Tropical Storm Francine is expected to become a hurricane ahead of landfall, producing life-threatening storms and flash flooding across parts of coastal Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi as it approaches the Gulf Coast, according to AccuWeather expert meteorologists.
“The very shallow continental shelf makes the Gulf coast extremely vulnerable to storm surge,” says AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva. “AccuWeather is forecasting the threat of 6-10 feet of storm surge across parts of coastal Louisiana. Everyone needs to take storm surge watches and warnings seriously. Please listen to officials and follow evacuation orders. Storm surge is the deadliest threat from hurricanes, not the wind.”
Key takeaways:
- Francine is forecast to intensify into a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 74-95 mph on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale before it makes landfall Wednesday, and could potentially reach major hurricane status as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 111-129 mph on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale as it moves over pockets of extremely warm water in the Gulf.
- AccuWeather predicts other activity. The first area of concern is located a few hundred miles west of Cape Verde and will slowly track westward across the open Atlantic over the upcoming days. From early to midweek, it will pose a high risk for development.
- The second tropical wave is expected to emerge off Africa over the upcoming days and is projected to advance in a generally westward direction as the week progresses. This feature poses a high risk for development from mid to late week.
“The powerful wind, flooding rainfall, storm surge, and rough surf from Francine could impact offshore oil and gas production, as well as port logistics along the Gulf coast,” says AccuWeather director of forecasting operations Dan DePodwin. “Port Fourchon is a key port in the supply chain and processing of Gulf crude oil. Francine could disrupt production and logistics at Port Fourchon, which processes roughly 15% of America’s entire oil supply.”
