Francine’s timing, intensity picking up
Published 4:58 pm Monday, September 9, 2024
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The timing and intensity of now-Tropical Storm Francine has changed over the past few hours as it continues to churn in the Gulf of Mexico.
“The center of circulation has really started to take shape,” said National Weather Service Lake Charles Storm Warning Meteorologist Doug Cramer. “There’s a good chance that Francine will become a hurricane over the next few hours.”
The system is now expected to make landfall as a Category 2 storm at about 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
“It’s jogged west a little bit more than we thought it would,” Cramer said. “Now we’ve got it making landfall right along the Cameron Parish and Vermillion Parish line.”
The peak storm surge forecast is 5-10 feet for areas east of Cameron and 3-5 feet from High Island to Cameron.
He said there is the potential for 110 mph winds across the coast.
Cramer said a hurricane warning is in effect for Cameron, Vermilion, Iberia, lower St. Martin and St. Mary parishes.
There will be another weather update at 10:45 p.m. tonight