Francine updates: Storm pushes across South as tropical depression

Hurricane Francine made landfall Wednesday evening in Louisiana, southwest of New Orleans, as a Category 2 storm. Francine has since weakened to a tropical depression as it brings heavy rain to the South on Thursday.

Latest Developments

_{Sep 12, 3:43 PM}

Biden 'closely monitoring' impacts of Francine

President Joe Biden is "closely monitoring" the impacts of Francine as the storm moves through the South, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

"Over 700 federal personnel, including 128 urban search and rescue personnel, are in Louisiana and ready to support any emergency response request from the state," she said.

"FEMA has also prepositioned more than 750,000 meals, 1.2 million liters of water to support the needs of survivors," she said. "We continue to encourage those who are in the path of Francine to stay alert, visit ready.gov for tips on how to stay safe and follow the recommendations of state and local officials."

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle

_{Sep 12, 3:31 PM}

Latest forecast

Francine -- the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the continental U.S. so far this season -- dropped nearly 10 inches of rain in Covington, Louisiana, and more than 8 inches in New Orleans.

Francine’s remnants are still bringing heavy rain, gusty winds and potential flooding to the South through Friday.

Flood watches remain in effect across parts of six states, from Arkansas to Florida.

Central and northern Alabama are in the bull’s-eye for significant flash flooding on Thursday. Up to 10 inches of rain is possible.

Wind advisories are also in effect. Gusts could reach 35 to 50 mph overnight.

-ABC News' Melissa Griffin

_{Sep 12, 2:34 PM}

No fatalities reported in Louisiana

No fatalities have been reported from the storm in Louisiana, Gov. Jeff Landry said Thursday, and he thanked residents for heeding all the warnings.

A Louisiana trooper suffered minor injuries while removing a downed tree from a road Wednesday night, officials said. The trooper was released from the hospital and is recovering at home.

Power outages due to vegetation are the biggest issue in Louisiana, officials said.

Fourteen route-clearance teams are out working to clear debris, officials said.

-ABC News’ Alexandra Faul

_{Sep 12, 12:00 PM}

Over 340,000 without power in Louisiana

More than 340,000 customers are without power in Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Francine. About 36,000 customers are without power in Mississippi and 36,000 are in the dark in Alabama.

_{Sep 12, 8:33 AM}

What to expect next

Francine -- which brought a record daily rainfall to New Orleans -- is now pushing north, bringing heavy rain, gusty winds and potential tornadoes to the South.

Eight states across the South are under wind and flood alerts, from Louisiana to Missouri.

As Francine moves north, it is expected to slow down and stall. An additional 5 to 10 inches of rain is possible across the South, especially in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia.

_{Sep 12, 8:09 AM}

Francine weakens to tropical depression

Francine weakened to a tropical depression as it moved over south-central Mississippi Thursday morning.

Francine is now spreading heavy rain across Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

A tornado watch is in effect for Florida and Alabama.

_{Sep 12, 6:43 AM}

Heavy rains, 'severe thunderstorms' forecast as Francine weakens

The National Weather Service forecast heavy rains and thunderstorms across the southeast through Thursday as Tropical Storm Francine moves north from Louisiana into southern Mississippi.

The National Hurricane Center said Francine was around 20 miles northwest of New Orleans early Thursday, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. The tropical storm was moving northeast toward Mississippi at 14 mph.

Francine is expected to bring between 4 and 8 inches of storm rainfall to areas across southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, far southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday, the NHC said.

"This rainfall could lead to considerable flash, urban and river flooding," it added.

The NWS warned of "heavy rain and chances for severe thunderstorms" across the affected areas, as well as tornadoes "potentially impacting parts of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle along a slow-moving warm front."

"The greatest threat for considerable flash flooding exists across parts of northern and central Alabama," it added, noting the possibility of up to 10 inches of rain.

The NHC also warned of dangerous storm surges. Water could rise by 4 to 6 feet between the mouth of the Pearl River in Louisiana to Ocean Springs in Mississippi, as well as at Lake Pontchartrain.

Three- to 5-foot surges may occur from Ocean Springs, Mississippi to the state border with Alabama, between Morgan City and the mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana and at Lake Maurepas, the NHC said.

-ABC News' David Brennan and Max Golembo

_{Sep 11, 11:22 PM}

Francine weakens to tropical storm

After making landfall as a hurricane, Francine weakened to a tropical storm late Wednesday night.

All Hurricane Watches and Warnings have been canceled, but Tropical Storm Warnings continue for parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

The Flash Flood Warning remains in effect in metro New Orleans while heavy rains remain.

By Thursday morning, Francine will be over central Mississippi with heavy rain, gusty winds, and tornado risk extending into Alabama to the Florida panhandle.

The storm is moving northeast at 16 mph while sustaining maximum winds of 65 mph.

_{Sep 11, 10:19 PM}

Flash Flood Warning issued for New Orleans

Thunderstorms across Louisiana are producing heavy rain across the state, according to the National Weather Service.

Flash Flood Warnings are in effect for "Northwestern Jefferson Parish, Southwestern Orleans, Northern St. Charles Parish and Southwestern St. John The Baptist Parish" until 11:45 PM local time, the NWS said Wednesday evening.

Between 5 to 7 inches of rain has already fallen in the areas, with an additional 2 to 3 inches expected, according to NWS.

Other areas in Louisiana that may experience flash flooding include Hahnville, Metairie, Avondale, Laplace, Marrero, Reserve, Harvey, Timberlane, Jefferson, Gretna, Harahan, Westwego, St. Rose, Destrehan, Ama, New Sarpy, Norco, Luling and Waggaman.

_{Sep 11, 10:38 PM}

AT&T and T-Mobile report resolution of 911 outage in New Orleans

AT&T and T-Mobile say the issues customers in New Orleans had reported in reaching 911 services in some storm-impacted areas have been resolved.

Those customers who needed emergency services were told to call the 10-digit number instead -- 504 671-3600 -- according to the NOLA Ready Emergency Alert System.

-ABC News' Darren Reynolds

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