Francine now a tropical depression

'S HAPPENING WITH THOSE POWER RESTORATION EFFORTS. YEAH. FIRST, LET'S GO NOW TO METEOROLOGIST JIM SIMON WITH A LOOK AT THE WHAT'S LEFT OF FRANCINE. AND ALSO WHAT'S TO COME FOR US A LITTLE BIT LATER ON TODAY JIM. WELL WE HAVE MUCH DRIER WEATHER IN THE FORECAST. OBVIOUSLY THE HUMIDITY IS GOING TO BE RELATIVELY MANAGEABLE. AND I KNOW THAT'S A BIG QUESTION FOR FOLKS THAT DON'T HAVE AIR CONDITIONING. THERE'S FRANCINE MAKING ITS WAY TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST. HEAVIEST RAIN WITH FRANCINE IS ACTUALLY RIGHT NOW IN THE PANHANDLE, ABOUT 200 MILES AWAY FROM THE CENTER, 35MPH WINDS. THAT'S THE STRONGEST WIND RIGHT NOW. IT'S MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 12MPH. OBVIOUSLY LOSING A LOT OF ITS TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS. OUR TEMPERATURES RIGHT NOW ARE MANAGEABLE, AND IT'S NOT GOING TO BE OPPRESSIVELY HOT OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. AND THIS DEW POINT TEMPERATURE, THAT'S GOING TO BE THE REAL KEY TO THE FOLKS THAT DON'T HAVE THE AIR CONDITIONING. DEW POINTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE 60S TODAY, AS OPPOSED TO THE 70S. NOW, GRANTED, THEY'RE GOING TO BE RIGHT AROUND 70, 68. IN GULFPORT, 70 IN HAMMOND. SO A TOUCH ON THE HUMAN SIDE, BUT NOT OVERLY HUMID. HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS. BY FRIDAY, THE DEW POINTS STARTING TO GET IN THE MID 60S AS FRANCINE MAKES ITS WAY FARTHER TO THE NORTH, WE'RE GOING TO START TO SEE MORE OF A NORTHWESTERLY WIND THAT MEANS THE AIR IS GOING TO BE JUST A TOUCH COOLER AND DRIER SATURDAY AS WELL. DEW POINTS IN THE MID 60S. I WISH THEY WERE LOWER. IT WOULD FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE, BUT AGAIN, IT WON'T BE OPPRESSIVELY HOT AS WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE CURRENT WIND SPEEDS, YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY'RE GENERALLY FROM THE SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 10 TO 20MPH. WE'VE SEEN SOME WIND GUSTS OVER 25 AND 30, BUT 31 AT THE LAKEFRONT. THAT'S THE PEAK WIND GUST THAT WE'VE SEEN. THOSE WINDS GETTING LIGHTER, VERY DRY AIR AT THE UPPER LEVELS. WHILE THAT'S WHAT'S MOVINGVING N RIGHT NOW, AND IT WILL BE IN PLACE FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. MORE TEAM COVERAGE. HERE'S METEOROLOGIST RAVEN RICHARD. WELL, LOOK AT THIS, JIM. WE'VE GOT SUNSHINE. THIS IS OUT TO GULFPORT OR ISLAND VIEW CASINO CAMERA RIGHT NOW. GOOD TO SEE THE SUN OUT THERE. LOOK AT THIS. GOT CARS ON THE ROAD TOO AS WELL. AND THEN THE WAVES STILL CRASHING AGAINST THE SHORE. SO DEFINITELY STILL WINDY OUT TOWARDS THAT WAY. LET'S JUST SHOW YOU WHAT'S HAPPENING OUT TOWARDS OUR AREA. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT ANY RAIN ANYMORE, SO WE'RE DONE WITH THAT. NOW WE'RE JUST LOOKING TO DRY OUT JUST A LITTLE BIT. I DO STILL HAVE A COUPLE OF RIVERS THAT ARE LOOKING AT SOME FLOOD WARNINGS RIGHT NOW, AND THIS IS GOING TO GO FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. SO IF YOU LIVE, LET'S SAY NEAR TANGIPAHOA PARISH LIKELY GOING TO BE DEALING WITH SOME RIVER FLOODING. SO KEEP THAT IN MIND. PROBABLY USED TO IT, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE DO GET A LOT OF RAIN AND EVENTS LIKE THIS. AS FAR AS RAIN TOTALS GO, JUST FROM THE STORM AREAS IN THE PURPLE, LOOKING AT THE MOST UP TO ABOUT EIGHT, 8.5IN FOR SOME SPOTS A LITTLE MORE THAN THAT. WE'LL JUST GO IN A LITTLE CLOSER TO NORTH SHORE RIGHT NEAR LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN. FOR YOU. SOME OF THE TOTALS I DO HAVE RADAR ESTIMATED, T THOUGH WE ARE LOOKING AT ALMOST EIGHT OVER IN MADISONVILLE MANDEVILLE. MORE THAN SEVEN, SO ALMOST SEVEN AND A HALF LACOMBE LOOKING AT ALMOST SEVEN. SLIDELL LOOKING AT ALMOST SIX INCHES OF RAINFALL AGAIN FROM RADAR ESTIMATES AND THEN TO THE SOUTH SHORE RIGHT NEAR LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN AS WELL, WHERE SOME OF OUR REPORTERS HAVE BEEN AT. THEY'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE FLOODING HAPPENING, LOOKING AT KENNER METAIRIE GOT ABOUT MORE THAN EIGHT INCHES OF RAIN IN SOME SPOTS, AND LAPLACE, LOOKING AT SEVEN AND A HALF, ALMOST 7.5IN. SO A LOT OF RAIN FELL IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. THIS WAS VERY QUICK MOVING. HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS THOUGH. THE WINDS STARTING TO LOOK A WHOLE LOT BETTER FOR US. WIND GUSTS HAVE STARTED TO GO DOWN. WE DID HAVE OUR TROPICAL STORM WARNING THAT EXPIRED A LITTLE WHILE AGO, SO THAT WAS SOME GOOD NEWS. NOW WINDS ARE BETTER SO POWER CAN START TO GET RESTORED. HOPEFULLY IN THE CLEANUP PROCESS CAN BEGIN FOR ANY FOLKS WHO DID LOSE POWER. NOW, AS FAR AS YOUR WIND GUSTS GO, ONCE WE DO GET TO THE AFTERNOON, A LOT OF THAT GOING TO BE JUST BELOW 20MPH. SO WE'RE ALMOST THERE AND WE'RE DONE WITH THE BIG HEAVY RAIN. NOW AS FAR AS POWER OUTAGES GO, LIKELY GOING TO BE DEALING WITH THIS AT LEAST FOR ANOTHER DAY. A COUPLE OF DAYS OR SO. JUST DEPENDS ON HOW LONG IT TAKES EVERYBODY. BUT AGAIN, RAIN IS DONE. WINDS ARE LOOKING A WHOLE LOT BETTER FOR US. SO IN THE MEANTIME YOUR TEMPERATURES, THEY'RE NOT TERRIBLE. SO IF YOU DID LOSE POWER LIKE I LOST POWER, YOU CAN PROBABLY OPEN UP THE WINDOWS, MAYBE GO OUTSIDE A LITTLE BIT LOOKING AT SOME 70S RIGHT NOW, IT'S NOT TOO MUGGY. IT'S NOT JUST LIKE SUPER COMFORTABLE, BUT IT'S I WOULD SAY, RIGHT THERE IN BETWEEN IN THE MIDDLE. BUT JUST TO TOP THINGS OFF, HERE'S YOUR WDSU FIRST WARNING SEVEN DAY FORECAST. HERE'S WHAT IT READS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUTUT SOME 80S MORE 80S AS WE HEAD INTO THE WEEKEND. WILL BE NEAR AVERAGE, AT LEAST WE ARE DONE WITH THE RAIN FOR NOW AS WE GET INTO THE WEEKEND, SO THE REST OF TODAY LOOKS OKAY. STILL GOING TO BE A LITTLE BREEZY, A LITTLE WINDY OUT THERE, MOSTLY CLOUDY. MAY SEE A LITTLE SUNSHINE AS WELL. STARTING TO COME UP TOO, BUT AT LEAST LIKE