Hurricane Francine made landfall in Louisiana Wednesday as a Category 2 storm, just avoiding Texas. The system weakened to a tropical storm Wednesday night and has now weakened to a tropical depression, according to the latest advisory .
Wednesday night, Francine reached maximum sustained winds of 100 mph as it came ashore in Terrebonne Parish, 30 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, the National Hurricane Center reports .
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As the Francine's threat diminishes, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring the Atlantic basin for the next tropical system. Will the next one hit Texas? Here's what we know.
Where is Tropical Depression Francine? Track its path
- Location : 30 miles south of Jackson, Mississippi
- Maximum sustained winds: 35 mph
- Movement : north-northeast at 12 mph
- Pressure : 996 mb
Spaghetti models: Latest models on where Tropical Depression Francine could go next
Special note about spaghetti models: Spaghetti model illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The Hurricane Center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts.
NHC tracking 3 other disturbances: See tropical outlook
As of 7 a.m. Thursday, the NHC was also watching three additional disturbances in the Atlantic. It is too early to determine the Texas impact, but all have low chances of developing over the next week.
Offshore the Southeastern U.S. over the western Atlantic: In a few days, a non-tropical area of low pressure could form along a residual frontal boundary a few hundred miles off the southeastern U.S. coastline.
Thereafter, some subtropical or tropical development is possible during the early part of next week as the system meanders over the Gulf Stream or drifts slowly northward.
- Formation chance through 48 hours : Low, near 0 percent.
- Formation chance through 7 days : Low, 30 percent.
Invest 92L in the Central Tropical Atlantic: A weak area of low pressure located several hundred miles east of the Leeward Islands is producing limited shower and thunderstorm activity. Development of this system is not expected while it moves westward at around 10 mph over the central tropical Atlantic.
- Formation chance through 48 hours : Low, near 0 percent.
- Formation chance through 7 days : Low, near 0 percent.
East of the Leeward Islands : Showers and thunderstorms have become a bit more concentrated in association with a small area of low pressure located a few hundred miles east of the Leeward Islands. However, the proximity of dryair near the system is expected to limit additional development over the next couple of days. Environmental conditions are expected to become even less conducive over the weekend while the system moves slowly west-northwestward.
- Formation chance through 48 hours : Low, 20 percent.
- Formation chance through 7 days : Low, 20 percent.
Hurricane tracker: See active storms in the Atlantic
Track Tropical Depression Francine: Watch live storm cams
Texas weather watches and warnings
Power outages reported as Tropical Depression Francine weakens
2024 hurricane season names
With the addition of Hurricane Francine, the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has seen six named storms:
- Tropical Storm Alberto : Made landfall on the Texas coast in June 2024 with some flooding, impacting the region less than initially forecasted.
- Hurricane Beryl : Hit the Texas coast on July 8 as a Category 1 hurricane near Matagorda, causing at least 38 deaths and setting records for tornado spin-offs.
- Tropical Storm Chris : Brought heavy rainfall and flooding to parts of Mexico in early July.
- Hurricane Debby : Made landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida, on Aug. 5, and caused severe damage along the East Coast, resulting in at least 10 fatalities.
- Hurricane Ernesto : Struck Puerto Rico on Aug. 24 with significant flooding, then hit Bermuda. It was a moderately strong hurricane with three indirect fatalities.
- Hurricane Francine : Named Sept. 9, the storm is expected to make landfall Sept. 11 as a Category 2 hurricane.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas narrowly avoided Hurricane Francine's path. NHC now tracking 3 more tropical waves
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