Tropical Storm Francine forms in Gulf of Mexico, expected to become hurricane before making landfall

(Gray News) - Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center said a tropical disturbance they’ve been tracking has strengthened into Tropical Storm Francine in the Gulf of Mexico Monday morning.

The tropical storm is expected to become a hurricane before reaching the northwestern Gulf coast.

Francine is located about about 450 miles south-southwest of Cameron, Louisiana, moving north-northwest at 5 mph with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph.

The current forecast track has the hurricane moving ashore in Louisiana on Wednesday night, though ”there remains a decent amount of track uncertainty.”

New watches were issued with the 10 a.m. CDT advisory.

A storm surge watch has been issued from east of High Island, Texas, eastward to the Mississippi/Alabama Border, including Vermilion Bay, Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain. A hurricane watch has been issued from Cameron, Louisiana, eastward to Grand Isle. A tropical storm watch has been issued east of High Island, Texas, to Cameron, Louisiana, and from Grand Isle, Louisiana, to the Mouth of the Pearl River, including Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas.

Tropical storm watches were previously issued for portions of Mexico and extreme southern Texas in association with the tropical disturbance currently located in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.

Forecasters said it’s likely to impact portions of Louisiana and upper Texas beginning Tuesday night, bringing with it the potential of “life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds.”

They said residents should have their hurricane plan in place.

The storm is expected to bring heavy rainfall and the risk of flash flooding “along the coast of far northeast Mexico, portions of southernmost Texas, southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi into Thursday morning,” forecasters said.

A flash and urban flooding risk is expected in portions of the Mid-South from Wednesday into Friday.