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Francine weakens, but leaves 420,000 accounts without power and raises flood alarms

A man looks at flood waters brought by Hurricane Francine Thursday morning, as he sits near the entrance to the Treasure Chest Casino in Kenner, La., in Jefferson Parish.
Matthew Hinton
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AP
A man looks at flood waters brought by Hurricane Francine Thursday morning, as he sits near the entrance to the Treasure Chest Casino in Kenner, La., in Jefferson Parish.

Updated September 12, 2024 at 13:24 PM ET

Francine is no longer a hurricane after being downgraded late Wednesday to a tropical depression. The storm is weakening rapidly, after making landfall in Louisiana earlier on Wednesday.

Communities are coping with cleanup and power outages, but forecasters also say that farther inland, the storm still packs a serious threat of flooding.

“It weakens from the traditional wind perspective, but it doesn't weaken from the rainfall perspective,” National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Jamie Rhome said as he discussed Francine’s path up the Mississippi River Valley.

Even as the hurricane made landfall, Rhome said, flood watches were being declared far from the coast. In Mississippi, the alerts stretched close to the Tennessee border. 

 A map shows the expected track of Francine through Mississippi and into Arkansas. The storm continues to weaken — but it also will bring heavy rainfall far inland.
NOAA/ National Weather Service /
A map shows the expected track of Francine through Mississippi and into Arkansas. The storm continues to weaken — but it also will bring heavy rainfall far inland.

Where is Francine now?

In its 10 a.m. CT update, the National Hurricane Center said Francine was about 15 miles north-northeast of Jackson Miss., moving north at 14 mph. Its maximum sustained winds were 35 mph. The weakening storm was expected to slow down as it moved north -- raising the potential threat of flash and urban floods from its rainfall.  

Areas with the highest risk of flash flooding from Francine are well to the east of its center, such as Birmingham, Alabama. This map shows where the highest risk will likely be through the weekend.
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Areas with the highest risk of flash flooding from Francine are well to the east of its center, such as Birmingham, Alabama. This map shows where the highest risk will likely be through the weekend.

How much more rain will it bring?

"Francine is expected to bring storm total rainfall of 4 to 8 inches across portions of Mississippi, eastern Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.” according to the National Hurricane Center. And some areas of Alabama, Georgia and Florida could see up to 12 inches.

"Downed trees & power outages along with flash flooding & minor river flooding have already been reported and are expected to continue," the National Weather Service office in Jackson said on Thursday, as it issued flash flood warnings due to heavy rain.

A first responder drives through Houma, La., after the power went out as Hurricane Francine made landfall along the Louisiana coast.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images / Getty Images North America
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Getty Images North America
A first responder drives through Houma, La., after the power went out as Hurricane Francine made landfall along the Louisiana coast.

How many people are without electricity?

People living on the coasts of southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are taking stock of damage from the storm -- and as of 10 a.m. CT, some 420,000 electricity accounts were without power.

A breakdown of that total, from the monitoring site Poweroutage.us: 364,000 customers in Louisiana; 35,000 in Mississippi; and 21,300 in Alabama.

How bad is the flooding?

“The highest rainfall totals across the region were 8 to 10 inches,” member station WWNO in New Orleans reports. “Most of that fell in Lafourche, St. John, St. Charles and Jefferson parishes.”

Local governments and emergency agencies are still taking stock, but just west of New Orleans, St. Charles Parish President Matthew Jewell said Wednesday night that people were reporting high water, street flooding and “water in homes across the parish.”

“Most of the parish is over seven inches of rain,” Jewell said, with the majority of that rainfall coming in just an hour and a half. His livestreamed video briefly went dark, as the building lost power.

National Guardsmen use a chainsaw to clear felled trees in Morgan City, La., on Thursday, as they  help the cleanup effort after Hurricane Francine.
Jack Brook/AP / AP
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AP
National Guardsmen use a chainsaw to clear felled trees in Morgan City, La., on Thursday, as they help the cleanup effort after Hurricane Francine.

Emergency teams urged people not to drive on flooded streets, noting the danger -- and saying that doing so also pushes more water into homes.

Where did the hurricane hit?

Francine made landfall about 30 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, La., at around 5 p.m. local time Wednesday, according to the NHC.  The storm intensified into a Category 2 storm, with sustained winds nearing 100 mph, just before hitting the town in Terrebonne Parish.

For anyone in the storm’s path, WWNO has a guide to help preparing for a hurricane.

Copyright 2024 NPR

Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.