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Hurricane Francine strengthens over Gulf of Mexico ahead of Louisiana landfall
Ben Domensino, Wednesday September 11, 2024 - 16:46 AEST
Data captured by an aircraft flying through the core of Hurricane Francine has revealed the system is rapidly gaining strength as it approaches the coast of Louisiana, where it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday.
Francine became a hurricane late on Tuesday afternoon as it drew energy from warm water in the Gulf of Mexico. At 7pm CDT Tuesday, Francine was located roughly 295 miles (475 km) to the southwest of Morgan City Louisiana, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h) near its core.
Video: Hurricane Francine over the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday night. Source: CSU/CIRA & NOAA
By 10:20pm CDT, the hurricane had strengthened further, with data collected by Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft revealing that Francine’s peak sustained winds had increased to 85 mph (140 km/h).
By 1:00am CDT, Francine’s peak winds had increased even more, reaching 90 mph (150 km/h), making it a high-end category one system.
Francine is expected to strengthen further on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, with the National Hurricane Center anticipating the system may reach near category two strength on Wednesday morning before making landfall on the Louisiana coast in the afternoon or evening.
Image: Forecast peak wind gusts at 9pm UTC on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, according to the ECMWF-HRES model.
At this stage, landfall is expected to occur somewhere along the central coastline of Louisiana and a hurricane warning has been issued for the Louisiana coast from Vermilion/Cameron Line eastward to Grand Isle.
Hurricane Francine is expected to produce powerful hurricane force winds, heavy rainfall, flash flooding, a life-threatening storm surge, abnormally high tides and coastal inundation as it approaches and crosses the coast. Some of these impacts will extend beyond Louisiana and into parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
Francine will begin to weaken after crossing the coast, although the decaying hurricane will continue to produce dangerous weather over the Southeastern United States into Thursday and Friday.
Visit the National Hurricane Center website for the latest official information on Hurricane Francine.
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