Category 2 hurricane Francine hits Louisiana
Category 2 Hurricane Francine weakened to a tropical storm late yesterday after striking Louisiana, blacking out more than 275,000 homes and businesses and sending storm surge rushing into coastal communities, The Associated Press has reported.
The storm was forecast to be downgraded to a tropical depression Thursday as it churned northward over Mississippi, the National Hurricane Center said.
Some 4 to 6 inches of rain were possible in portions of Mississippi and neighbouring states, forecasters said, warning of the potential threat of scattered flash flooding as farflung as Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis, Tennessee; and Atlanta.
Francine, which is expected to cause at least $1 billion in insured damage, slammed the Louisiana coast yesterday evening with 100 mph winds in coastal Terrebonne Parish. battering a fragile coastal region that hasn’t fully recovered from a series of devastating hurricanes in 2020 and 2021.
It then moved at a fast clip of 17 mph toward New Orleans, pounding the city with torrential rains overnight.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. TV news broadcasts from coastal communities showed waves from nearby lakes, rivers and Gulf waters thrashing sea walls. Water poured into city streets amid blinding downpours.
CNN reported that more than 370,000 utility customers were without power as of about 3 a.m. today, and a tornado watch had been issued across southeast Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
Flood watches were in effect for more than 10 million people across the Southern US. Francine is expected to bring storm total rainfall of 4 to 8 inches, with local amounts up to 12 inches across southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, far southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through tonight.
Forecasters at the Hurricane Center are watching four areas for tropical trouble in addition to Francine. While three of the four areas have a low chance for development within the next seven days, one located a few hundred miles west of the Cape Verde islands has forecasters on high alert.
Before Francine made landfall, Gallagher Re said it could inflict $1 billion or more in private insured losses.
The $1 billion private insured loss estimate would align with recent historical landfalling storms in Louisiana. That level would be “highly manageable for the re/insurance industry,” Gallagher Re added.
Francine was predicted to make landfall with 90 mph winds. If it strengthened further, as it did, Gallagher Re said recent Category 2 storms in Louisiana caused insured losses in the low-to-mid single-digit billions of dollars.
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