIS HAPPENED YOU AND YOU CAN'T SEE ME BEHIND THE SCREEN HERE. THERE'S YET EVEN MORE FORECASTERS WORKING ON THE EASTERN ATLANTIC TO NEWLY DEVELOPED EASTERN ATLANTIC SYSTEM IN KEEPING AN EYE ON THE WHOLE BASIN SO THAT WE ENSURE THAT ALL THE FORECAST PRODUCTS ISSUED ON TIME AND ACCURATELY. WELL, I'M GLAD YOU MENTIONED THOSE WAVES OUT THERE AND OF COURSE, THEIR THEIR WAY OUT THERE, AS YOU SAID. SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT REALLY FOCUSING ON THOSE OBVIOUSLY AT THE MOMENT, BUT >> CAME INTO THIS SEASON. THESE THESE LARGE FORECAST NUMBERS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR SUCH AN ACTIVE SEASON. WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THAT RAMP UP A LITTLE BIT. GIVE YOU A LITTLE IDEA IF YOU WOULD. YOUR THOUGHTS AND WHAT YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING AT HERE JUST OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. SO WE CAN HEAR SORT OF DIRECTLY FROM Y'ALL IN TERMS OF WHERE WE THINK THIS SEASON'S HEADED GOING FORWARD. WE'RE AT THE POINT OF THE SEASON. >> WHERE, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A SAYING FOR OUR YOUNGER STAFF, DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON THE TROPICS. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT A SYSTEM CAN FORM JUST ABOUT TIME. AND YOU DON'T NECESSARILY SEE THEM WITH 7 DAYS. NOTICE YOU DON'T NECESSARILY SEE THEM. AND THE MODEL SOMETIMES THEY POP UP ON YOU. SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE REMAIN VIGILANT AND CHECK THE WEATHER AT LEAST ONCE A AND I'LL GET YOU OUT HERE ON THIS AND WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. WALKED ME THROUGH THE REST OF THE EVENING TONIGHT. IF YOU WOULD INTO TOMORROW AND TALK ABOUT THE INLAND IMPACTS AND WHAT YOU GUYS ARE WATCHING GOING FORWARD. >> WAS SOON IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS ARE REALLY GOING TO YOU KNOW, FOCUSING REALLY THIS, SEE MEDIA IT SORT OF IMMEDIATE PATH. SO THE SOUTHEAST, LOUISIANA, NEW ORLEANS AREA AS EYE WALL OR WHAT'S LEFT OF IT MOVES OVER A YEAR TO THE WEST OF THAT. NOW LONGER TERM, WE'RE GOING TO BE WANTING TO HELP PEOPLE FURTHER INLAND. FURTHER UP THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY TO UNDERSTAND THE FLOOD RISK. SO MY FEAR IS PEOPLE WILL LOOK AT THE DECREASING WIND SPEED OR TO DECREASING INTENSITY AND NOT RECOGNIZE THE FLOOD THREAT THAT WILL COME WITH SPREADING THIS MUCH TROPICAL MOISTURE INLAND. >> THAT IS A GREAT POINT. AND I KNOW WE'VE HAD PEOPLE OR EVEN HAVE TOLD ME THEY'RE EVACUATING UP IN THE NORTH CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. YOU'VE GOT TO COLLEGE IS UP THERE. SO I THINK THAT'S GREAT POINT TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE OF THOSE CONDITIONS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF TH